Flat Abs Diet

There’s a lot of talk about the upcoming book, The Flat Belly Diet. Here’s some info from some of my favorite health and wellness resources on how to get flat abs through diet.

The Flat Ab Diet

Some tips to get you started: Eat five times a day. Your body needs food every three to four hours, so instead of eating three large meals, try to schedule five smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day (breakfast-snack-lunch-snack-dinner). By staying full and energized, you’ll avoid hunger pangs, maintain an even energy flow, make better, healthier food choices (no binging or craving) and enjoy the most efficient burning of calories.

Ab Diet Tip 1. Eat more fiber.
The 5 Quickest Ways to 25 Grams of Fiber:
Eat Whole Grains You can get 4 grams of fiber easily with a serving of whole grains. Here are a few examples:
· 1 to 2 slices of whole-grain bread (depending on the brand)
· 1 cup of brown rice
· 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (depending on the brand)
· 9 Reduced-Fat Triscuits

Eat Breakfast Cereals Some cereals contain 5 or more grams of fiber per serving. Here are a few examples:
· 1 cup of Raisin Bran = 8 grams of fiber
· 1/2 cup of All-Bran = 10 grams
· 1 cup of Frosted Shredded Wheat Spoonsize = 5 grams
· 1 1/4 cups of cooked oatmeal = 5 grams
Eat Beans Canned bean products make it easy to eat fiber. Just 1/2 cup can get you to 6 or more grams of fiber in a snap. Here are a few examples:
· 1/2 cup of Ortega Fat-Free Refried Beans = 9 grams of fiber
· 1/2 cup of canned kidney beans = 6 grams
· 1/2 cup of S&W Chili Beans Zesty Sauce = 6 grams
Eat a Few Fruits Each Day Fruits are great choices because they include both fiber and extra water. Here are a few examples:
· 1 apple = 3.7 grams of fiber
· 1 banana = 2.8 grams
· 1 pear = 4 grams
· 1 cup of strawberries = 3.8 grams
Eat a Few Veggies Each Day Vegetables offer loads of fiber plus antioxidants that can help fight heart disease and cancer. Here are a few examples:
· 1 cup carrot slices, cooked = 5 grams of fiber
· 1 cup cooked broccoli = 4.5 grams of fiber
· 1 sweet potato = 4 grams of fiber
· 1 cup cauliflower, cooked = 3 grams of fiber
· 2 cups raw spinach leaves = 3 grams of fiber

Ab Diet Tip 2. Opt for a sensible amount of high-quality carbs. For flatter abs, make carbs 45–- 65 percent (202 – 292) grams based on an 1,800-calorie diet) of your total daily calories. Balance is the key here, so don’t go below 45 percent (202 grams), or above 65 percent (292 grams), which can lead to water retention, bloating and temporary weight gain that shows up in your middle.

Ab Diet Tip 3. Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. Beverages with little or no calories, caffeine or sodium, including herbal tea, are best. If you are eating plenty of water-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables and low-sodium soups, you can get half of your water requirements from foods.
Avoid carbonated drinks. Fizzy drinks, including soda pop and spritzers, increase bloating because the carbon dioxide trapped in the bubbles creates gas, which slows down stomach emptying.

Ab Diet Tip 4. Watch the salt. Sodium is essential for regulating body fluids and blood pressure as well as for nerve transmission, muscle function and absorption of important nutrients. But even a small amount of excess sodium causes bloating.
The American Heart Association recommends you consume no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium daily — roughly 1 teaspoon of table salt. That’s enough sodium to replenish your supply even if you work up a major sweat.

Ab Diet Tip 5. Eat light at night. It never fails: You have a heavier-than-normal evening meal or snack, and when you weigh yourself the next morning, you’re up by several pounds. But as depressing as it may seem at the moment, such a quick gain is always water weight; you simply cannot gain that much fat overnight.
In a recent study, people who skipped breakfast or lunch and ate their largest meal later in the day had lower metabolisms. So by eating light at night you’ll receive a double benefit: You’ll wake up with a flatter tummy, and you’ll also have a better appetite for a fiber-rich breakfast, which sets you up for a day of healthful eating.

Ab Diet Tip 6. Reduce stress. Research shows that stress triggers the hormone cortisol to turn up your appetite and deposit fat around the organs in your abdomen. Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., author of Fight Fat After Forty (Penguin, 2000) calls this “toxic weight,” because it’s associated with heart disease, diabetes and cancer.