Surprising Probiotic Foods For a Flat Stomach

Want to shrink your belly? Start eating bugs. This isn’t a Fear Factor flashback: Probiotics, the helpful good bacteria in your digestive tract, play an essential role in maintaining a healthy weight.

When your good gut bugs are depleted, bad bacteria take over, causing inflammation. That switches on your fat genes, leading you to gain more weight than someone eating the same amount of food and spending the same amount of time in the gym. In fact, overweight men and women were put on a calorie-restricted diet and given either a placebo or a probiotic supplement for 12 weeks, in a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition. Women who consumed the good bugs showed significantly higher weight loss. Twelve weeks later, the women kept losing weight, even if they’d stopped taking the supplements!

Probiotics are found largely in fermented foods, and the MVPs usually mentioned are yogurt, kefir and kimchi. But probiotic sources go way beyond breakfast and Korean BBQ; you can consume them as part of a wide variety of meals and snacks. Here are some of the best options for a flat stomach.

1

DARK
CHOCOLATE

Dark chocolate is a dietary white knight. Chocolate-loving microbes in the gut convert the candy into anti-inflammatory compounds, researchers at the American Chemical Society found. When the cocoa reaches your belly’s digestive juices and enzymes, it’s feasted on by your belly’s good gut bugs, which ferment it into anti-inflammatory compounds. Bingo: You lose belly bloat. (Dark chocolate also dilates blood vessels to lower blood pressure, which can lower your risk of stroke.) Look for a cacao content of 70 percent or above. The ACS researchers said the amount that seems to be beneficial is the equivalent of two tablespoons of cocoa powder a day, or three-quarters of an ounce of a chocolate (one square is about 1 ounce).

2

GREEN
PEAS

Spinach and kale have a bit of competition for green veg of the moment. But the dark horse of this drag race is the humble green pea. Japanese researchers found that green peas contain Leuconostoc mesenteroides, a potent probiotic that stimulates your immune system, in a 2014 study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology. The peas produce lactic acid bacteria that protects the mucosal barrier, a.k.a. the body’s second skin, which runs through your digestive tract and is the first line of defense against bad bugs and toxins. Make sure to skip soggy, salty canned peas and add fresh ones to your salads and omelets, or snack on them fresh.

3

SPIRULINA

This blue-green alga, available in powders and supplements, is super-rich in protein: It contains all necessary amino acids. Research into its probiotic properties is preliminary but promising. A study published in World Journal of Dairy and Food Sciences found spirulina effective in growing cultures of the helpful bug Lactobacillus acidophilus while killing harmful gut bacteria. Separate Japanese research found that it reduced diabetic kidney disease in rats, and a 2015 study printed in the journal Phytomedicine found it protected mice from H1N1 flu infection. And the green stuff may be able to flatten your belly by burning fat during exercise. Nine moderately athletic men took either spirulina capsules or a placebo for four weeks in a study printed in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Afterward, the men who had taken spirulina supplements were able to run 30 percent longer than the men who had taken a placebo and burned 11% more fat during a run!

4

SAUERKRAUT

Although sullied by its association with hot dogs, sauerkraut is fermented cabbage, and it contains natural compounds that have potent cancer-fighting and belly-slimming properties. Unpasteurized sauerkraut is rich in probiotic Lactobacillus bacteria — it even has more than yogurt! — which boosts the healthy flora in the intestinal tract and bolsters your immune system. But it will also boost your overall health: Mice fed this strain of bacteria isolated from Chinese sauerkraut had reduced cholesterol levels, in a study published in the World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology. And one cup packs 34% of your daily recommended dose of vitamin C and a solid, satiating 4 grams of fiber. Sauerkraut on the shelf will have been pasteurized and is, therefore, less effective; look for “live and active cultures” on the label.

5

GREEN
OLIVES

These little green buggers have come a long way from their days as an unsung bar food: Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus pentosus have been isolated in olives, fed by the brine in which they’re soaked. And L. plantarumshows great potential for getting you that flat stomach you’re after: This strain can balance your gut bugs and decrease bloating, particularly in people with irritable bowel syndrome, according to the American Society for Clinical Nutrition.

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Source
http://www.eatthis.com/surprising-probiotic-foods-for-flat-stomach

Eat your way to a flat tummy

If you suffer from bloating and indigestion, a new diet may hold the key to a flatter stomach.

A new diet looks set to provide relief from bloating for the one in five people who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The low-FODMAP plan works by eliminating certain sugars from the diet and boasts a success rate of 70 per cent among those already following it. The beauty of the diet is that it is not as restrictive as other elimination diets and is therefore easier to adhere to, increasing the chance of long-term success for dieters.

What are FODMAPS?

