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Six easy ways to reduce belly fat (and they don’t include exercising)
There are simple changes to your diet that will help you avoid the dreaded middle-aged spread.
Even if you’ve never had a spare tyre before, the hormonal and metabolic changes that midlife brings can lead to a thickening around the middle.
Faddy diets often claim to target belly fat, also known as visceral fat, but no diet can guarantee weight loss in a specific area. What we do know is that some foods promote greater visceral weight gain than others, so here are six dietary strategies to help avoid the dreaded middle-aged spread.
1. Nix ‘free’ sugars
A good number of studies have linked sugar consumption with obesity, in particular, increased belly fat. Address this by radically cutting your free sugar intake. Free, in this context, means sugar that is added to food rather than occurring naturally, the obvious culprits being sugary drinks, breakfast cereals, cakes, biscuits and most processed foods. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat any sugar at all.
The intrinsic sugar in whole fruit is fine, because it comes packaged with fiber and other nutrients which slows digestion, preventing excess blood sugar which is ultimately stored as fat.
2. Pack in the protein
An independent study published in the peer reviewed journal BioMed Central found that quality protein intake is inversely related to abdominal fat. Quality protein means foods high in the nine essential amino acids (EAAs) our bodies need to stay healthy.
The best sources are whole eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, lean high-quality meat and dairy products. It’s easy to up our intake of animal-based sources of protein but there are some plant foods that are particularly good as they contain all nine EAAs, such as soy, quinoa, buckwheat, chia seeds and hemp seeds.
3. Eat 30g of fiber a day
The benefits of fiber in the diet are well documented: better gut health, improved appetite and blood sugar regulation and lower cholesterol levels to name but a few.
Current NHS guidelines recommend having 30g of fiber a day but the average adult in the UK eats only 19g.
You can up your fiber intake by swapping to wholegrain versions of bread, pasta and rice. Other quick tips include keeping the skins on potatoes, eating nuts (be mindful that a portion size is just 30g however, as they are calorific) and nut butters, eat plenty of beans and lentils – and yes, good old beans on (wholegrain) toast counts – and don’t forget that fridge staple, hummus. Pair with wholegrain crackers for a tasty fiber-rich snack.
4. Drink green tea
A daily cup of green tea every day is a simple way to help guard against abdominal fat. In a 2022 randomized controlled trial, overweight participants who were given a daily dose of green tea for 12 weeks saw a significant reduction in visceral fat. Scientists believe it’s the antioxidant catechins contained in the tea that increases fat metabolism leading to weight loss.
If you aren’t a tea drinker then another way to get the benefits is to use matcha – a Japanese version of green tea that has the highest concentration of catechins.
5: Up your omega-3
Countless studies have found that omega-3 fatty acids have a positive impact on brain health, but recent research has discovered that it may also help target visceral fat. It’s not fully understood why but there is some evidence that eating more omega-3 rich foods, like fatty fish, increases our metabolic rate. Another theory is that a diet rich in omega-3 helps regulate hunger and appetite. In any case, increasing omega-3 in your diet is a good idea if you want to see off the spare tyre.
6: The power of probiotics
Probiotics are known to boost the good bacteria in our gut, but there is a growing consensus that they may also play a role in weight control. Studies to date have found positive correlations between the presence of probiotics from the Lactobacillus family – the best food sources of which are live yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha and tempeh – and weight loss, including loss of belly fat.
