You can exercise, diet, and do crunches all you like but you probably won’t get a completely flat belly unless you look at the food you eat. Certain foods cause puffiness and bloating while other flat belly foods are fantastic for slimming your midsection.
You can look slimmer and feel better about your belly when you improve your digestion and get the flat belly benefits from these foods. Find out what to eat – and what to avoid – to get a flat stomach. Here are some amazing foods for a flatter belly and better overall health.
Flat Belly Foods to Eat
1) Fantastic Fiber
Let’s start with the basics. You need lots of fiber in your diet to speed up your digestion and get food moving through your system. Food hangs around and causes bloating if your digestive system is slow. Fiber helps speed things up. Choose a combination of two types of fiber – soluble and insoluble. The two types of fiber combine to draw water into your digestive system and speed up the passage of food through your gut.
2) Try Probiotic Yogurt
Probiotic yogurt is a great food for helping get a flat belly. Experts believe that the live cultures in probiotic yogurt help to move food through the intestines and balance the gut flora, which results in less water retention. Other fermented foods are also ideal for improving your gut health and speed of food passage.
3) Wonderful Watermelon for Beating the Bloat
Watermelon is a true superfood for beating bloating and helping stop water retention. It is packed with water and it also has some powerful antioxidant capabilities. Watermelon can help you to a flatter stomach and also has anti-aging powers – what more could you want?
4) Bonus Bananas and Potatoes
Bananas and potatoes contain potassium, which helps your body eliminate water. Increase potassium to counteract levels of sodium in the body – when sodium is high the tissues hold onto water which is often why you have a bloated belly. Don’t supplement with potassium but instead boost your intake of potatoes, bananas, edamame, spinach, oranges, and papaya.
5) Get Plenty of Water
You need lots of liquid to avoid constipation and to help move wastes through your system, which will result in a flatter belly. Drink at least eight glasses a day. You can choose any liquid apart from alcohol which is dehydrating rather than hydrating.
6) Wholemeal Bread Boost
Eat wholemeal bread rather than white bread as this contains three times as much fiber and around twice as much iron and zinc. The carbohydrates in wholemeal bread break down slowly and the energy release is slow and does not flood the bloodstream. You feel fuller for longer and your belly feels the difference from healthy foods rather than junk food.
7) Lovely Legumes
Legumes contain amylose, a starch that is resistant to your body’s stomach acid. As it is resistant it gets to the large intestine intact. It gives bulk to food waste and improves bowel movements, thus eliminating bloating.
8) Try Globe Artichokes
Did you know that globe artichokes are amazing for beating bloating? Globe artichokes have a wealth of health benefits. They contain helpful chlorogenic acids to assist bile production and help the body detoxify. You get a flatter stomach and better overall digestion.
9) Are Beans Good for a Flat Stomach?
Beans may have a bad reputation for giving you gas but in most cases they will actually help your digestion. Healthy beans help prevent constipation and minimize belly bloat.
10) Making Miso a First Choice
Miso is a paste used to make soups and Asian dishes. It is perfect for improving digestive health. Miso contains friendly bacteria that break down nutrients and prevent bad bacteria from entering the system. You get better digestion and a flatter stomach due to less water retention.
11) Eat Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Choose a monounsaturated fat like extra virgin olive oil as this type of fat helps to reduce the size of your belly – it helps to burn calories and fat.
12) Almonds Are Ideal for a Flat Belly
Healthy almonds are perfect as a snack because they contain lots of nutrients and they also help to reduce cravings. Eating almonds is also good for belly toning as they help you build muscle. Don’t eat salted almonds. Choose the natural almonds in their skins.
And Bloated Belly Foods to Avoid
Try to avoid sodium whenever you can. Sodium promotes water retention, which means your belly bloats. Most people eat more sodium than they should – never add salt to your food and choose low-salt and no-salt packaged foods. Avoid low calorie sweeteners as they can cause gas and diarrhea. Try to cut out pre-made foods and packaged foods and eat natural, whole flat belly foods instead.
