Stick to Your Belly Fat Diet Plan with a Well-Stocked Pantry

Stick to Your Belly Fat Diet Plan with a Well-Stocked Pantry

Your success in loosing belly fat hinges on stocking up on belly fat busting foods and having them on hand at all times. Not only does this help save you time, but it’s much easier to stay on track when you’re surrounded by healthy choices.

The pantry is a great place to stock up on nonperishables with belly-flattening benefits. Start stocking up on the following foods so you can stay on track with your weight-loss plan at all times:

Steel-cut oats: Loaded with heart-healthy soluble fiber, this great breakfast option helps keep you feeling full and satisfied without bloating your belly. Old-fashioned rolled oats are also a good option.

Whole grains (whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, and quinoa, for example): These high-fiber options provide a great taste without the belly-bloating side effects of refined grains. A study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that dieters who ate five servings of whole grains every day for 12 weeks lost two times as much belly fat as people who ate refined carbohydrates instead. How’s that for motivation?

Green tea: Catechins in green tea help your body burn fat more effectively, thus flattening your belly one cup at a time.

Select green tea that you brew yourself. Premade green teas, such as bottled iced green tea is often high in sugar and contains less of the belly-fighting compound EGCG.

Almonds or almond butter: A terrific source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, almonds were found in a study to help reduce insulin resistance and lower unhealthy LDL cholesterol levels. Raw almonds make a great snack, and almond butter can be smeared on whole-grain toast or celery sticks for a mini meal.

Beans and lentils: Beans are great for you because they’re rich in filling fiber and protein.

Look into stocking up on cannellini beans. These beans contain one of the highest levels of resistance starch, which is a fiber that resists digestion. This high level of resistance starch means your body has to work harder to digest, and, in turn, burn more calories, which helps promote weight loss.

Olive oil: You want to transition from cooking with fats high in unhealthy, saturated fat, such as butter, and instead use oils with a high level of heart-healthy and belly-flattening monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil. Peanut oil, grapeseed oil, and canola oil are also rich sources of monounsaturated fats.