Belly fat is not something to play around with; it might have severe effects on your health. The abdominal fat may tend to engulf some parts of the human body, especially in the stomach, making them work inappropriately. When fats surround the stomach, it makes a person to look like his or her tummy has been inflated, and also gives looks which might be unbearable to some people. It has been medically proven that lots of fats in the belly may cause chronic diseases such as diabetes and conditions of the heart. Belly fat is considered to be a result of feeding habits and lifestyle, but there are other proven factors, such as a change in hormones, age, stress, diseases, and genes. Some of the common ways of checking on the state of your belly fat include checking body mass index and the waist-hip ratio.

Want to Get A Flat Stomach?

Here is a perfect guide on how to get a flat tummy which is a possible scenario only if you are willing to make some sacrifices to pay the costs involved. The first step in the journey towards a flat stomach is gathering information on how to cut on the fats and control the fatty substances in the body. Observing a healthy diet and taking regular exercises are helpful in the reduction of body fat reduction.

A. Healthy Dieting

Everyone who wants to cut on the belly fat should ensure that he or she monitors feeding habits. To cut on your belly fat, you will have to change your regular diet to the diet that is effective and helpful in the reduction of body fat. Some of the tips on healthy eating are:

• Consumer Foods with Less Sodium
  Eating foods rich in salts contribute significantly towards the growth of belly fat because the sodium element in salt tends to retain too much fluid in the body system. If you have been asking yourself how you will get a flat tummy, you should try to change to meals that require no addition of salts. Meals that don't need salt to be added are mainly fruits, vegetables, and salads.
• Eat Whole Grains
  The consumption of refined grains and foods that have been processed, such as bread and white maize flour, has been discovered to be a significant cause of a fatty belly. Refined and processed foods are associated with inflammation of the body, and therefore people should consume unprocessed grains because some elements necessary to the organization have not been eliminated. Whole grains are known to contain an antioxidant factor which is helpful in making it hard for fats to form in the stomach.

• Ensure You Drink Plenty of Water
  The digestive system needs to work smoothly to cut on body fats, mainly in the belly. By taking water regularly helps the digestive system to run smoothly, and also plays a significant role in the reduction of body inflammation. One should drink at least eight glasses of water in a day.

• Dairy Products with Low-Fat Content
  By avoiding some dairy products like margarine, it is possible to reduce the level of sugars in the bloodstream. Taking products like yogurt is healthy because it contains fewer fats compared to margarine. A research that was conducted on some men who had a spoonful of yogurt added daily to their meals for ten weeks. At the end of this period, it was observed they had lost lots of fat in their tummy, and their waists had reduced by some inches.

Recipes for Foods that Help Cut Belly Fat

• Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas
  In this meal, you prepare a salad that is made of cucumber, Tomatoes, bananas, avocado, chickpeas, Swiss cheese, and herbs. It is then served with grilled vegetables.
• Vegan Buddha Bowl
  This meal is prepared by including sweet potatoes, creamy avocado, and a homemade tahini dressing. Make the recipe on the weekend and enjoy it the full week.

B. Exercise

By exercising routinely, it will be possible to gain or maintain a flat tummy for both men and women. Some of the activities you might consider helpful are:

• Crunches
  Crunches are one of the most common abdominal exercises and can be done in several positions. Crunches can be done in various ways and at varying locations with some examples of crunches being the basic crunch, twist crunch, vertical leg crunch, long arm crunches, bicycle crunch and double crunch. The basic crunch is performed while lying on your back at a flat position, and the hands are locked behind the head. At this position, you exercise by rising to meet the pelvis with the shoulders, and core maintaining and propelling you forward. In reverse crunch, you are required to lay on your back and then position your legs up vertically. The vertical leg crunch is done while lying on the back with arms straight and then lifting your legs towards the ceiling.

• Walking and Jogging
  Walking and jogging have been proven to have a positive effect on the reduction of accumulated belly fat. If you are on a healthy diet and walk or jog for an average of forty minutes on a daily basis, you will be in a position of cutting much of the accumulated fats on the belly. Walking and jogging are helpful in burning out calories thus increase the metabolism rate.

• Swimming
  While swimming, all the parts of the body are involved, the belly included. Another benefit accrued to swimming is the fact that it raises the metabolic rate and burns calories way.

Habits Beneficial for Cutting Belly Fat

Other than the discussed exercises, there are more ways in which belly fat can be cut using very cost-effective ways.
A. Taking Cold Showers
Taking cold showers stimulates weight loss and therefore it is one of the best habits that can help in cutting belly fats. The body has white and brown fat; brown fat is derived from excess calories in our diet while the brown fat is essential and generates heat that keeps our bodies warm and is activated when the body is exposed to cold conditions. For this reason, cold showers are helpful in the promotion of brown fat activity thus useful in cutting down fats.
B. Reducing Stress
High levels of stress contribute to the development of a pot belly. The main reason why stress leads to the development of a pot belly is that it increases the levels of cortisol. Cortisol hormone directs fats to the middle of the body. Always find ways and means of reducing your stress levels.
C. Cut Down Alcohol Use
Alcohol is rich in calories with a 750 ml of alcoholic wine containing 600 calories. Consumption of alcohol releases estrogen, making it rise to excessive levels resulting in weight gain. Alcohol also stimulates the appetite, which has the effect of making you eat more leading to weight gain.
D. Eat Slowly
The speed of taking food should not be too high for the body to digest it. By eating fast, the body might be unable to monitor how much you have eaten, resulting in bloating. It is therefore essential to eat at a slower rate to give the body time to digest food.
E. Time to Sleep and Rest
It is essential to ensure that you get enough time to take rest and sleep. People who never get enough time to sleep and rest are at high chances of gaining weight, which includes fats in the tummy.