As we get older, more fat tends to accumulate around the tummy. You look in the mirror and usually don’t like what you see!
If you put both of your hands just under your belly button, you’ll be able to feel how much fat you have there. Even I have some there (which I will be addressing – as a personal challenge!!!).
So what is the number 1 cause of this tummy fat?
The answer is…
The typically recommended low-fat, high-grain diet.
For decades, the food industry ‘experts’ have based their food pyramid mainly around grains and other high carbohydrate foods, which is supposed to be the foundation for a ‘healthy diet’.
And fats were seen as the ‘bad boys’ of the food chain. We’ve been (almost) brainwashed into thinking that eating fats will make us fat.
Unfortunately, these recommendations couldn’t be further from the truth.
A diet high in wheat and other grain products inevitably leads to high blood sugar and poor sensitivity to the hormone insulin.
In turn, poor insulin sensitivity has been shown to be a major cause of tummy fat accumulation.
Even worse, the more tummy fat you gain, the worse your insulin sensitivity becomes and so begins a vicious circle.
If it’s not addressed, this can often lead to your tummy fat getting out of control over time.
So what is the truth?
You should eat fats – healthy fats, that is and lots of them!
Fats are instrumental in the regulation of your overall hormonal balance, including many fat-burning hormones.
When you replace the high-carb foods with the right fats, you’ll start to feel less bloated but, more importantly, be well on your way to getting your tummy fat under control.
So cutting down on high-carb foods such as bread, muffins, bagels and pasta will be a great start.
I suggest you eat more of these fatty foods:
- Free-range eggs (ESPECIALLY the yolks)
- Raw nuts and seeds
- Oily fish especially salmon, trout and mackerel
- Avocado
- Coconut and olive oil
But I now hear you saying, “Egg yolks? Aren’t those unhealthy?”
No!!!!!
Egg yolks are loaded with vitamins and minerals and are rich in antioxidants.
Avocados contain healthy fatty acids, great for your heart health.
Oily fish contains omega-3s, which help to reduce inflammation.
Coconut oil contains MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides), which are great for providing energy and boosting your immune system.
So, eating these fats will help you to lose fat! Strange isn’t it?
Oh and healthy fats regulate appetite, provide a source of concentrated energy and transport the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K around the body. We also need fats for hormone metabolism, healthy skin and hair, tissue repair, protecting the internal organs and preventing excessive loss of body heat.
In fact, healthy fats are essential in your diet. So the next time you see a product labelled ‘low-fat’ or ‘no-fat’, it probably contains more added sugar, which is worse.
So, if you’re concerned about your waist size, why not change a few foods in your diet?
Cut down on your low-fat products and high-grain foods and choose healthy fats instead.
There are lots of healthy fats contained in my FREE eBook download ‘5-WEEK DETOX MEAL PLANNER’.
You can have it for free by clicking HERE.