The famous quote by Greek physician Hippocrates, “Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food” has stood the test of time.
Yet at the same time, eating disorders continue to rise within a society that simultaneously continues to place hope in false claims of happiness and freedom through the latest greatest fad diet.
The power of food to heal and restore couldn't be anymore important, but over the years the message has become distorted and messy.
The current focus remains on the “should nots” limiting nutrition to a list of rules that must be followed and consequences that must be paid.
That's not what nutrition is about.
The first and most obvious role of nutrition is to support the body and the role it plays every day while we get on with our daily life.
The media, government and social media’s food messages typically demonise a type of food in its entirety, the truth is that all foods (fuels)— carbohydrates of all types, protein of all types, and fats of all types—play unique supporting roles in healing and sustaining our physical bodies.
I've put together a quick list of 10 foods that you could add to your shopping trolley and why.
Let's get started.
1. Avocado
These are loaded with fibre, which helps keeps you feeling satisfied and prevents hunger, as well as monounsaturated fats, which actually help to kind of spot reduce belly fat. Awesome!
2. Healthy oils
Such as coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil (don’t over heat this oil though), which actually help you to burn fat, by giving your body the healthy fats necessary to burn body fat.
3. Cinnamon
This has been found to contain a type of antioxidant that increases insulin sensitivity, and helps to stabilize blood sugar, which means you'll store less fat. Bonus!!
Load up with a teaspoon of this in your diet each day by adding it to gluten free oats, pancakes, drinks, or anything else!
You can even mix it up with a little coconut oil and just eat it like that as a little pre training snack.
4. Belly fat busting veggies
Such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, sprouts (YUM) and cabbage contain something called indole-3-carbinol, which actually helps us to fight environmental oestrogens and xenoestrogens which can lead to belly fat accumulation.
Creating greens drinks would be a good way to get the veggies in as well.
5. Beans
No, beans DOESN'T mean HEINZ!
However, black beans, pinto, adzuki, navy beans and lima (not just from Peru) beans all provide your body with a pile of fibre which not only helps you feel fuller for longer, but actually helps your body to detoxify itself and process all the crap that's been getting in the way of your next belt hole for so long.
6. Berries
Like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and anything else ending in berries, are very low sugar fruits, provoking much less on an insulin response than many others such as our best friend the banana.
They're also packed full of fibre which helps them provide a slower release of energy, and on top of all that they are loaded with vitamins that can help eliminate cravings (cravings can actually come from vitamin and mineral deficiencies believe it or not - for a non-scientific example, just look at someone on a processed food filled diet, and see how much they crave even more crap!)
7. Spicy foods
Capsaicin is the active ingredient in chili peppers and chilli powder, and has been shown to increase calorie-burning, stabilise blood sugar levels, which helps reduce fat storage.
It's also a potent antioxidant and so helps fight free radicals doing damage in your body too.
8. Salmon
(not the crappy processed stuff in a can)
This is the ultimate belly fat fighting food, as its packed sky high with protein and belly fat fighting omega-3.
Most people are deficient in omega-3 (and actually eating up to 20 times too much omega-6), and by ensuring you're getting a good loading of omega 3 each day, you can really begin to nail into your belly fat stores.
Don’t like fish? Hit a high quality omega 3 supplement 2-3 times a day (liquid is best, not caps).
9. Meat
Yup, good ole fashioned meat. Packed with protein, fresh, quality meat sources are a must if you are to fight belly fat.
Organic beef actually contains something called CLA, which has been shown by studies to burn fat.
Another bonus with protein is that when you eat it, your body will actually burn up to 30% of its calories after you eat it! Bonus.
Don't forget to season your meat at the end Salt Bae style :)
10. Eggs (not battery)
These are nutrient dense love machines when it comes to shifting fat. loaded with protein, vitamins B6, B12, A, D, E, and K, foliate, choline, lutein, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids, these things give you so much bang for your buck it's unreal!
So there you go, 10 foods you can instantly get into your diet to help you fuel your body and get rid of belly fat in double quick time.
On my UNSTOPPABLE 28 Day Coaching Programme I not only give you the fitness training you'll also be given nutrition coaching to help you create healthy sustainable habits that will last for a lifetime.
If you would like more info go here >> https://www.perthfitnesscamp.com/unstoppable-28-day-kickstart
I hope you found this useful, if so feel free to share it with friends, family, work colleagues and anyone who you think will benefit from it.
Jason 'Yes Chef' Brownlie
Coach @ The Perth Fitness Camp
PS. Not quite ready to commit to a coaching programme?
No problem. Why not grab a FREE copy of my book 'Fat Loss Simplified' and discover how to lose weight and keep it off for good without all the fads, gimmicks and dieting nonsense.
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