Every other person on this planet wants to lose belly fat! Yes it is this great an issue. Belly fat not only gives you an ugly look but can be dangerous for your health too. The visceral fat or the fat around your abdomen can lead to diabetes, heart diseases, stroke as well as dementia. When it comes to lose abdominal fat, the right foods are a necessity. They detox your liver and boost your metabolism so that your body can target belly fat. There are numerous fat burning foods and spices that can help you lose your belly fat. Here are some really effective home remedies to lose belly fat with the help of such foods and spices.
How to Lose Belly Fat with Natural Remedies
Drink Lemon Water to Lose Belly Fat
You need to detoxify your liver because a stressed liver cannot metabolize fat effectively and which gets deposited around your waistline. Lemon water excellently increases enzymes that detoxify your liver so that it may carry out its basic functions efficiently.
Get this:
Lemon- 1
Water (warm preferred)- 1 glass
After you get up in the morning, take the lemon and squeeze out its juice into the water.
While warm water is good to make lemon water for fat burning purpose, you can also use water at room temperature. This won’t stop lemon doing its job.
Mix well and drink this lemon water on an empty stomach everyday in the morning.
Do not eat or drink anything for at least 30 minutes after you have your regular lemon water every morning.
Drink Cranberry Juice to Lose Belly Fat
Cranberries are a rich source of organic acids like malic acid, citric acid, and quinic acid that function as digestive enzymes. These acids act as emulsifying agents on stubborn fat deposits in your lymphatic system which transports all the waste products that your liver cannot process. Cranberry juice digests these lymphatic wastes and help you reduce fat. So, drink 100 percent cranberry juice or cran-water.
Get this:
Unsweetened cranberry juice- 8 oz. Or 1 cup
Water- 56 oz. Or 7 cup
In the morning, mix cranberry juice with water to get your day’s supply of cran-water.
Have one cup of this cran-water at a time through out the day.
You may have a cup each before breakfast and lunch, after dinner, and at other times of the day.
You may also make this cran-water just before you have it. Just mix 2 tablespoons of cranberry juice to 7 oz. (a little less than a cup) of plain water.
Have Fish Oil or Fish to Lose Belly Fat
Fish oil has omega-3 fatty acids in it. Omega 3 acids such as icosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and linolenic acid help in breaking down fat while reducing fat storage around your waistline. If you can’t take fish oil, have fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
Have 6 g of fish oil daily. 6 g roughly equals a generously filled tablespoon which is on the verge of overflowing.
Alternatively, you may have such fish as salmon or mackerel two times a week. Tuna and halibut are also high on omega-3.
Eat Chia Seeds to Lose Belly Fat
If you are a vegan and cannot have fish to get your day’s dose of omega 3 fatty acids, you can eat chia seeds that are equally high on omega-3 and are best plant based source of omega 3 acids. However, your body needs to work a little to convert the alpha- linolenic acid in these seeds into DHA or EPA that directly comes from fish oil. Apart from omega 3 acids, chia seeds are good source of antioxidants, calcium, iron and dietary fiber which helps you feel fuller for longer. The diet book, ‘The Aztec Diet’ suggests having 4-8 tbsp (1-2 oz or 30-60 g) of chia seeds during a day to keep you less hungry and prevent you from overeating. However, 1 tablespoon of chia seeds too is a good amount to include in your daily diet
How to eat chia seeds?
Add chia seeds to your smoothies, salads and yogurt.
Add them to your breakfast cereal.
Use chia seeds as a thickening agent for soups and gravies.
You know that ginger is a natural digestive aid but did you know that ginger is a thermogenic? Thermogenic agents increase body temperature thus helping burn fat more effectively. Your belly fat may be due to one of the various reasons like overeating, age-related reduction of hormone, lack of exercise or stress. Ginger can practically solve each of these issues. Ginger is also said to suppress cortisol production. Cortisol is a steroid hormone essential for energy regulation and mobilization. So, have ginger tea daily to aid your efforts of losing belly fat.
