A number of factors are responsible for belly fat including a sedentary lifestyle, hormonal issues, and excess consumption of alcohol. A bulging belly is an indicator of excess fat deposits or visceral fat on major organs in the abdominal cavity including liver and pancreas and this increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, cardiovascular complications and even cancer.
Soumita Biswas, chief nutritionist, Aster RV hospital, explains that belly fat is a sign of a poor lifestyle, so dietary changes and exercise together can help reduce belly fat. She added that it is important to find out why belly fat is present and change your diet under the guidance of a nutritionist.
How to lose belly fat
1. Eat plenty of fibre
Experts suggest that eating a diet that is high in fibre is one of the natural ways to lose belly fat. Biswas explains that fibre provides satiety and helps the person feel full soon. Because of the high satiety factor, one can reduce the intake of food, which will help reduce calorie intake. Fibre rich food gets broken down slowly and reduces chances of sudden sugar spikes. Some sources of fibre include fruits like apples, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, oats, and barley.
2. Avoid ultra processed junk food
Ultra processed food is rich in refined carbohydrates and hidden sugars that are high in calories and these get stored in your body as internal fat, especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle. Eileen Canday PhD, HOD, nutrition and dietetics, Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai, suggests that to avoid excess fat accumulation, one should avoid all aerated and sugary drinks, artificial sugars, and deep fried snacks etc. “It is important to be mindful of what you eat. It does not only help with belly fat but also with overall health,” says Meghna Mevawala PhD, Clinical & Sports Nutritionist, Founder of Vrieves Nutrition clinic.
3. Avoid trans-fat
Trans-fat is a variant of unsaturated fat which is more harmful and leads to multiple cardiovascular complications including obesity. “This fat is linked to inflammation, insulin resistance and abdominal belly fat gain,” says Biswas. She adds that trans-fat is technically not a measurable fat, so in packaged snacks it is still present even if it is mentioned that it is trans-fat free. Though there are some amounts of natural trans-fat in red meat and dairy products, it is mainly the artificial trans-fat found in hydrogenated vegetable oils that cause health complications. Most packaged fried foods are made out of trans-fat rich oil due to lower manufacturing cost and longer shelf life.
4. High protein diet
Protein increases the metabolic rate and helps to retain muscle mass. “Intake of protein rich food gives fullness and reduces appetite,” says Biswas.
Because there is a feeling of fullness, consumption of calories is also reduced. This will help with reduction of belly fat. Inclusion of protein in your diet will also help you to reduce the intake of undesirable food like those with unhealthy fat. Some sources of protein are chicken, fish, egg, paneer, tofu, mushroom, and legumes.
5. Opt for more whole grains
Refined carbohydrates can cause overeating and high blood sugar levels. These are found in maida, white rice, white rava, etc. Biswas suggests replacing them with whole wheat flour, brown rice, red rice, millet, broken wheat or bansi rava. She adds that it helps improve metabolic health and reduce belly fat.
6. Limit Alcohol intake
Alcohol is high in calories and leads to an increase in abdominal fat. Consumption of alcohol can cause an increase in belly fat along with other risk factors. Biswas explains that alcohol is extra calories, and cutting down on these extra calories reduces belly fat.
7. Portion control
Portion control is very important, says Mevawala. Cutting down portions in this case will help reduce the fat. She adds that it is important to eat smaller portions and cut down on calorie rich processed food with refined carbohydrates . “Portion control contributes to belly fat reduction by cutting down the extra calorie consumption,” says Biswas.
8. Active lifestyle and daily exercise
An active lifestyle is one of the natural ways to lose belly fat. Canday explains that exercising is important to burn off excess calories and merely following a recommended dietary allowance alone will not help to reduce excess body fat. The basic idea of fat reduction is to ensure a balance between dietary calorie/energy intake and energy expenditure through physical activities, mainly exercise
9. Track your calorie intake and calorie expenditure
Tracking is a useful technique for portion control or to avoid extra food consumption and to check on your exercise. It also helps you to course correct your exercise and dietary patterns effectively if you are unable to follow a strict dietary regime.
Canday explains that by tracking what you are eating, you can measure when you have eaten more or when you have eaten less while keeping a count on the calories consumed. “You can see a trend, for instance if you are eating too many calories during the weekend,” says Canday. One can also track if they are burning the calories consumed through exercise. “Tracking helps for those people who don’t have self-control when eating,” says Biswas.
10. Make it a habit to read food labels
It is important to read labels on the food before consumption as we might pick food items loaded with ingredients like added sugars and unhealthy fats, as everyone can’t decipher the misleading labels. Sugar content on food labels can have healthy-sounding names like date sugar, malt syrup, maple syrup, honey, jaggery, etc.
It is important to understand the tricky or alternative names as well as the quantity of unhealthy ingredients. If the label states a higher amount of refined grains, processed sugar, sodium or hydrogenated oils than the recommended limit, it is advised not to include the product in your daily diet.
