Check out these 7 foods to help combat that belly fat, by adding them to a balanced diet.

Realistically, no single food will magically make belly fat disappear. But, there are some foods out there that can assist with weight loss! Too much belly fat can be very toxic and can lead to many health problems including diabetes, heart disease and cancer! They key to weight loss is keeping yourself full on wholesome foods.

Eggs

Eggs are very high in protein. Your body uses more energy to break down high protein foods. Protein also helps maintain your muscles. These things boost your metabolism, meaning you burn belly fat faster! Eggs also keep you feeling full.

Capsicum and kiwifruit

Capsicums and kiwifruit are two of the highest sources of Vitamin C (much higher than oranges). Research has shown that people with higher vitamin C stores can burn up to 30% more fat during exercise!

Oats

The fibre in oats causes your meal to be absorbed from your gut into your body very slowly, which keeps you feeling fuller for longer. The fibre also traps cholesterol in your gut, reducing the amount being absorbed into your body!

Nuts

The healthy fats, protein and fibre content will keep you feeling full. The fibre in nuts can trap some of the food in your gut, so your body doesn’t absorb it all (this means less energy intake which = less weight gain!). A handful of nuts (30g) a day is associated with weight loss!

Berries

These sweet, juicy bursts of joy are very high in water and low in energy. This means that if you are having a bit of a sweet tooth craving, berries should be your go to. Even if you manage to work your way through a punnet of berries (250g), you’ve still only consumed 250kj (compared to a 1000kj chocolate bar).

Avocado

Avocados are jam-packed of healthy fats and fibre. Eating a quarter of avocado in your sandwich or with your salad will slow down the digestion of your entire meal, keeping you feeling satisfied!

Greek yoghurt

Research has found 3-4 serves of dairy per day to be associated with reduced belly fat! Greek yoghurt has twice the protein content than normal yoghurt which helps boost your metabolism and keep you full!

Check out this week’s belly fat blasting breakfast recipe! This high protein take on pancakes is also perfect post work-out!

Banana and Egg Pancakes from Life Life Get Active on Vimeo.

Serves: 1 Time: 8mins Cost: $2 approx.

Ingredients

• 1 small to medium sized ripe banana (mixture won’t stay together if too big)
• 2 eggs
• 1 TBSP smooth peanut butter
• pinch of cinnamon
• ¼ tsp butter

Serve with:

• ½ cup berries (we defrost frozen berries in the microwave to save $$)
• ½ tsp maple syrup

Method

1. Mash banana.
2. Add eggs then whisk.
3. Add peanut butter and cinnamon, whisk.
4. Heat butter in a non-stick pan on medium heat.
5. Add mixture and cook for 2 – 2 ½ mins.
6. Flip – unstick the edges with spatula before flipping.
7. Cook further 2 mins.
8. Serve with berries and maple syrup.

Sources:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/does-metabolism-matter-in-weight-loss

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4144111/

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/oats/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4856732/