FODMAPS are sugars found in certain foods which can cause symptoms of IBS in some people and stands for fermentable oligosaccharides (fructans and raffinose), disaccharides (lactose), monosaccharides (fructose) and polyols (sugar alcohol such as sorbitol, maltitol and xylitol). They were identified by dietician Dr Sue Shepherd, who has recently published a book on the topic along with gastroenterologist Dr Peter Gibson called The Food Intolerance Management Plan (Penguin, $35).

Common FODMAP foods include wheat-based products; certain fruit and vegetables including stone fruit and vegies such as onions, garlic and cabbage; honey and sugar substitutes; and legumes (see below for a full list).

According to Dr Shepherd, there are three reasons why FODMAPS cause symptoms of IBS: they are poorly absorbed in the small bowel; they are small molecules, consumed in a concentrated dose; and they are "fast food" for the bacteria that live naturally in the large bowel.

Common high-FODMAP foods include:

• Fruit: apples, blackberries, cherries, mango, nectarines, peach, pear and watermelon
• Vegetables: artichoke, asparagus, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, mushrooms, onions
• Beans and pulses, such as baked beans, lentils and chickpeas
• Wheat-based products including bread, pasta, cereals, noodles and biscuits
• Dairy products including milk, yoghurt, ice-cream and soft cheeses
• Honey and high-fructose corn syrup
• Fruit juices, pastes and sauces
• Coconut milk and cream
• Sugar substitutes (with names ending in "ol" such as xylitol)
• Coffee substitutes
• Sweet wines

Who would benefit from a low-FODMAP diet?

The low-FODMAP diet is designed to help people suffering from food intolerances that lead to IBS and has been proven to work in the treatment of IBS symptoms in both the long term and short term.

If you have been diagnosed with IBS or have experienced bloating, discomfort or a change in your bowel habits and would like to try the low-FODMAP diet, your first step is to contact an experienced and qualified dietician for advice. You can also get a breath hydrogen test to check whether you have fructose or lactose intolerance, or both, which will help you identify which FODMAPs you should be avoiding.

A typical low-FODMAP menu plan

• Breakfast options: wheat-free cereal with 'lite' milk; poached eggs with wheat-free bread
• Lunch options: Rice cakes with ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato; roast vegetable salad
• Dinner options: Lamb and sweet potato curry; tomato chicken risotto; Chinese chicken on fried wild rice
• Snack options: Yoghurt, popcorn, mixed nuts, rice crackers with a slice of hard cheese

General dietary guidelines

As well as avoiding FODMAPs, there are a few other rules you can follow to help reduce the severity of IBS symptoms.

• Firstly, avoid overeating, and enjoy your meals by savouring them and eating slowly.
• Avoiding excessive intake of fats, caffeine and alcohol is also important.
• Avoid stress-filled meals – don't work or have difficult discussions when you're eating.
• And lastly, don't skip meals. Eat regularly and always have a good breakfast.

The Food Intolerance Management Plan (Penguin, $35) is available now.

Source
http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/weight+loss/diets/eat+your+way+to+a+flat+tummy,12945

Best ways to lose belly fat

One of the most common problems faced by nutritionists is related to losing belly fat. While it is quite a task to lose weight on your midriff, a balances diet combined with exercise can help you get a flat belly. Here are the 30 best ways to lose the fat and get a toned tummy.

A combination of two major muscles transversus abdominis and rectus abdomen are the muscles that make up our abdomen. So, if you ate a healthy diet comprising lean proteins, carbohydrates and fats combined with intense cardio, your muscles would start showing, resulting in a flat belly or even six pack abs.

Eat Lean Proteins
The Harvard School of Public Health notes that lean sources of protein aid in keeping the saturated fat intake at a healthy level. When you are on sources of proteins such as chicken or beans you find yourself losing body fat and shaping your body. You get most of your vitamins from these sources and this improves your overall health as well.

Water Water Baby

Water constitutes 70% of our body. Most of our metabolic process takes place in the presence of water. So, when we are well hydrated the basal metabolic rate of our body goes up. This would mean that our body is able to digest the food we eat in a proper manner and the food is used to burn sufficient calories required by the body, so you end up with a nice flat belly.

Salt Matters

Avoid salted products like packaged food, chips, pickles and junk food. Check labels for preserved foods, because preserved foods generally contain extra salt. Salt is very bad for the body, because it causes water retention, and due to this it makes you look bloated.

Replace junk food

Firstly, throw away all the unhealthy food from your refrigerator. Replace this unhealthy food with lean meats, fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Avoid over-cooking the food as the nutrient contents of the food will be lost. Plan what you will be eating in this 10 day period and avoid extra unhealthy calories.

Fruit Punches- Not a good idea

In general juices, alcohol and fruit punches are calorie dense and often disturb the blood sugar levels in our body. Where moderate and controlled alcohol consumption has certain beneficial effects, fruits are best eaten in their natural form rather in the form of juices. Juices are full of concentrated sugar, which is not a good thing, if you are aiming for a flat belly. Eating fresh fruit should be the mantra of healthy living.

