Reduce processed sugar and sugar sweetened drinks
Foods with added sugars are bad for your health but we all knew that.
We also all know that eating a lot of these types of food plus calorie surplus' cause weight gain.
Numerous studies indicate that excess sugar can lead to fat building up around your abdomen and liver.
Sugar is half glucose and half fructose.
When you eat a lot of calories and added sugar, the liver gets overloaded and is forced to turn it into fat.
Liquid sugar is worse in this regard. As liquids are easily absorbed with faster motility in digestion. The brain doesn't seem to register those calories in the same way as from food, when you drink sugary drinks, you end up consuming more food to be 'full'.
Try minimising the amount of sugar in your diet and consider completely eliminating sugary drinks.
This includes sugar sweetened beverages such as takeaway latte's, milkshakes, canned drinks, sugary pop, and various high sugar sports or energy drinks.
Read the labels to make sure products do not contain refined sugars. Look for ingredients that end in -ose <- that's usually a sugar.
Even foods marketed as health foods can contain significant amounts of sugar.
Keep in mind that when it comes to whole fruit, they have plenty of fibre and water soluble vitamins that mitigates some of the negative effects.
2. Eat more protein
Protein can be the most crucial macronutrient for weight reduction.
Research suggests it is able to lessen cravings by 60%, improve metabolism by 80–100 calories in a day AND assist you in consuming 440 fewer calories per day.
If weight reduction is your goal, including more protein into your meals can be the one of the best things you can do to shed that unwanted weight and keep it off too.
Protein can be especially effective in decreasing belly fat. One study confirmed that individuals who ate greater and higher protein had much less belly fat because it balances their blood sugar throughout the day.
Try incorporating more protein into your meals, choices like eggs, wild fish, beans, lentils, nuts, meat, and dairy products are great options.
If you have challenges incorporating sufficient protein into your diet, using whey or plant based proteins is a great option to help boost your overall consumption.
I do highly recommend HMN24's Plant Protein as it also utilises synergistic nutrients D3 and K2 that are always very low in our diets. (Use HUSKNUTRITION at checkout for 10% off).
3. Eat better carbohydrates
Eating less sugar and carbohydrates is a very effective way to lose fat. This has been proven by many studies. When people reduce carbohydrates, they balance their appetite and lose weight.
Lower carb diets also lead to quick reductions in water weight, which gives people fast weight loss results. People often see a difference on the scale within 1–2 days.
Studies comparing low carb and low fat diets indicate that low carb eating specifically reduces fat in the abdomen and around the organs and liver, this has some of the most benefit to your long term health.
Just avoiding processed carbohydrates like sugar, sweets, ketchup and white breads could be sufficient, especially if you keep your protein intake high.
The best way to reduce your carbohydrate AND sugar levels are to move those food choices over to whole ingredient foods such as grains, roots and fruits that include plenty of fibre and the nutrients you need to be able to utilise the energy from them.
A kilo of sweet potatoes has around 215g of carbohydrate and only 57g of sugar and 25g of fibre (your daily intake should be around 10g fibre per 1000 calories)
Conversely a Mars Bar and a can of Coke would have around the same amount of sugar and none of the nutritional value and you would be eating more food again shortly after.
Now most of us couldn't even imagine going from eating Mars Bars and crisps to eating 1kg of potatoes per day - but the amount of food you can eat clearly is much different and your appetite would change.
4. Get fibre.
Fibre is plant bones. A diet high in fibre can help you lose weight.
The type of fibres are important. Water-soluble fibres combine with water to form a thick gel that "sits" in the intestines. This gel can dramatically slow down the movement of food through the digestive system, which can also delay the digestion and absorption of nutrients. As a result, a feeling of fullness persists and appetite decreases.
BUT
That can be a problem too. If someone's digestion is already hindered and not working in sympathy with their muscles and organs, adding more plants and soluble fibre can cause low blood sugar, low levels of estrogen and some potentials of energy (especially fat) and vital nutrients completely missing absorption.
This is where people are full and bloated with food but still craving sugar, because they can't pull the nutrients from that food.
According to a study, adding 14 grams of dietary fibre per day decreases calorie intake
by 10% and causes a loss of about 4.5lbs (2 kg) of body weight over a four-month period.
A 5-year study reported that eating 10 grams of water-soluble fibre per day reduced intra-abdominal fat mass by 3.7%.
This means that soluble fibre can be particularly effective in reducing harmful abdominal fat but we also need insoluble fibre to bulk out stools and resistant starch to increase large intestine robustness.
The best way to balance your fibre is to eat a lot of plant-based foods such as vegetables and fruits and include healthy carbohydrates and beans.
Whole-grain oats, legumes, flaxseed and raspberries are all excellent sources of soluble fibre.
You can also take fibre supplements like glucomannan, psyllium and even foods such as konjac noodles if you find plant foods and grains not to your liking but you only need a little, not a lot.
It's important to talk to a professional before introducing this or any supplement to your dietary regimen.
Why?
Protein is very hard to utilise and store as body fat and it helps regulate appetite, hunger, feelings of fullness and provides adequate zoonutrients such as carnitine and creatine.
Sugar sometimes feeds nasties in your gut - which make you bloated, foggy and tired. High blood sugars also stop you from being and staying focused. Reducing sugar reduces feeding these nasties and you lose bellyfat over time.
Eating lower glycemic carbohydrates means you can eat more food, that has lower calories but more nutrients. You feel full and your digestion aligns.
When sugar in the diet falls and increased fibre assists in excretion you poop out the bad bacteria leaving a more balanced gut microbiota. A balanced gut makes you feel better.
When you feel better, your more able to make all changes and stick to those healthy habits!