When you think of losing belly fat, you probably think of eating less. It’s true that cutting back on unhealthy foods and lowering your caloric intake will help you lose weight overall – including belly fat – but you might be happy to learn that some foods actually help you with that goal. Including them in your weight loss plan can actually help you balance your overall diet better, reduce “bad” cholesterol levels, lower inflammation in your body, and keep blood sugar levels more even.

Belly fat is different from subcutaneous fat, which sits just under your skin (the kind that you can pinch). About 90 percent of the fat in your body is visceral fat. While you don’t want too much of it, it is much less harmful to your than intra-abdominal fat, also called visceral fat. This type of fat lies below your abdominal wall and surrounds your internal organs. It can be dangerous because it generates adipose hormones and adipokines, which trigger inflammation and can lead to serious diseases like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Luckily, belly fat is also easy to lose. Following a well-balanced eating plan and exercising regularly will help you shed this type of dangerous fat. And while an overall balanced diet is key, including the following foods in your weight loss plan will boost your results as far as belly fat goes.

• Fatty fish like salmon
• Eggs
• Avocados
• Blueberries
• Sweet potatoes
• Edamame
• Fermented foods
• Green tea

All of these foods work to reduce inflammation, and some of them help to lower cholesterol levels as well. And contrary to what you might think, certain fats – like those contained in fish – are actually beneficial to a weight loss plan. These types of fats carry many health benefits in addition to making your eating plan more satisfying, preventing cravings for less healthy foods.

And of course, cutting back on alcohol is a must if you want to reduce belly fat. After all, the term “beer belly” was invented for a reason!

If you have any more questions about a healthy weight loss plan to reduce belly fat along with your risk of certain diseases, give us a call to schedule an appointment. We can help you achieve these goals and then maintain your results in the long term.