Tips: How to Lose Belly Fat

Eating a low fat diet with more healthy fruit, healthy whole grains -- and including wine with food – can help shed pounds and belly fat.

• Healthy eating tip # 1: Melons: At fewer than 50 calories a slice, this healthy fruit is one sweet treat you can feel free to indulge in. “Both honeydew and cantaloupe are healthy fruit choices high in potassium,” says Greaves. “This minerial keeps sodium levels in check and beats belly bloat.”
• Healthy eating tip # 2: Wine: A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that people who averaged a serving of alcohol a day had slimmer waistlines than their tee-totaling counterparts. “Drinking a small amount of alcohol with a meal may speed up calorie burn,” says Jerry Greenfield, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s author.
• Healthy eating tip # 3: Whole-grain bread: Researchers at Penn State found that dieters who ate at least five servings of healthy whole grains while following a low calorie diet shed 24 percent more abdominal fat than those who averaged the same number of calories but ate refined grains. To up your intake of healthy whole grains, swap your cornflakes for oatmeal.
• Healthy eating tip # 4: Grapefruit: Add zing to your low fat diet with this vitamin C–rich healthy fruit. Research in Public Health Nutrition found that people who consumed the least amount of this nutrient were 131 percent more likely to have larger waists than those who got the most. Other studies suggest that grapefruit can curb the insulin spikes that lead to fat storage.
• Healthy eating tip # 5: Walnuts: Increase omega 3 benefits with walnuts. Research shows that their omega 3 fatty acids lower levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol, that can contribute to fat storage. To get more omega 3 benefits, sprinkle some ground flaxseed on your yogurt.