Tips to help you shrink your belly

I just came back from a lovely long weekend visiting my good friends in Boston and one of the most asked questions of me was "How do I lose my belly fat?"

I put together a short list of healthy, natural and easy tips that will help you manage your weight!

Eat vegetables and fruit, specially orange ones. (however, if I had to recommend one over the other, I'd chose veggies!)

Women have also been show to lose their waists by replacing refined grains like white bread and simple or added sugar with carbs from fruits and vegetables. Besides packing in the fiber, which keeps you feeling full longer, researchers suspect it's the rich antioxidants, such as vitamin C and beta-carotene, that ward off ab fat.

Carrots, cantaloupe, squash, and peaches are great sources of beta-carotene, while oranges, berries, and kiwi provide a good dose of C.

To keep calories down, pick veggies, like bell peppers, before fruits, and choose fruits over juice.

Below is information regarding the benefits of eating vegetables and fruits.

Mangoes/Pineapples: Aid in Digestion

Artichokes/Radishes: Cleanses the liver

Cherries: Diuretic and laxative qualities

Strawberries: Flush out toxins

Grapes: Cleanse kidneys, liver and aids in digestion. They are also good to eat before a run because it is a good source of energy as they contain many CHO in high concentration

Asparagus: Helps excrete waste and promotes the renewal of bodily organs

Cucumber, leeks and celery: eliminates waste

Figs: (fresh, dried, raw cooked) Cleansing effect on the intenstines, increases volume of stools an accelerate their removal



Eat Protein!

Why do you need protein?
1.Growth and repair of body tissues, including muscle, tendons, and ligaments.
2.Hormones: regulates sugar and fat metabolism
3.Transportation of oxygen throughout the body
4.Enzymes: controls the chemical processes of the ENTIRE body: Digestion and energy metabolism


Here is a list of foods that contain a good source of protein.

Omega 3 enriched hard boiled eggs, plain or greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, goat cheese, lean sliced meats, turkey breast, skinless chicken, fish, clams, grilled calamari, Kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, oatmeal (steel oats), nuts, seeds, almond butter, Quinoa, Hemp, salmon, tuna


Other nutrition tips:

Look for breads with the words 100% whole wheat or 100% whole grain, choose tortilla wraps, pita bread, sourdough bread, rye bread

Take an Omega 3 supplement for inflammatory prevention

Incorporate Salba, nature’s most powerful whole food: Promotes balanced blood sugar by reducing glycemic response by up to 40%, supports healthy weight management and digestion. It’s full of calcium, magnesium and iron.
(www.sourceselba.com)

You can buy Salba in a Nutrition Store: GNC, Whole Foods, Trader Joes

Drink lots of green tea!

I could go on and on with recommendations and suggestions! But hopefully this will give you a good head start as you work toward your health goals!

Stay active and anything is possible!
Donna