Happy 2017! Having trouble buttoning your favorite pair of jeans? Tired of feeling like you’re still carrying all those holiday meals around?
You don’t need to make a massive lifestyle change to get rid of these problems. If weight loss is on your list of resolutions, one way to get a flatter belly and feel better is to simply tweak your diet. (I still recommend exercise and cutting back on certain foods, though!)
Certain foods can help you reach your slim waist goals, including the seven best foods for a flat stomach. Add them to your daily meals or have them for a snack and you’ll be feeling and looking 10 times better in no time!
To help you in your quest, Coupons.com professional recipe developer Brook McLay has compiled a list below of the 7 best food for a flat stomach and a slim waist:
7 Best Foods for a Flat Stomach
1. Burn fat with yogurt
Eating regular and Greek yogurt is a great way to banish belly flab. The probiotics in yogurt balance out the good bacteria in your gut, and this keeps things moving along your digestive tract.
One to three cups of low-fat or fat-free yogurt also counts toward your recommended calcium and protein servings for the day.
2. Make meals colorful with this Rainbow Yogurt Bowl
If you’ve made a resolution to eat more plant-based foods, here’s an easy way to get in a whole day of fruit — and a whole rainbow, too!
Bright and simple, honeyed Greek yogurt is topped with an array of fresh fruits. Feel free to use whatever toppings you have in the house, but keep in mind One Green Planet’s advice that “consuming different color foods plays a role in insuring you are getting enough essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and more.”
Here’s how to make this delicious, nutritious fruit-topped yogurt bowl at home:
Rainbow Yogurt Bowl
Yield: 1 serving
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, vanilla
• 1-2 Tablespoons honey
• 2-3 strawberries
• 1/4 cup raspberries
• 1/4 cup mango and/or fresh pineapple
• 1/2 green apple, sliced
• 1/4 cup blueberries and/or blackberries
• 1-2 Tablespoons sliced almonds
• 1 Tablespoon chia or hemp seeds (optional)
• 1/2 lime or lemon (optional)
Directions
1. Place yogurt in a bowl. Swirl in honey.
2. Top with berries, mango, and/or pineapple, apple, almonds, and seeds. Drizzle with lime or lemon juice, if desired.
3. Enjoy!
3. Up your metabolism with almonds
Pass the almonds!
Almonds contain monounsaturated fatty acids. These beneficial fatty acids increase your metabolic rate so your body will burn fat faster, and the fatty acids help keep you full and satisfied longer.
Snack on one ounce, or about 23 almonds per day for the best benefits.
4. Use quinoa to fuel your day
Quinoa is a whole grain and a complete protein. Whole grains are digested more slowly than refined grains, so the body uses them as fuel rather than storing them in fat cells.
In fact, a group of whole-grain eaters lost significantly more belly fat than refined grain eaters in a 2008 study.
Ready to try it? Sub in quinoa for at least one of your other daily grains — up to one half-cup serving per day! Whole grains don’t have to be bland, either. This Coconut & Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers recipe is jam-packed with amazing flavors.
5. Tame your hunger with berries
Berries are full of fiber, and fiber is great for speeding up digestion so your food doesn’t sit around in your digestive tract.
Another bonus? Fiber keeps you fuller, longer!
Aim for at least a half cup of berries like strawberries or blueberries each day and you’ll be getting lots of good-for-you antioxidants, too.
Satisfy your sweet tooth: Chocolate Berry Cups recipe
6. Salmon is the king of omega 3s
Salmon is the rockstar of the omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3s help burn fat by speeding up your metabolism. Make sure to choose wild salmon and aim for two four-ounce. servings per week.
7. Stay hydrated with flavored detox water
Boost your likelihood of drinking water by adding grapefruit, cucumber, berries, or mint leaves. These lend incredible flavor, natural nutrients, and all that hydration helps you stay thin and trim.
Try these 11 different flavored water combinations and watch those pounds drop!
Happy Health Days Ahead!