Excess levels of visceral fat has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol levels. One diet could help change that.
The Mayo Clinic stated: “Research also associates belly fat with an increased risk of premature death.”
If you’d like to live a longer and healthier life, it makes sense you’re careful about what you put into your body.
There best diet to lose the harmful belly fat is a plant-based diet – but what does this mean?
A plant-based diet focuses on vegetables grown in the ground and fruits hanging from trees.
Root vegetables include: carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and beets.
Other veggies to enjoy can be peppers, corn, avocados, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas and collards.
And there’s so many fruits to eat, such as apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries and oranges.
Avocados
Packed full of fibre, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins, researchers noted how it can help shed belly fat.
Based at Eastern Illinois University, 111 adults were enrolled in the three-month experiment.
All participants were overweight – 54 received a daily meal with one fresh avocado, while 57 received just the meal.
The researchers assessed abdominal fat distribution changes, and found that the group who ate avocados had lower visceral fat levels.
It also makes sense to keep your portion sizes in check – too many calories without enough exercise is likely to add to visceral fat levels.
And forget abdominal crunches – this won’t work to target visceral fat levels.
Instead, incorporate more cardio into your day, such as a brisk walk, jogging or riding a bicycle.
The NHS recommends everybody to partake in at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week.
How do I know if I have too much visceral fat?
Harvard Medical School recommended measuring your waist in order to find out if you’re carrying excess visceral fat.
Even though it’s called a waist measurement, the true measurement happens in line with your belly button.
In order to do this accurately, use a flexible tape measure and have it line up with your belly button, the whole way round your torso.
Women who measure up as 35 inches or more will need to shift excess visceral fat.
Men who are 40 inches or more also need to get rid of excess visceral fat stored in their bodies.
While taking these measurements, try not to breathe in or pull the tape too close.
It’s best to get the most accurate measurement possible so you know how many inches you need to lose.
In order to help your fat loss journey, exercise more, eat a plant-based diet and swap any sugary beverages for water.
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