Eating more yoghurt is a good place to start, but choose a good quality Greek strained yogurt which has no other added ingredients, just milk and live cultures. You can have it with berries and granola for breakfast, in place of mayonnaise in sandwich fillings with egg or tuna.
注释：
visceral: adj
表示"内脏的"，means "relating to or affecting the viscera"，如：So, we really should try to get rid of the excess visceral fat cells. 因此，我们确实应该清除过剩的内脏脂肪细胞。
culprit: n
表示"受刑人"，means "someone who perpetrates wrongdoing"，如：They surprised the culprit into telling the truth. 他们用出其不意的办法使罪犯吐露实情。
crumble: v
表示" 崩溃"，means "weaken; decay; become ruined"，如：The masonry of the old building began to crumble. 旧楼房的砖石结构开始崩落。
amino: adj
表示" 氨基的"，means "pertaining to or containing any of a group of organic compounds of nitrogen derived from ammonia"，如：Is the amino acid in honey acidity? 蜂蜜中的氨基酸是酸性的吗？
legume: n
表示" 豆类；豆荚"，如：The legume has been considered lucky among Southerners ever since. 豆荚一直被南方人视为幸运的食物。
quinoa: n
表示"藜麦"，如：Quinoa brings a lot to the table. 藜麦给我们提供很多营养。
buckwheat: n
表示" 荞麦(粉)"，如：The farmers planted some buckwheat in the fields. 农民们在田里种上荞麦。
chia: n
表示"芡欧鼠尾草"，如：Mike: Oh, well, we had, let's see; hay, stucco patties, and for dessert we split a Chia pet. 迈克：哦，对了，我们吃了，一块小酥饼，一块小蛋糕，还是一人一半的。
hemp: n; adj
表示" 大麻(的）"，means "a plant fiber"，如：Be careful not to kink the hemp rope. 小心别把麻绳绞在一起。
swapping：n
表示" 交换；"，means "an equal exchange"，如：She ended up swapping jobs with her secretary.她最终与她的秘书交换工作。
lentil: n
表示"扁豆"，如：Guards brought us s large plate of rice smothered with a lentil stew. 卫兵给我们端来一大盘子扁豆焖饭。
hummus: n
表示" 鹰嘴豆泥"，means ""，如：A Middle Eastern staple, hummus is simple to make, making it one of my favorite foods! 一种中东主食，鹰嘴豆泥制作简单，是我最喜欢的食品之一。
catechin: n
表示"儿茶精类"，如：The catechin is one kind of polyphenol.It is made up of four isomers. 儿茶素属于多酚类的一种,其中以茶叶的含量最多。
Probiotics: n
表示" 益生菌"，如：Forecast in China in the next few years, the probiotic market will have a rapid development and prospects. 预测在未来几年内，中国的益生菌市场将会有一个较快的发展，前景十分广阔。
Lactobacillus: n
表示" 乳酸杆菌"，如：It is traditionally made by adding common strains of Streptococcus and Lactobacillus bacteria to raw milk. 传统制作是在鲜奶里添加嗜热链球菌或保加利亚乳酸杆菌。
sauerkraut: n
表示" 泡菜"，如：People in Germany eat their cabbage in sauerkraut form. 而德国人就喜欢吃腌制的大白菜。
kefir: n
表示"酸乳酒"，如：Kefir was made by nature inoculation : kefir grain,KG.It is palatable after adding sweeter. 以天然种子开菲尔粒为发酵剂,加入甜味剂,制备了口味良好的开菲尔。
kombucha：n
表示“红茶菌”，如：And with prayer and Kombucha her leg healed up beautifully after a week. 祈祷和康普茶在一周之后给她的腿治愈的非常漂亮。
tempeh: n
表示" [食]天贝（天然发酵大豆制品）"，如：It takes about three days to produce tempeh. 天贝一般需3个工作天来制作。
strained：adj
表示" 紧张的；不自然的"，means "showing signs of mental and emotional tension"，如：The relations between them are rather strained. 他们之间的关系相当紧张。
granola: n
表示"格兰诺拉麦片(源出商标名)"，如：Snacks on granola doused with apple juice.将格兰诺拉麦片蘸上苹果汁来吃。
中文简要说明：
一般人步入中年，随着荷尔蒙和新陈代谢走下坡，体脂肪一不小心就会堆积在腹部周围。这些内脏脂肪（visceral fat）不只影响外观，也是健康的隐形杀手。不过，别以为要降低内脏脂肪，必须靠严格节食和运动才能达成。英国饮食健康作者莱斯（Sam Rice）指出，饮食上合理补充6大类食物，就能有效减重。
█ 向「添加糖」说不！
添加糖（free sugar）泛指食品添加的精致糖类，常见于含糖饮料、糕饼、酱料等加工食物中，吃多了容易造成肥胖。相较之下，天然存在于食物中的糖分，例如乳制品的乳糖、水果的果糖等，含有纤维、维他命、矿物质等营养素，可以「适量」摄取。
每天饮食中的添加糖摄取量不宜超过总热量10%。若每日摄取2000大卡，添加糖摄取应低于200大卡；以1公克糖热量4大卡计算，每日添加糖摄取应低于50克。
█ 摄取优质蛋白质
优质蛋白质（quality protein）常见于鸡蛋、鱼、豆类、坚果、瘦肉和奶制品中，这些食物富含9种必需胺基酸（EAAs），有助于维持人体基础代谢。值得注意的是，黄豆、藜麦、荞麦、奇亚籽、大麻籽完整含有9种必需胺基酸，是很好的植物性蛋白来源。
█ 足够的纤维质
纤维质可以帮助人体维持肠道健康，还能控制血糖、降低胆固醇。纤维质的来源除了蔬果，也可以吃全麦面包、糙米、坚果、豆类，或在料理马铃薯时把皮保留下来。根据卫福部建议，19岁以上成人每日应摄取20-38克膳食纤维。
█ 喝绿茶好处多
绿茶和抹茶中含有抗氧化的儿茶素，适当摄取可增加脂肪新陈代谢率。根据2022年一项研究显示，体重过重者每天喝一杯绿茶，连续12周后内脏脂肪明显下降。
█ 提升Omega-3摄取量
摄取Omega-3脂肪酸有助于活化脑部，近期研究更发现，Omega-3脂肪酸也能提升新陈代谢率，消耗多余热量。每周吃2份（1份为35克）富含脂肪的油性鱼（oily fish），像是鲑鱼、鲭鱼、鳀鱼、沙丁鱼或鲱鱼等，就能获得足够的Omega-3脂肪酸。
█ 益生菌的力量！
补充益生菌不仅可以改善肠道菌群，研究发现，乳酸杆菌（Lactobacillus）还能帮助减重。常见富含乳酸杆菌的食物为优格，购买时务必注意选择成分单纯，没有额外添加糖和香料的产品。另外泡菜、康普茶、天贝也是很好的乳酸杆菌来源。
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