How to make ginger lemon honey tea?
Get this:
Water- 4 cups
Ginger (peeled and sliced)- 1-2 inch piece
Lemon- 1
Honey- 1 tbsp
Boil the water.
Add ginger to the hot water and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Remove from the stove and add lemon juice and honey to this.
Mix well and have a cup of this ginger tea in the morning.
To regulate your metabolism, stimulate your digestion and reduce your cortisol production, have at least 2 cups of ginger tea throughout the day.
Use Garlic to Lose Belly Fat
You might be knowing that garlic is good for your cardiovascular system as it reduces both systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as triglycerides apart from increasing good cholesterol. You might, however, not be knowing that garlic has excellent anti-obesity properties too! Every minute our body cells die and our body makes new cells to replace them. Adipocytes (also called lipocytes and fat cells) are the cells in our body which primarily compose adipose tissue (body fat). In the adipose tissue, there undergoes a process wherein pre-adipocytes are converted into full-fledged adipose tissue or fat. This process is known as adipogenesis. Studies show that garlic inhibits this process of adipogenisis or the process of making fat. If stated in simple language, garlic stops your pre fat cells from converting into fat cells. So, you might well like to add garlic into your daily diet. However, raw garlic is more beneficial when you want to lose belly fat!
Get this:
Garlic cloves- 3
Lemon- 1
Water- 1 cup
Squeeze the lemon juice into the cup of water.
Chew 3 garlic cloves and then drink the lemon water
Repeat every morning on an empty stomach.
You will start losing belly fat within 2 week’s time.
Herbs Infused Water to Lose Belly Fat
There are many herbs in your kitchen that you don’t even call herbs. You use them daily in your cooking or in salads etc. but you are unaware of there effects on your body fat. Some of such herbs include ginger, mint, and cucumber. These herbs when combined with the excellent fat burner lemon can do wonders to get you rid of belly fat. Consisting of water and dietary fiber, cucumber is a great food to lose belly fat. It cleanse your body from deep within and help you lose weight. Ginger is a great fat burner which allows blood vessels to expand leading to better blood circulation. It also boosts metabolism. A study suggests that people who eat ginger can lose 20% more weight than people who don’t eat it. Due to its rich contents of vitamin C and antioxidants, lemon boosts your energy apart from burning fat. Mint not only calms down your cravings but also soothes tummy after you indulge in foods. Water keeps you hydrated and this flavored water will also detoxify your body. So, here’s the recipe of what you might call a flat belly diet drink.
Get this:
Water- 2 liters
Cucumber (sliced)- 1 medium
Ginger (grated or pressed)- 1 tsp if grated; 1-2 inch piece if pressed
Lemon (sliced)- 1
Mint leaves- 10-12 sprigs
Do this:
Soak all the ingredients in water overnight.
Once they are infused for the whole night, drink this water throughout the day.
Dandelion Tea to Lose Belly Fat
If your belly fat is due to water retention, dandelion herb can come to your rescue. Dandelion is a natural diuretic which increases your urine output. Dandelion will improve your liver’s functioning capacity. It will flush out retained water and toxins out of your body, especially from belly area which you know by the name of abdominal bloating. Combined with some fat reducing spices, dandelion tea not only tastes good but helps reduce belly fat which is due to water retention.
Get this:
Dandelion root (roasted)- 1 tbsp OR Dandelion root powder (roasted)- 1 tsp
Fresh ginger (minced)- half inch piece
Cardamom seeds- from 1 cardamom
Cinnamon bark- half inch piece
Mint leaves- 4-5
Water- 1 and ½ cup
Honey (optional)- 1-2 tsp as per taste
Add all the ingredients except honey to water.
Bring this water to a boil.
Boil the water for 5-10 minutes
Strain the tea and add honey to this if using.
Mix well and have this delicious dandelion root tea.
You may have 2-4 cups of this tea during the day.
Precaution: If you have blocked bile ducts or some issues related to gall bladder, avoid having dandelion tea. Consult your doctor before taking this tea.
