Whether you like it or not, you need body fat. Your cells are held together by fat. Fat absorbs the nutrients you get from food. Your hormones wouldn’t work. You’d freeze to death on a cold day – need I say more? No matter where it’s found on your body, fat plays an important biological role in your body. The struggle is trying not to eat too much of it.
We know that fat was a protection against lean times in the hunter/gatherer days when fat was difficult to find – no restaurants, ice cream, etc.– but our biological programming hasn’t changed . Our bodies still likes to hold on to fat.
Excess fat isn’t good for you and obesity is now considered a disease. Recent studies have found that where you carry body fat has a big impact on your health. Belly fat is the unhealthiest fat. Women with a waistline larger than 35 inches and men with a waistline larger than 40 inches have a greater risk of heart disease and diabetes than for those with smaller waistlines.
Eating a balanced diet and exercising can help you control your weight but sometimes belly fat can be stubborn. Her are a few tips to get rid of unwanted fat, especially around your belly.
- Decrease salt. This includes salt-based seasonings and highly-processed food. If you use canned foods, look for the low-salt type. Try no-salt seasonings.
- Switch carbs. Decrease your intake of pasta, bagels, pretzels, etc. Look for whole grain or sprouted grain products or products made with alternative flours such as soy or rice.
- Sugar alcohol. This is a sugar substitute found in low-calories or low-carb products like cookies, candy, and even energy bars. Not good for you belly.
- Fried foods. No surprise here – you fry food in fat. Also, fried foods are digested more slowly, which gives you that heavy, bloated feeling.
- Eat regularly. Believe it or not, spreading food intake over five to six smaller means throughout the day keeps your metabolism going and you don’t get hungry, which is often the cause of overeating.
Dairy and cheese products are part of a healthy, balanced diet that will decreases belly fat, however those products are sometimes high in fat. TOFUTTI SOY CHEESE SLICES® offer consumers a lower-fat alternative to regular cheese slices. Or for a treat try Totally Fudge Premium Pops — tick novelties with the same taste as real fudge bars but have 95 calories and 1 gram of fat per bar.