Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Marshall chapter.

TONED TUMMY FOODS

                                                               

Getting a flat tummy isn’t about living at the gym or starving yourself. Reducing belly fat involves a mix of a smart diet and effective exercise. You have to eat enough food for your body to keep from experiencing hormone imbalances; eating too little reduces the amount of fat burning hormone leptin in your body and will slow down weight loss. Here are 10 foods that can help you strive towards your toned tummy:

1. Avocado: Fights Fat!

How it works: Half an avocado contains 10 grams of healthy fats. These healthy fats stop blood sugar peaks which causes your body to store most of your fat around your mid-section.

 

2. Green tea: Revs Metabolism!

How it works: Green tea makes it easier on your body to fry fat. The extra burn can help you shed about 3 pounds a year, simply from drinking the tea and nothing else.

 

3. Yogurt

How it works: One cup encourages the growth of good bacteria in your gut which crowds out other bugs that can cause bloating.

4. Blueberries: These enable you to step up crucial conditioning!

How it works: Helps improve blood flow and delivers more oxygen to your muscles. Giving your muscles oxygen makes exercise feel easier so you can work out harder, longer, and more often.

Try them! Start the day off with a delicious waffle and throw on some blueberries while you’re at it!

[pagebreak]

5. Chocolate milk: Builds Muscle!

How it works: It teams carbs with protein to promote muscle building. A post workout cup of chocolate milk will help score you a stronger stomach. Just stir in 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder or syrup that has less than 20 grams of sugar and say hello to a flat tummy!

6. Oatmeal

How it works: The best things to eat include foods high in fiber. These help you beat the bloat. The secret to getting flat abs includes a diet that helps shrink the midsection. Swap your normal breakfast for a bowl of oatmeal with blueberries!

7. Almonds: Contain protein, fiber, and vitamin E.

How it works: Eating approximately 23 almonds a day will be a great source of magnesium, which is a mineral your body needs to produce energy, build and maintain muscle tissue, and regulate blood sugar. 

8. Apples

How it works: Apples demand a lot of chewing, making you think you’ve eaten more than you have and make your belly feel full due to the amount of fiber! 

9. Turkey: Super low in calories and high in protein.

How it works: Your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does to digest carbohydrates. It also contains leucine, which can help maintain muscle mass while you shed weight keeping your metabolism charged. Make yourself a turkey sandwich after a long, hard work out and get in that protein!

 

10. Dark chocolate: Can actually help get rid of the bothersome belly.

How it works: Eating a piece of dark chocolate may also help fend off a major sweet binge, but, in order for it to help, don’t consume more than ¼ cup per day.

Studying Health Care Management