Don’t go by the sweet taste of cinnamon, it won’t increase your fat. In fact, cinnamon will help reduce your overall body fat including the belly fat. Cinnamon is a thermogenic. It means, cinnamon tends to produce heat through metabolic stimulation. Thus cinnamon makes you burn your fat. So, include 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon to your daily diet in order to increase your metabolism. Take ground cinnamon and not the cinnamon bark oil which may lead to ulcers, mouth sores and mouth burning when consumed. Cinnamon is one spice that you can cook with any food.
Ways to have cinnamon to loose belly fat Sprinkle a tsp of cinnamon on top of your beverages like tea, coffee or even milk.
Add cinnamon on top of your toast, muffin etc.
Add cinnamon powder to your breakfast cereal.
Sprinkle it on your salad, dips, and sauces.
Lean Meat to Burn Fat and Lose Belly Fat
Foods that have thermogenic properties burn your calories as you eat them. Protein is highly thermogenic. Animal proteins are more thermogenic than vegetable proteins. Thus, lean meats are the best calorie burning food. When you eat lean meat, you burn about 30 percent of the calories it contains within it just by digesting the food. So, if you eat a 300 calorie chicken breast, you will use about 90 calories to digest it. It’s wise to include some protein in each of your meal. This can be lean chicken, beef, or pork, especially in dinner so that you burn most of the consumed calories through digestion at a time when your body’s metabolism is slower. Just remember, do not fry your lean meat!
Sip Green Tea to Lose Belly Fat
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states, having 4 cups of green tea daily helped people lose more than six pounds within a period of eight weeks. Green tea contains a type of a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG. It is a natural phenol and antioxidant with many therapeutic applications. When you sip green tea, EGCG in it boosts your metabolism. Have 3-4 cups of green tea daily. Make it fresh every time or store it in fridge to get an iced green tea each time you need to speed up your metabolism. Here is a fine recipe of fat burning green tea for you.
How to make green tea to lose belly fat?
Get this:
Green tea leaves or pearls- 1-2 tsp OR Green tea bag- 1
Hot water- 1 cup
Mint/basil leaves- 4-5
Lemon juice- ½ to 1 tsp
Honey (optional)- 1-2 tsp as per taste
Do this:
Add green tea (or tea bag) and mint or basil leaves to the hot water.
Cover and steep for 5-10 minutes.
Strain and add lemon juice plus honey if using.
Mix well and sip your green tea.
Have three to four cups of green tea daily, preferably after meals.
Hot Peppers to Lose Belly Fat
Hot peppers contain capsaicin which has thermogenic effects. It boosts your body’s heat production and thus uses more energy or calorie. A study published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” says that when capsinoids are consumed daily, it reduces abdominal fat and improves fat oxidation. So spice up your foods with hot peppers to lose belly fat. Eat peppers raw, cooked, dried, or in powdered form. Red peppers contain different amounts of capsaicin, making some peppers more hot than others. Habanero pepper has the highest amount of capsaicin but cayenne pepper too can be a good choice. Although not as hot, cayenne pepper do has a significant amount of capsaicin which can increase fat burning and lead to your belly fat loss. Don’t be shy to add as much cayenne or hot sauce as you can to your soups, eggs, gravies and meats.
Coconut Oil to Lose Belly Fat
Don’t be surprised. Although it is a fat, coconut oil can actually help lose your belly fat! I’ll tell you how. This oil extracted from coconut has a unique combination of fatty acids. It has a positive effect on your metabolism too. Coconut oil is high on medium chain triglycerides. The medium chain fatty acids are metabolized differently from long chain fatty acids. These fatty acids directly go to the liver from your digestive tract, where they are used in one of the two ways- either as energy or are converted into ketone bodies. Ketone bodies are three water-soluble biochemical compounds that are produced by the liver using fatty acids when you fast or reduce your food intake. These are used by body cells as energy instead of glucose. So when you want to follow low carb diet to lose fat, coconut oil can help you a lot.
