Your Stomach and Your Health

ByGregg Ghelfi

Beer belly and pot belly are names given to abdominal fat or central obesity. It is more common in men but women are not immune to accumulating fat in their stomachs. Aside from making clothes shopping more difficult, a distended stomach may be a sign of looming health issues such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cardiovascular disease. It is also one of the factors in Metabolic Syndrome which are a grouping of health issues that also include high blood pressure, elevated levels of fat in the blood and insulin resistance.

Most people think of fat as fat. A quick look at one's Body Mass Index or body fat percentage is all that is needed to know about someone's fat accumulation and potential health issues. For a fortunate few, this is simply not true. As many as thirty to forty percent of obese people may not have obesity related health issues.(1) These individuals appear to have less visceral fat and more subcutaneous.

Subcutaneous is the fat you see. It is under the skin and it often accumulates in the hips and upper legs and arms. Visceral fat is the fat that surrounds the organs such as the stomach, intestines, liver and heart. It is normally associated with a protruding stomach but your gut is a combination of subcutaneous and visceral fat.

Why is visceral fat bad?

Both subcutaneous and visceral fat are linked to health issues but visceral fat appears to be more harmful. Visceral fat surrounds the organs protecting them from harm. It is a necessary and beneficial tissue. Problems develop when we get too much of it. Excess visceral fat leads a number of health issues.

Excess visceral fat goes to the liver for the production of glucose, triglycerides and harmful cholesterol in the form of very low density lipoprotein. (2)
Adipose cells, cells that house the fat, will expand until they explode causing inflammation and allowing fat cells to seep into the veins where they contribute to cardiovascular issues.
Visceral fat tissue may secrete pro-inflammatory cells that, along with free fatty acids, affects insulin resistance which may lead to type II diabetes.
Finally, visceral fat tissue may secrete hormones that increase hunger and stimulate excess fat to leave adipose tissue and roam the blood vessels where they contribute to atherosclerosis. (3)

Measuring up: should I be concerned?

If you are overweight, you should be concerned. The healthcare costs of obese people are estimated to be forty percent higher than those who are normal weight. (4) However, if you carry your weight around your stomach, the risks health issues are even greater.

So how do you know if you are in the higher risk category? You have three simple tests that you can do at home.

Look in the mirror. Are you pear shaped or apple shaped? Pear shaped is where excess fat is carried around the hips and buttocks. Apple shaped is where excess fat is carried in the stomach. If you would describe yourself as apple shaped, you may be at risk.
Measure your waist circumference just above your belly button.
A waist circumference greater than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women is considered excessive.
Measure your hip circumference at the widest part of your buttocks and calculate your waist to hip ratio. A waist to hip ratio is the waist circumference divided by the hip circumference.
For women, a ratio greater than.85 is considered a high health risk. For men, a ratio greater than 1.0 is considered a high health risk.

What can I do about it?

So you carry your weight in your stomach. Now what? While you should not panic, you should be concerned. You could be among the fortunate who are overweight but not pre-disposed to weight related health issues. But you shouldn't count on it. Below are four simple things you can do.

See your doctor. If you have excess stomach fat you may already have health related issues. A check up and blood test may reveal them.
Get moving. Exercise will reduce weight and fat. You don't need to run a marathon or hike Everest. Adding just thirty minutes of exercise a day will produce benefits.
Lose weight. A 10% reduction in weight can significantly decrease fat and lead to health benefits.
Eat whole grains instead of refined grains. In a recent study, visceral fat was about ten percent lower in individuals who ate approximately 3 or more servings of whole grains. The benefits diminished if the person ate more than 4 servings of refined grains. (4)

References

Marie-Soleil Gauthier and Neil B. Ruderman, Adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance: all are not created equal, Biochem J. (2010)430, e1-e4
Yishai Levy MD, It's not only the Overweight: It's the Visceral Fat, IMAJ Vol 12, April 2010
WF Ferris and NJ Crowther, Once Fat was fat and that was that: our changing perspectives on adipose tissue, Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, Vol 22, No 3, May/June 2011
Nicola M. McKeown, Lisa M Troy, et al., Whole and refined grain intakes are differentially associated with abdominal visceral and subcutaneous adiposity in healthy adults: The Framingham Heart Study, AM J Clin Nutr 2010;92:1165-1171

Gregg Ghelfi is founder and contributor to http://fitinthemiddle.com. Fit in the Middle is dedicated to providing information and resources on nutrition, fitness and weight loss. We invite you to read our blog at http://fitinthemiddle.com/blog/ and comment on the various articles. We also welcome you to submit guest blogs to info@fitinthemiddle.com.