Say No to High carb meals 

Pick a diet filled with fruits and vegetables to lose stomach fat. Integrate this in your lose stomach fat diet plan, because fruits and vegetables have good carbs. Avoid donuts, desserts and cookies as far as possible. Again, keep in mind that though good carbs help reduce fat naturally, you shouldn't over indulge in these foods for quick results. In fact, if you go beyond the limit, it can increase your insulin level, and reduce your metabolic rate, because your body cannot process too many carbs at once.

Nutrient dense and good fat foods are those that have essential fatty acids and other vital nutrients. Try eating grilled fish as it has essential fatty acids, proteins and is a perfect example of a nutrient dense good fat food.

Workout for Flat Belly : Cardio and Strength Training 

All types of cardio exercise routines elevate your heart rate and keep it that way for extended periods of time. This results in increased consumption of oxygen, which leads to fat loss. Fat loss and stamina building are equally important. If you eat healthy and workout, your chances of achieving a flatter belly increases.

Workout for a Flat Belly: Basic Plank or the Elbow Plank

Lie down on your stomach. Place your elbows by the side of your chest. Palms facing downwards come up on your toes. Your back hips and legs should be in a straight line. Do not raise your hips, keep them in line with the back. Hold this for 10-20 secs. Keep your abs tight.

Workout for Flat Belly: Leg raise in a plank

Come to the basic plank position and lift one leg at a time. Hold this for 10-20 secs. Keep hips and lower back stable, avoiding sagging and rotation in hips/lower back.

Workout for Flat Belly: Arm raise in a plank

Come to the basic plank position and lift one hand at a time. The hand should be stretched out straight. Hold this for 10-20 secs. Keep abs contracted and hips clenched. Let the force to balance in plank come from the contracted core muscles.

Workout for Flat Belly: Leg Raise in a Side Plank

Come to a side plank position. And raise your upper leg up. Press the side of the feet of the lower leg into the floor. Balance yourself with contracted abs. Do it for 10-20 secs.

Yoga Postures for Flat Belly

Take almost any yoga posture like the sarvangasana (shoulder stand), virbhadrasana (warrior pose), or the dhanurasana (bow pose). How well are you able to emulate these poses almost always depends on how strong your core is. Being flexible, but having a weak core, will allow you to do some basic postures like Uttanasana (bending forward and touching your toes), but will not allow you to make much headway, when it comes to the more advanced postures.

Yoga Postures for Flat Belly

Breathing - Yoga teaches you techniques on how to breathe in a way that promotes lung capacity, clears blockages and even clenches and unclenches stomach muscles. This, also promotes movement and flexibility of core muscles and all round core strength.

Home remedies for Flat Belly

Start your day with lemon juice

This is one of the best therapies to eliminate belly fat. Squeeze some lime juice into a glass of warm water and add some salt to it. Continue drinking this every morning to boost your metabolism.

Home remedies for Flat Belly

Stay off from white rice

Replace white rice with whole wheat products. Include brown rice, brown bread, whole grains, oats and quinoa in your diet.

Home remedies for Flat Belly

Eat raw garlic

Chew two to three cloves of garlic every morning, and drink a glass of lemon water after that. This will help expedite the weight loss process and improve blood circulation.

Home remedies for Flat Belly

Load up on fruits and vegetables

Eat a bowl of fruits daily in the morning and evening. This will fill you up and provide your body with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

Home remedies for Flat Belly: Almonds

Almonds are not only rich in skin-boosting vitamin E and protein, but they are rich in fibre, which helps you stay full for a longer period. Even though they are slightly high in calories, they will not contribute to belly fat.

Home remedies for Flat Belly: Beans

Eating beans on a regular basis helps to get rid of body fat, develop muscles and improves digestion. Beans also help one feel full for a longer duration. So, add beans to your diet, if you want toned abs.

Home remedies for Flat Belly: Cucumber

Cucumber is an extremely refreshing and low-calorie food. They contain approximately 96 percent water, which makes it a cooling food. One full cucumber contains just 45 calories, making great flat belly food.

Home remedies for Flat Belly: Oats

The best way to start begin your day is by having oats for breakfast. Oats are filling and help you lose weight. Besides, they are also low in calorie and provide energy to your body slowly and can even lower cholesterol.

Home remedies for Flat Belly: Apples

Apples are packed with fibre, which makes your belly feel full and avoid over eating. Besides, they are also packed with nutrients.

Home remedies for Flat Belly: Peppermint

Peppermint has great healing and calming digestive properties. It is also good for getting rid of belly fat. The easiest way to do this is to drink it as a tea. Besides, it also helps cleanse your skin.

