Diet

Effective Diet and Nutritional Strategies to Reduce Belly Fat

In today’s world maintaining a healthy lifestyle has become a priory for maintaining good health and a healthy weight. Because of more sedentary lifestyle adaptation due to constant desk work and easy commute people are not able to achieve desirable target in required time. Also more over it people prefer more of shortcut ways when it comes to weight loss. Along with that with earliest reduction in weight they prefer spot reduction which means targeting just one particular body part which is higher in fat cells and losing that. But is that really possible?

Well, No, the biology doesn’t work like that. When someone is on the weight loss journey it is very important understand that focusing on one particular body part to lose weight is not possible. The body loses weight as a whole. It is an entire process; similarly reducing belly is not just about reducing that one part but it about managing a healthy diet along with lifestyle which helps improving overall health and hormones.

Reducing belly fat is easily achievable by maintain a calorie deficit as per the BMR and current lifestyle with following a proper balanced meals. As calorie deficit will help in reducing fat and maintain a healthy metabolism and along with calorie expenditure will help building better muscle strength with reducing fat and toning the body. This not just helps reducing belly fat but helps in maintaining hormones. Currently belly fat is not the only reason of weight gain but sedentary lifestyle, disturbed hormones both for male and females, increased cortisol levels that is the stress hormones; poor sleep quality, high insulin resistance, consuming more processed food etc. are on of the major reason of increase in belly / abdominal fat. Due to increased visceral fat i.e belly fat there are higher chances of heart diseases, high cholesterol, thyroid issues, PCOD or PCOS and insulin resistance.

Here are some effective ways to reduce belly fat with effective diet and nutritional strategies who want to lose belly fat quickly. Discover the best diets, workouts for

and meal plans to burn fat effectively. Get expert nutrition tips for fast results!

  1. Eating balanced meals with more plant-based food options.

Colorful plant-based balanced meal

As we all know that a balanced nutrition will not just help in reducing weight but will also help in aliening metabolism and hormones. It helps looking up to the root cause that what exactly is going wrong with stubborn weight or belly fat. A foundation of any fat loss plan is consuming real food which is fresh clean and home cooked Indian meals. Consuming plant based food options is much wise than going for animal based food options as it does not have any unprocessed ingredients and supports weight loss, balance hormones like pcod, pcos and hypothyroidism. Not just that but plant based food groups are non-inflammatory in nature hence they help in reducing inflammation from the body which eventually helps in making gut more balanced for better food absorption and  reducing stress which is produced by high inflammatory foods. Option like legumes which include: all types of lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans. Include whole grains like millets, quinoa, oats, brown rice etc. Healthy fats are equally important as they help to maintain a healthy ratio of HDL levels. Good fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, cold press oils are to consumed. And lastly not to the forget the Indian spices like turmeric, cumin, cinnamon which are not only anti-inflammatory but helps in maintaining better digestion and hormonal balance .

  1. Increase protein intake for better muscle ratio and reduction in fat percentage

Protein-packed vegetarian meal plate

Protein helps building lean muscle mass and also helps building better immunity. Not just that but protein building better satiety and reduces sugar cravings and maintains healthy blood sugar levels. Hence everyone needs 1.5-1.8g of protein per kg of body weight.

Here consuming more of plant-based proteins helps in reducing inflammation hence options like tofu, tempeh, lentils, black beans, chickpeas, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and most importantly plant-based protein powders instead of whey protein powders. Hence pre and post workout meals for muscle gain should always be include protein for better energy and endurance.

  1. Loading up on Fibers

High-fiber Indian meal for weight loss

Fibers are most important when it comes to losing weight and not just that theya re packed with anti-oxidants and are anti-inflammatory in nature which helps building immunity. Fibers help in detoxifying liver and helps eliminates excess estrogen which holds onto stubborn fat. Hence including fiber in every meal is a must. Per day overall 25-30 gms of fibers needs to consumed which can be included in form of fruits, vegetables, salad, millets, oats, barley, chia seeds etc.

  1. Practicing mindful eating

Mindful eating with small portions

Mindful eating helps with better food choices, improves digestion, helps with portion control, reduces cravings, helps in becoming more aware about eating habits and patterns, reduces emotional eating and improves awareness of hunger and fullness cues which will actually help with unnecessary blood sugar spikes and hence will regulate blood sugar levels.

  1. Not to forget, hydration is the key!

Hydration with detox water bottle

Hydration can help with satiety level and can restrict from boredom eating which is one of the biggest causes of obesity in youth. Hence it is essential to be hydrated as along with good fiber intake and protein hydration promotes better digestion, regulates body temperature, supports kidney function prevents urinary tract infection promote better skin and hair health and maintain cognitive function.

  1. Prioritizing mental health

Breezy beach with quiet waves

Mental health is one of the major and biggest health concern as the more happy and joyful you are the less stressed you are. Stress can lead to more inflammation and more oxidative stress in the body can cause gut brain imbalances and will not let the nutrients absorb well. By prioritizing mental health means focusing on balanced nutrition, including physical activity throughout the day, practicing meditation and focus on better sleep quality all of these things are the pillars of good health as they release happy hormones in the body and reduces the oxidative stress along with inflammation.

Hence certain foods are to be avoided completely to reduce weight and to reduce belly fat as anything consumed if it is not digested well or creates inflammation the gut will not be balanced creating bloating, gas, constipation and water retention. Because of disturbed gut one cannot lose belly weight easily.

Foods like : packaged or processed foods like chips cookies ketchups, heavy loaded dressing sauces, junk foods which are carb loaded, excess maida like white bread and most importantly avoiding tobacco and alcohol as they are the major barriers when it comes to creating more inflammation in body and disturbing hormonal balancing.

Apart from that certain lifestyle medication which needs to be done to for belly fat loss

  • Skipping meals : it is the worst idea for losing weight or belly weight as it leads to over eating and unstable blood sugar
  • Overeating fruit throughout the day : people think fruit are healthiest option and going on a fruit diet will help losing the stubborn belly but the science behind it is fruits contains a lot of sugar in form of fructose hence will keep on spikingblood sugar levels leading to unnecessary hunger pangs
  • Not consuming enough protein: this will not help to build lean muscles and will slow down the metabolism causing metabolic conditions like thyroid , insulin resistance etc
  1. Building a sustainable habit leading to sustainable lifestyle

Balanced meal with grains and greens

Prachi Shah India’s best nutritionist believes that food and nutrition science is to believe in sustainability. She strongly believes that sustainability is the only key for lifestyle modifications and weight management. Focusing on balanced nutrition with calorie deficit, adding physical activity to the day, fixing proper meal timings and sleep cycle which can help in maintaining better circadian rhythm all these approaches are equally important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle for a sustainable weight loss.

Dietitian expert
Prachi Shah

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