Coconut oil is also a thermogenic and burns fat. Many studies have shown that medium chain fatty acids when compared to the similar amount of calories from other fats, can improve feeling of fullness. Thus you automatically reduce calorie intake.
A study has shown positive results about coconut oil in reducing abdominal fat. In this study, some women were given 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and some other women were given 2 tablespoons of soybean oil for 28 days. Both the groups lost about 2 pounds but the group taking coconut oil also reduced their waist circumference while those on soybean oil had a mild increase in belly fat. The coconut oil group also increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels. However, mindlessly having coconut oil may in fact increase your weight, after all it is a fat. So, keep the following tips in mind when using coconut oil to lose belly fat.
Tips to use coconut oil to lose belly fat
Do not add coconut oil to the existing oils that you use daily. You must replace other cooking oil with coconut oil.
Do not have loads of coconut oil. Just 2 tablespoons a day is sufficient.
Remember, coconut oil is to aid your efforts for losing fat. Your primary diet should always be whole, nutritious foods.
Easy Lifestyle Changes to Lose Belly Fat
Sometimes you exercise adequately and adopt a host of natural remedies to lose belly fat but still you can’t. If that’s what happening with you, you need to analyze your lifestyle and make some small changes. These changes are very small but may need a while to convert into a habit. If you really want to get rid of your abdominal fat, you better start bringing these lifestyle changes from now itself.
Sleep adequately- Lack of sleep is one of the prominent causes for belly fat accumulation. When you don’t sleep, you crave for sugar and fatty foods. It also spikes your cortisol hormone which makes you insensitive to insulin. As a result, you lose your body’s bio-rhythm. So, sleep well.
Reduce or stop alcohol consumption- Alcohol is full of calories but when you consume alcohol you don’t feel full. Binge drinking in particular deposits fat around your waistline. It’s better not to have alcohol but if you can’t do that at least avoid binge drinking and also reduce the quantity and frequency of alcohol intake.
Develop Right Food Habits to Lose Belly Fat
Yes food can get you rid of belly fat, if you are eating the right food though. Here’s how you can develop good food habit and lose your belly fat.
Choose snacks intelligently- What you call light snacks do more harm. Burgers, pizzas, French fries and all that junk food is not good for your body. Eat less of them as also sodas and processed foods. Foods indicating low calorie, low fat or sugar free too can contribute to belly fat. Artificial sweeteners in these foods may induce your body to store fat. Avoid them and opt for healthy snacks like fruits, nuts etc.
Reduce sugar in your diet- Sugar is one of the main causes of fat. Instead of sugar, have complex carbohydrates. Your body converts complex carbohydrates into sugar and they are beneficial for you.
Have more good food- eat more of protein, vegetables, fresh raw fruits, whole grains and nuts. Remember canned fruits and veggies can further increase your belly fat so avoid them.
Have more of good fat- Omega 3 fats help lose belly fat. So have more of foods having this good fat such as salmon. Low glycemic-index foods such as beans too are beneficial when it comes to losing belly fat.
Consume more vitamin C- It must come from natural sources like lemon, orange, kiwi fruit etc.
Don’t skip meals- When you starve your body, it gets into survival mode and starts storing foods in the form of fat. So, have your breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Keep your meals small and snack on healthy foods in between these main meals.
Exercise to Lose Belly Fat
Yes, you cannot spare this. You must exercise too. All the natural remedies to lose belly fat and good food and lifestyle habits will go waste if you don’t exercise. This is the eternal truth. The fast you understand this, the early you will lose your belly fat!
Do whole body workouts- Losing belly fat just by spot exercising stomach won’t do. Exercise your entire muscle groups in whole body workouts.
Do cardiovascular exercises- Walking, jogging, running, cycling, aerobics etc. increases your body’s capacity to burn more calories.
Do Strength training- Along with cardiovascular exercising, do strength training too. It will build your muscle tone to help you get rid of overall body fat.
All the best to you in your efforts to lose belly fat!
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