The top 5 foods against abdominal fat

Too much belly fat not only looks unsightly, it is also unhealthy. Koch-Mit shows how certain foods can make the pounds melt easier in the right place.

WHAT EXACTLY IS BELLY FAT?
When talking about abdominal fat, you have to differentiate between subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. The subcutaneous fat is the fat that sits directly under the skin and usually covers the abdominal muscles. It is there to protect the body from the cold and serves as an energy store. This tissue is relatively passive, but not very nice to look at. Subcutaneous fat is a hated term, especially for women as hip gold or riding breeches.

However, a thick belly is in most cases an indication that someone has accumulated a lot of visceral fat. This fat lies deeper in the abdomen, above the muscles, and surrounds organs such as the liver and intestines. It is not only there to protect the organs but also to provide fast energy and is therefore very metabolically active. It forms more than 200 messenger substances that have a negative effect on blood pressure, the cardiovascular system and the immune system, among other things.

THE RATIO OF STOMACH AND HIPS
The Body Mass Index, or BMI, provides information on whether a person is underweight, normal or overweight. However, it does not take into account where the fat sits on the body and therefore provides little information about whether the percentage of abdominal fat is of concern. More meaningful is the ratio of belly and hip - the Waist to Hip Ratio, WHR for short.

The WHR can easily be calculated by yourself: Take the measurements in the best morning before breakfast, stand upright in front of the mirror, breathe calmly and do not inhale your stomach. Measure with a measuring tape at about navel height your belly circumference and then your hip circumference at the widest point. Divide the value of the belly circumference by that of the hip circumference. If the result is over 1 for men and over 0.85 for women, then a critical value has been reached.

REDUCE ABDOMINAL FAT
Contrary to many suppositions, the reduction of the dangerous abdominal fat is not only achieved with a particularly tight sports programme and massive sit-ups. Not at all! In contrast to muscles, which can be selectively built up or broken down with varying intensity in different body zones, fat cannot be selectively lost. Fat is not broken down where exercise takes place - fat must be broken down holistically.

THE RIGHT WAY
Especially important when you lose your belly fat is the diet: get rid of the fries, rolls, chocolate, lemonade, and bring in the regular, protein-rich meals made from fresh ingredients. In the following we have listed foods for you that are perfectly suited to make your belly fat melt away.

THE TOP 5 FOODS AGAINST BELLY FAT
Of course, one should not expect miracles here. Abdominal fat does not disappear automatically by eating certain foods. However, the combination of a healthy diet, exercise and avoiding unhealthy foods can have a positive effect on fat burning. These 3 areas should therefore be tackled together if you want to lose unnecessary abdominal fat as effectively as possible.

EGGS
Eggs contain many healthy ingredients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce inflammation in the body and make you feel fuller more quickly. They are also a great aid in burning abdominal fat, as they contain all nine amino acids essential for muscle building. And the higher the percentage of muscle in the body, the higher the energy consumption, which in turn means that the body burns more calories at rest.

This does not mean, of course, that you automatically lose belly fat as soon as you eat a lot of eggs. But in connection with sports exercises to build up muscles, eggs can make an important contribution on the way to a flat stomach. And of course eggs fried with lots of butter are not conducive to the loss of belly fat - cooked breakfast eggs are healthier here - practical and easy to prepare in an egg boiler.

SALMON
Salmon is extremely rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which among other things influence the hormone leptin. This hormone regulates the feeling of hunger and the metabolism, which makes the fish a perfect helper in burning fat. In addition, prostaglandins are released during the digestion of the fish, which help to reduce swelling in the body. Unpleasant bulges on the stomach disappear in no time at all.

MANDELS
Not only are almonds an ideal snack in a low-carbohydrate diet and reduce the risk of heart disease, they can also help reduce belly fat - especially if almonds are eaten instead of carbohydrate-rich snacks such as cakes. A recent study by the American Heart Association showed that almonds have been shown to reduce fat on the legs and also on the abdomen.

GREEN TEA
Overweight is a rather rare problem in Japan. Researchers actually attribute the reasons for this to the regular consumption of green tea, among other things. In combination with exercise, green tea can do wonders for the loss of abdominal fat, as it stimulates fat metabolism. The body burns around four percent more fat if green tea is consumed regularly, which of course also helps to reduce the loss of unsightly padding on the stomach.