Simple steps to shed belly fat and weight loss easily

Thin or fat, belly fat can give sleepless nights to all. Men with a waistline more than 38-40 inches and women with more than 35

inches should be on an alert! There are different types of body and one gains weight on different body parts as per the body

type. For eg if someone has an apple shaped body he or she will lose or gain weight first on the stomach.

Gaining weight on thighs or arms is very stubborn and usually governed by our hormones especially in women. Though it is

very difficult to lose this weight it does not get circulated in our blood and thus is not a threat to our heart. On the contrary

people who have belly fat usually have higher blood cholesterol levels. This is the main reason why losing weight on your belly

is most important for optimum health. Here are some simple diet remedies to knock off your belly fat.

1-Grab some fibre- including 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables is the best way to reduce inches on your stomach.

Eating fresh seasonal and raw vegetables can simply regulate our bowl movements. But ensure to use the high fibre

vegetables like raddish, carrots, beans, lotus stem, broccoli, lady finger, jackfruit, onions and all the green leafy vegetable.

Commonly people eat very small servings of vegetables and are satisfied with their fibre intake. For eg on an average an Indian

meal thali would have

1 small cup of vegetable+ 1 small cup of dal and 2 chappaties.

On the contrary it should consist of

2 cups of vegetables + 1 to 2 cups of dal(depending on the body weight) and 1 chappati.

Every meal should include some form of vegetable be it in the form of salads, cooked vegetables, smoothies , soups and broth.

Clear soup have even less than 1 gm of fibre where as the ideal intake is 25 to 30 gms a day.

A salad plate of just cucumber and tomatoes is not enough as these vegetables are 90% water. Include kakri, capsicum and

raddish in it.

2-Include vitamin C- constipation is one of the main reasons of an enlarged stomach. It causes bloating and forces

the stomach to swell up. Regular intake of vitamin C helps to regulate our bowl movement. The best natural sources of vitamin

C are limes, lemons, oranges, guavas, amla and all types of fresh berries.

These fruits are often excluded from diet fearing a sour throat whereas on the contrary they help to boost our immunity and

protect us from any kind of infections.

As vitamin C is not heat resistant it gets easily destroyed on exposure to heat and air. Drinking orange juice or lemon water

left open for a few minutes can of no nutritional use to our body. A common malpractice in our kitchen is to keep half cut

lemons in the fridge for future use. These lemons get oxidized on exposure to oxygen and turn bitter. Using juice from these

lemons cause acidity and have no vitamin C.

The take home message to increase your vitamin C intake

 Start your day with a glass of lemon water or amla

 Include atleast 1 citrus fruit daily

 Replace your aerated drink with fresh lassi, fruit or vegetable juice

 Adding lemon to your salad or drinking fresh lemon shots before meals aid food digestion.

Regular intake of vitamin C will help to reduce body fat especially on your tummy

3-Drink health drinks!

Including 2 to 3 health drinks made of natural ingredients like spices and herbs are very essential. All our spices like fennel,

cinnamon, cardamom etc aid proper digestion of food, reduce toxins and regulate our hormones.

For eg a health drink made of cinnamon and tulsi leaves controls insulin production and thus helps to burn body fat.

Traditionally all these spices and herbs were regularly used in indian cooking but have somehow they have vanished from our

modern kitchen. Most of these spices have medicinal properties and cure a lot of diseases.

The second advantage of health drinks is that they increase our fluid intake too.

Health drink=digestion of food=removes toxins=fat burn!!

How to make your health drink-

1 lt water+ 1 tsp spice+ 7 leaves of fresh herb+2 slices of fresh fruit.

Herbs and spices have to be wisely chosen according to the season.

Just soak the ingredients for 1 hour and start drinking. In winters you can use warm water and in summers cool water. Avoid

drinking it in case of fermentation due to over soaking. Make a fresh one!

Some good recipes for burning belly fat are-

 Water+sauf+ curry leaves

 Water+ dhania seeds+ginger slice

 Water+ lemon slice + ginger + ½ tsp honey

 Water + big elaichi + tulsi leaves.

4-Choose healthy fats like fish oils.

Fats are a source of essential fatty acids like omega 3 and 6. A deficiency of these fatty acids disturbs the body

balance of the hormones. This results in accumulation of stored fat in the body.

Usually the first step on a dieters list is to go fat free. This puts the human body in a state of malnutrition and shock

and as a result the body starts storing excessive fats in the form of adipose tissue. Eating healthy fresh raw fats can

help the body to burn more body fat. Some good examples are-

1. Fresh whole nuts and seeds. Most of the nuts or seeds available in the open market have been robbed of

their healthy oils. It is best to buy whole nuts and deseed them at home. Though it is an added effort but

one can be sure of the nutritive contents. Secondly they should be stored in air tight containers in a cool

dry place. If they turn rancid( smell sour) they are not worth eating. Traditional methods of soaking and

grinding for eg. Homemade Dhandai enhances the absorption.

2. Cold pressed oils like coconut, mustard, peanuts or olive. Are not easily available as are expensive. Read

the labels well before buying your oil. Stale oils are usually repacked and sold in cheap offers to misguide

the consumers. Check the date of manufacturing of oils and buy only the amount which can be consumed

in a period of two months.

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/11/2853.short

3. Home made ghee or butter. Also called clarified butter. A few years back ghee was the first ingredient

slashed out from a heart patient’s diet by the cardiologist. But according to latest research eating limited

amounts of raw ghee is the best way to cut down on body fat.

www.weightstudio.com/eat-fat-burn-fat-ghee-weight-loss/

4. Fish live oil easily available in the form of capsules. Commonly advised to heart patients with high levels of

cholesterol. It is the richest source of vitamin D too. Regular intake will show a mark difference on your

skin, hair eyes and your belly fat.lot of vegetarians avoid it due to religious belief.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jacques_Delarue/publication/8234088_Effect_of_dietary_fish_oil_on_body_mass_and_ba

sal_fat_oxidation_in_healthy_adults/links/578e453a08ae81b4466ebfef.pdf

These fats even help to regulate the assimilation of fat soluble vitamins A,D,E and K.

5-cut the sugar

The main reason of rising childhood obesity and lifestyle diseases in India is the increasing consumption of refined sugars and

sweet drinks. The RDA for sugar advised by the health council is less than 20 gms for an adult but on an average we are

consuming more than 40 gms sugar per day. A lot of hidden sugars are consumed in the form of sauces, jams, drinks and

chocolate snacks and drinks.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/Lakhs-of-Indians-becoming-sugar-

dependent/articleshow/19456525.cms

sugar= insulin spike= fat is prevented from getting burned=belly fat

We can simple reduce inches on our stomach by just reducing sugar from our diet. As sugar is addictive we need to push

ourselves harder to quit the habits. Going on a 2 week sugar detox or sugar free diet can drastically cut down on sugar

cravings.

Some suggestions are

 Eat a 9-10 raisons when you get the erg to eat something sweet

 Avoid any market food

 Switch sugars with sweet fruits as they have a higher Glycemic Load and prevent high secretions of insulin.

 Use natural honey instead of sugar to sweeten your drinks.

6-Fight indigestion

Our stomach is a small boneless organ prone to bloating and stretching in case of acidity and bloating due to indigestion.