and doesn't end up as fat on your hips.
Which foods contain the most fibre?
Soluble dietary fibres are present: Cereals, pulses, oat flakes, whole grain rice.
Insoluble dietary fibres are found mainly in the skin of fruit and vegetables. Especially at breakfast it is important that you consume enough fibre. This will keep you full and well prepared for the day.
The later the evening, the more stomach fat
Dinner is the exact opposite of breakfast, not only because it is at the other end of the day. While you lay the foundation for the day with breakfast and should take enough energy to be fit for the day, there is usually no physical activity after dinner. Correspondingly little you should take in the evening.
Just when you're eating late, your body can't digest everything you've given it. The energy is no longer burned, but stored for later times - exactly, in the form of abdominal fat. If you eat a lot and then only watch TV or go to sleep, you tell your body that you don't really need this energy, or at least not immediately.
Another effect of a sumptuous dinner is that the next morning you are all the more hungry. Scientists don't yet agree on why, but you've probably noticed yourself before that you were particularly hungry just after a real feast the next morning. So you start a vicious circle with an extensive dinner, where you start again with cravings in the morning.
To avoid that, you shouldn't eat anything after 8:00. If your dinner starts at 7 p.m., you will have enough time to eat in peace and then burn a large part of the energy. Because of course your dinner shouldn't be a four- course dinner at 7:00 either.
If you are used to eating late in the evening, you can gradually approach an earlier time. The best thing you can do is to move your dinner time one hour forward within a week. That's not even ten minutes a day and your body will hardly notice the change. But for you this means that you burn the energy you consume much better and do not let it go directly into your fat reserves.
Vitamins and minerals
There are so many things you have to pay attention to when eating that hardly anyone has an eye on whether they really consume enough vitamins and minerals. Most of us have some flaw. This becomes even stronger if, for example, you eat a vegetarian or vegan diet or have to do without certain things due to a food allergy.
Vitamins help to keep the body fit and also stimulate digestion. Especially vitamin C, which is found in fresh fruit and vegetables, also supports the connective tissue and helps to look slimmer.
Moreover, if you eat too few vitamins, your body always feels that it is deficient - and it expresses this through hunger. If you just don't have any vitamin-rich food at hand, you automatically reach for unhealthy things. A ravenous appetite, which always leads you to return to old eating habits, can also be caused by vitamin deficiency.
The question of whether one should take vitamins in the form of tablets is a matter of opinion. What is clear is that obtaining vitamins and minerals from food is easier for the body to digest and therefore healthier than adding tablets. Nevertheless, those who are unable to consume sufficient vitamins through food are still better off with tablets. So if you're not sure if you have a vitamin deficiency, it's best to get advice from a pharmacy and take a multivitamin if necessary.
Otherwise, the best remedy for any deficiency is to eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as possible, and as many different varieties as possible. You'll always be well taken care of. If you don't manage to eat fruit and vegetables, drinking also helps - see the Smoothie tips in the breakfast chapter. With Smoothies you get vitamins, minerals and also fibre, because you always puree the fruits and vegetables with peel. And they make you full and taste delicious, so they are much better than any vitamin tablet.
Not all fats are the same
It used to be "fat makes fat". This is no longer true, because we now know that the body needs fat to live and that fat is sometimes very important. However, there are healthy and unhealthy fats.
Healthy fats are preferably natural, vegetable fats. You can find them in nuts or avocados, for example. They don't make you fat, they even help you get rid of your belly fat. Because fat doesn't make you fat, it makes you full. From a handful of nuts you are just as full as from a portion of French fries - with significantly fewer calories. And they are healthier because they also contain vitamins, minerals and protein.
You should avoid unhealthy fats such as in fatty meat, fried foods or chips. They can mostly be found in foods that are not very healthy anyway, so you can achieve a double positive effect by doing without them.
Drink enough
If you don't drink enough liquid, you may also get fat in your stomach. Because your body can't always tell whether you're hungry or thirsty. If you don't drink enough, you will feel a lack of food and you may even eat out of habit - although you are actually thirsty. Another sure sign that you are not drinking enough is frequent headaches or sore throats.
The best thing to do is to drink at least three litres of water or unsweetened tea every day. Both fill your stomach, give you a feeling of fullness and also give your body the fluid it needs - because water is much more important to your body than food.
If you have trouble drinking regularly, it is best to keep a glass of water on your desk at all times. You can also set your phone to remind you to drink every twenty minutes. And always take a bottle of water with you when you leave the house. With a little habit, you'll soon find it easy to drink enough fluids.
Reduce belly fat: Possibilities to bring movement into everyday life
Why exercise is important
Especially if you have been struggling with your abdominal fat for some time, you may also be among those who avoid movement. Sport at school was no fun, the effort is too much and the sense of achievement is missing. In addition - as it is also stated in Chapter 2 - there is more to eating less anyway. Because the calories that you can burn with sport, you ate very quickly again. So why all the trouble?
Even if sport isn't for everyone, there are many reasons that speak in favour of dealing with it. And it doesn't always have to be the marathon run if you want to get more exercise into life. Small changes often bring just as much. You will learn how this works in the following chapters. But here are the reasons for more movement in your life.
Reason 1: Our body is made for movement.
There's nothing to shake about it. Our body is designed to run, climb, fight and carry loads. Since we no longer do this in everyday life, sport simulates this movement. When you start, your body will really crave more exercise.
Reason 2: A fit body consumes more energy.
When you have more muscles, you consume that energy, even when they are barely in use. Every step a muscular leg takes consumes more calories than a weakened leg. Even in sleep, if you're well trained, your basal metabolic rate will increase.
Reason 3: Only movement can shape the body.
If you eat less, you can lose weight and get rid of your stomach fat. You can shape your body as you would like it to be, but only through training. The connective tissue becomes tighter through sport, your posture changes and you look slimmer - even if you are not yet.
Reason 4: There is something for everyone.
There are so many sports that everyone will find something to enjoy. It doesn't have to be the gym or the swimming pool. You can do sports in a team or you can use the time alone to pursue your thoughts. You can shoot soccer, climbing, archery, cycling. Your body will thank you for it.
Reason 5: Movement makes you happy.
Endorphins are released during sport. These are happiness hormones, and after physical exertion you actually feel a little as if you were in love right now. And that's the perfect incentive for the next workout, even when it's exhausting.
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