Flat belly diet is the diet plan designed to lose fat and flatten your belly. To know what is flat belly diet, read on.

Flat Belly Diet

Flat Belly Diet is basically a diet plan designed for getting rid of the belly fat forever. It asks its followers to eat only certain foods and promises them up to 15 pounds of weight loss in just 32 days. The book, ‘Flat Belly Diet Plan’ has been written by Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief of ‘Prevention’ magazine, along with Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, Nutrition Director at ‘Prevention’. It is a 1,600-calorie Mediterranean-style diet, which emphasizes on wholesome, unrefined foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds, lean protein and very little red meat.
 
The secret ingredient in the Flat Belly Diet is the addition of monounsaturated fats or MUFA in every meal. These fats are found in olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, soybean, flax, olives, and sunflower oils. Before starting the diet plan, the dieters have to follow a 1,200 - 1400 calorie, four-day, anti-bloat jump-start period, designed to reduce bloating. During this time, dieters are daily asked to drink 2 liters of water, a blend of spices, herbs, citrus and cucumber. Exercise is also encouraged, wherein the book contains flat belly workout, with diagrams of the exercises.
 
A flat belly diet can be customized as per individual needs. It lays down four 400 calorie meals after every four hours, containing MUFA. Rather than counting the amount of calorie intake, it provides the option of choosing from a list of 28 interchangeable mix-and-match breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snack packs. This implies that the specified food, along with portion sizes and calories, can be used to create snack packs as per your need. You can choose from eighty recipes given with nutrient analysis of calories, protein, carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and fiber. 
 
 
Flat Belly Diet Tips 
  • Start your day by bingeing on a handful of almonds. Apart from being a healthy snack, almonds contain high levels of proteins, which help in burning fats.
  • Instead of consuming refined food, such as white bread, pasta and white rice, go for unrefined food, which means having brown rice and wheat bread. Nowadays, whole-wheat pastas are also available in the market.   
  • It is extremely important to add fiber to your diet plan. This means that you should increase the consumption of green leafy vegetables and fresh fruits. This would ensure that your body gets the desired nutrients and will also help in weight loss.
  • It is advisable to limit the dairy intake in your body, as it causes bloating and gas. Instead of having whole milk, go for skim milk.
  • Increase the consumption of water. A person should have at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. This would not keep you full and satiated, but also reduces chances of indigestion and wash out the toxins from the body.
  • One should not eat within three hours of bedtime. In case you feel hungry, it is advisable to binge on a small portion of fruits and vegetables.
  • Having small meals, instead of large ones, can help you get that perfect flat belly. It would also satiate your urge to eat and avoid your from overeating. As per doctors, eating more meals actually kicks up your metabolism.
  • Do not binge on fried items or those containing lots of butter and ghee; else, you might have to settle with an increasing waistline.

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