These home remedies can flatten your belly without any fad diets or fitness crazes.
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By Jenny Lelwica Buttaccio, Reader's Digest
Beyond weight loss: The many benefits of banishing belly fat
Does stubborn belly fat have you frustrated? While we all want to look and feel our best, getting rid of extra belly fat is also beneficial to our long-term health and reduces our risk of serious illnesses. Excess belly fat can lead to heart disease, raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, boost the odds of developing high blood pressure, and more. Keep reading to find out how the following home remedies can help you reduce unwanted belly fat quickly–minus fad diets or latest fitness trends.
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Increase your protein intake
You don’t have to hop on the Paleo train and ride it all the way to the station, but increasing your intake of protein and reducing your intake of carbs is one of the fastest ways to get rid of belly fat without additional exercise. Protein helps to balance blood sugar and lower levels of insulin, a hormone that signals your body to store fat, especially around your midsection. For healthier carb alternatives, skip the white bread and pasta in favor of whole-grain complex carbs, seasonal fruits, root vegetables, and squashes. |
Add coconut oil to your diet
Coconut oil is made up of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), whereas many vegetable and seed oils are comprised of long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). Studies indicate that many of coconut oil’s benefits are mainly due to its high quantity of MCTs. MCTs are easily digestible, quickly converted into energy by your liver rather than being stored as fat, and may stimulate your body’s metabolism. |
Find a go-to stress reliever
Whether you’re overworked or overwhelmed, chronic stress may be one factor contributing to resistant belly fat. Prolonged levels of the stress hormone cortisol tend to spark your appetite, increase your cravings for comfort foods, slow down your metabolism, and promote abdominal fat storage. Finding calming activities such as meditation, deep breathing, or a soothing bath, will help you manage and reduce your day-to-day stress and reduce your belly fat to boot.
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Drink green tea daily
Thanks to its waist-trimming compounds called catechins, green tea is the perfect detox drink to lose stomach fat. Catechins speed up your metabolism and aid your liver in burning fat. Consider swapping out your regular coffee intake with green tea; studies have shown four to five cups of the tea is what’s needed to see the benefits. Also, beware of store-bought bottles of green tea that often contain extra sugar, which can override any health benefits. For maximum results, it’s best if you brew your own and ditch the sugar altogether, or replace it with a natural sweetener like stevia that won’t spike your blood sugar. Here are more health benefits of drinking green tea. |
Give yourself a bedtime (and stick with it)
A surprising way to lose belly fat without exercise is by catching more sleep. Research shows sleeping for six to eight hours per night will help keep your insulin levels and your stress hormones in check. Plus, you’ll have the necessary energy to burn calories more effectively during the day. Here’s how you can even lose weight while you sleep. |
Spice up your meals
Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory component extracted from the herb turmeric. With a few capsules a day, or by adding the pungent spice to your food, curcumin supports a healthy inflammatory response by mediating several inflammatory processes in your body. Research has shown curcumin supports a healthy metabolism and is a great ingredient to add to any recipe to cure your belly fat. To get the maximum benefit of curcumin, look for a turmeric extract that contains at least 95 percent curcumin.
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