Source
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/best-ways-to-lose-belly-fat/articleshow/21451097.cms

Top 5 best exercises to lose belly fat

Who doesn’t want flat abs?

People desperate to lose weight will willingly starve themselves, take expensive supplements or do the latest fad diet that promises to give them that flawless figure in 30 days. Thankfully, belly fat is metabolically active and easier to lose.

However, if proper nutrition is not observed and the resort is made to low calorie diets, weight loss may not happen within the desired time frame. Hunger and calorie deprivation will eventually kick in and dieters confronted with that favorite food they have been avoiding will have the tendency to binge at the first opportunity. The likelihood of gaining more weight than they originally lost is not far-fetched.
According to Christine Rosenbloom, a nutrition professor at Georgia State University, eating a calorie-controlled diet and 60 minutes of daily moderate exercise activity will result to weight loss and can even help with the desired weight maintenance. In fact, according to Professor Michael Jensen of the Mayo Clinic, intense aerobic exercise will result to being leaner around the abdomen.
It is important to remember that keeping the body’s metabolism up and running so that the body continuously burns calories prevents it from going into the fat-storing mode that causes unnecessary weight gain.

 

Why exercise is necessary

Most people involved in weight loss believe that it’s all about the calories. If you burn calories more than you take in, you lose weight. If you take in more calories than you can burn, the body gains fat. While this piece of logic may make sense, it is only partly true. What burns calories nonstop is actually the lean muscle mass underneath body fat that allows more intake of calories without weight gain.
The body actually adapts to the changes it undergoes. Losing weight without exercising increases the risk of losing lean body mass, slowing the metabolism and putting the body into fat-storing mode. People who have lost body fat and muscle mass may notice that they don’t have the muscle mass they once had. Worse yet, once they overeat even a little bit, they start filling up on body fat once again.

 

Building up muscle mass

An important thing to remember when undergoing a weight loss program is to understand what needs to be done. Realistic and achievable goals can help in building the confidence needed to make the necessary leap for the achievement of a desired weight.
Researchers at the Biomechanics Lab at San Diego State University took a look at some popular abdominal exercises and ranked them. Results of the study revealed that exercises that require constant abdominal stabilization and body rotation resulted in the most muscle activity in the abdomen.
Below are the top five belly exercises as ranked by the study:

 

1. The Bicycle Exercise – 

best for targeting the six pack muscles and the obliques. To do this exercise, get into a supine position with hands at the back of your head. Bring knees to the chest while lifting shoulders off the floor. Slowly bring your right elbow towards your left knee as you straighten your right leg. Switch sides and continue in a pedaling motion. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

 

2. The Captain’s Chair Leg Raise – 

This exercise requires a captain’s chair, a rack with padded arms allowing for the legs to hang free that is commonly found in gyms or health clubs. To do this exercise, stand on the chair and grip hand holds. Press back against the pad then raise knees to the chest to contract the abs then lower them back down. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

 

 

3. Exercise Ball Crunch – 

For this exercise, an exercise ball is necessary. In this routine, the abdomen does more exerting but will still need the entire body to stabilize it throughout the routine. To do this exercise, lie on the ball with your lower back fully supported. Place hands behind the head. To lift the torso off the ball, contract the abs to pull the bottom of the rib cage towards the hips. Keep ball stable as you curl up, then lower back down to stretch the abs. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

 

4. Vertical Leg Crunch – 

Performing this exercise is similar to doing a leg crunch except that the legs are straight up, forcing the abs to work and adding intensity to the routine. To do this, lie on the floor with the legs straight up, knees crossed, and place the hands beneath the head for support. Contract abs lifting the shoulders off the floor and keep legs in a fixed position to crunch. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.

 

 

5. Long Arm Crunch – 

This is a variant of the traditional floor crunch where the arms are held straight behind you, adding a lever to the move and making for a challenging exercise. To do this, lie on the floor or a mat then extend arms straight behind, keeping them clasped and next to the ears. Slowly contract abs and lift shoulders off the floor carefully to keep the arms straight. Do 1 to 3 sets with 12 to 16 repetitions.
The best strategy to weight loss is to observe a healthy diet coupled with exercise of at least an hour a day. Although there is no sure fire way to deal with belly fat there are a number of activities from which to choose and enjoy. As long as you’re having fun, you can lose weight without realizing it. It is important to look for an exercise you enjoy. If the suggested exercises above do not suit your taste, taking a hike, swimming or biking are just as effective in burning fat and toning muscles.

 

Source
http://www.healthandwellnesstoday.com/top-5-best-exercises-to-lose-belly-fat/

Recommend Resource:

Free Presentation Reveals A Somewhat Unusual Tip To Quickly Get A Flatter Belly While Still Enjoying All The Foods You Love! Click here.