Best Foods for a Healthy and Flat Stomach – Nutrition

Nutrition

A flat, toned stomach is made in the kitchen not the gym, and great nutrition has everything to do with it.

A healthy tummy on the inside, with a strong digestive system is much more important than great abs, but the two are often achieved the same way–here are some Heart Smart Minute nutrition tips to get your stomach looking toned and flat, but more importantly have good digestion, reduce heart burn, sugar cravings and bloating.

Heart Smart Minute Nutrition Tips:

Yogurt: Look for yogurt with “active cultures.” This healthy bacteria is great for digestion and helps reduce bloating. Avoid fruit on the bottom or flavored yogurt, it often has more sugar than a donut. The best choice is to go with plain greek yogurt and add your own fresh fruit or granola for a little extra something.

Fish: Buy local wild caught fish when possible. Avoid buying it from the grocery store, it is often not fresh and farm raised. Find your local fish market and ask them what the local catch of the day is.

Whole Grains: A fantastic source of fiber, which keeps your digestive system regular. Fiber also keep you fuller longer, and reduces sugar cravings by keeping your blood sugar stable. Make 30g of fiber a day your goal…the average American gets only 12g. Great examples of whole grains: 100% whole wheat bread, oats, brown rice, and quinoa.

Bananas: A power nutrient, and every fitness enthusiasts best friend. Bananas restore normal digestive function and replenish electrolytes and potassium, perfect after you’ve completed your Heart Smart Minute fitness routine.

Black Beans/Lentils: 1 cup of black beans =15g of protein and 0g of saturated fat, try getting that kind of nutrition from eating a steak! Great on salads, as a burger substitute, and my personal favorite–black bean hummus. Lentils, are a healthy carb that naturally increases your metabolism and fat burning ability.

Follow us on Facebook for more Heart Smart Minute Nutrition and Fitness tips!

Fitness – 5 NO EXERCISE ways to KEEP the WEIGHT OFF

Fitness is only half the battle, and it’s very easy to undo a great workout by eating the wrong foods. So when it comes to keeping the weight off, focus your attention on proper nutrition.

A flat stomach is made in the kitchen, not the gym. Here are 5 No Exercise ways to keep your weight off and stay looking and feeling STRONG and HEALTHY!

Heart Smart Minute Nutrition Tips:

Eat Every 3 hours: This may not sound like a way to lose weight but the truth is–it’s exactly how you lose weight. When you starve your body, you send it into “starvation mode,” not knowing when your next meal will be, your body holds on to everything it has. Fat is necessary for brain and organ function, muscle is not, so your body begins to eat your muscle for fuel first, leaving the fat. Eat 3 healthy meals a day plus 2 small snacks to speed up your metabolism and prevent overeating!

Make Fruit and Veggies 50% of Your Plate: When it comes time to load up your dinner plate, make sure fruits and veggies take up the majority of the room. High fiber meals leave you feeling fuller longer and loaded with energy. Both are packed with vitamins and antioxidants to help you fight off infections, very helpful during cold and flu season.

Eat REAL Not Processed Foods: Think of processed foods as a cheap bag of empty nutrients, full of calories–why eat that crap? You won’t get anything nutritious from a bag of chips, except more cravings and hunger soon after. Always, eat real foods–natures best medicine is found in nature, not in a chip bag.

Plan Your Meals: This is so important! I can’t stress enough the importance of planning your meals for the week. You are much more likely to hit the drive thru on your way home from work when you’re starving and have no clue what’s for dinner. Use the weekends to grocery shop and precook your food for the week. This way you know you have a nutritious meal waiting for you at home. Plus, by skipping the restaurants you’re saving your family hundreds of dollars–think of all the healthy organic food you can buy!

Drink Water: Water is your body’s natural cleaning system, it craves water for every function. Water helps the digestive system, organs, and detoxes your body of harmful bacteria. Trying to take off the last 5 pounds around your waistline–it’s probably water weight and the only way to lose the bloat is to drink water.