Are you looking
for a flat abs diet? Do you want to havea six pack (guys) or completely flat stomach (gals)? Is the belly fat holding you back on your
fitness program? Here’s some tips for a
flat abs diet. First of all, make sure that you are getting enough fiber in
your diet. Fiber comes only from plant
sources. You cannot get fiber from meat
or fat. The best form of fiber for your
flat abs diet comes directly from fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Processed food
takes much of the fiber out of foods.
For instance, a medium baked potato (with skin) has 3.8 grams of
fiber. But, if you make scalloped
potatoes from a box, you will get less than 1 gram. So, try to have fresh and not processed foods.
You need at least
25 grams of fiber on a flat abs diet.
Next, you want to
balance your carbs. You need
carbohydrates for energy, so you don’t want to eliminate them as you would in
diets like Adkins. But, you also do not
want to have too many because that breaks down into glucose which further
breaks down into fat. The ideal range of
carbs is 45 to 65 percent of your daily calories.
Protein should
make up between 15 and 20 percent of your calories. You need protein to build lean muscle mass. Also make sure that fats from all sources
make up no more than 25 percent of your daily diet.
You should drink
plenty of water. Some people believe
that if they drink a lot of water they will bloat. This is a mistake. You will lose all of the water you drink
through perspiration and urination.
However, the water will take with it the sodium in your body. The sodium is what actually causes you to
bloat.
Speaking of
which, if you want a good diet for abs, you have to limit the sodium. Most people need around 500 mg. of sodium a
day for their bodies to function. The
American Heart Association recommends that people place an absolute cap on
sodium at 2400 mg. Yet, the majority of
Americans get between 3000 and 6000 mg. a day.
That’s just way too much. Part of
the problem stems from shaking salt onto food.
But, much of the problem comes from processed foods. Processed foods use salt for both taste and
shelf stability. Just like with fiber, a
flat abs diet will rely on fresh, not processed foods.
Another thing to
consider when doing a flat abs diet is reducing or eliminating “fizzy” drinks
like soda. Pop and spritzers increase
bloating because the carbon dioxide trapped in the bubbles creates gas. This slows your stomach down from emptying.
Limit or
eliminate your consumption of alcohol and caffeine. These are natural diuretics which increase
fluid loss. They do not replace your
body fluids as effectively as water or juice which are the preferred beverages
on the flat abs diet.
The last tip I
have for you is to try to reduce the stress in your life. Stress causes the hormone cortisol to act
up. Cortisol causes fat deposits around
the organs in your abdomen. Exercise is
a great stress reliever, which has the added benefit of helping you to lose
weight all over.
If you are trying
to lose belly fat, try this fat abs diet.