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Health and Fitness: Weight-Loss
Gregg Ghelfi

Email Address:SubscribeWeight Loss Article FeedFind More ArticlesSearchRecent ArticlesShould I Weigh Myself? Three Tips For SuccessHow To Lose Weight Fast - Why Should You Exercise Less But With More IntensityDon't Diet, Change Your LifestyleHow to Get Rid of Muffin Top FatThe GERD Diet: Food and LifestyleWhat If You Can't Lose Weight? Try The FollowingSimple Steps to Get Rid of Your Excessive-Weight ProblemsSimple Ways to Transform the Belly Bulge Into Fine AbsCost Of Vegan Diet - May Be Worth It No Matter What The CostWhy You Can't Lose Weight: Is It "A Perfect Storm" or "The Diet Matrix"?Submitted On January 27, 2012. Viewed 10 times. Word count: 869.

Important Disclaimer: Articles provided are for general information purposes only and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychological, tax, accounting, legal, investment, or any other professional advice. EzineArticles.com expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed by any of our members or anywhere else within the site. Lastly, EzineArticles.com does not endorse any article. Use at your own risk.

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8 Most Fattening Foods You Need to Avoid for a Flat Stomach

ByJohn A Kuzora

A combination of factors makes a food fattening. First and foremost, the most fattening foods in our diet are those that we compulsively eat, and not all foods are like this. While many people may have found themselves mindlessly eating a quart of ice cream or a bag of M & M's, have you ever heard of someone binge eating steak or grilled shrimp?

I love a good porterhouse, but I'd be hard pressed to finish a 16 ounce serving. However a pint of most premium ice creams has about the same amount of calories. Yet somehow polishing that off doesn't seem very hard.

Besides taste, what causes some foods to be eaten compulsively while other foods can be eaten in moderation with little or no will power? The answer lies in the way foods affect the chemicals in our brains.

Although all foods trigger the reward centers in our brains, some seem to affect it to a much greater extant than others.

Quick digesting carbohydrates, particularly sugar of any type, are the biggest culprits. Researchers at Princeton found that rats fed sugar water have a large dopamine release in their brain. Drugs of abuse, such as cocaine and heroin, cause a release or an increase in dopamine levels in the same area of the brain. This would explain why many people find themselves almost unconsciously eating candies, cookies, and crackers even when they are no longer hungry.

Another characteristic of fattening foods is their ability to raise insulin levels. Insulin is released by our bodies primarily when our blood sugar increases. Certain other foods, such as proteins (particularly those high in branched chain amino acids), artificial sweeteners, and possibly even dairy fat can also increase insulin levels in the body.

I'll spare you the biochemistry, but insulin makes us fat. Any Doctor who has ever treated a diabetic patient knows this. Treat someone with insulin and they immediately gain weight, even if they are already obese.

In general, foods that increase your blood sugar the most, such as sugars and processed grains, cause the largest release of insulin.

Finally, the most fattening foods are high in calories. This seems obvious but probably accounts for much of the difference between very similar foods. For example, a large glass of OJ has about 250 calories. We would need to eat four oranges to get the same amount of calories! Both oranges and orange juice taste good, they are both high in sugar, and they both cause a rapid increase in blood sugar. In fact, the glycemic index (a measure of how much a standard amount of a certain food increases your blood sugar) of oranges and orange juice are nearly the same. But oranges are inherently low in calories and orange juice in inherently high in calories.

Many of us drink a large cup of OJ with breakfast. And most of us think this is healthy. But in reality, OJ has more calories and sugar per ounce than soda!

Without further ado, here is my list of the eight most fattening foods.

Eight Most Fattening Foods

8) Salted nuts

Nuts are a fairly low carbohydrate food and they do not cause much of a blood sugar spike. But they are incredibly high in calories AND can be eaten compulsively. Varieties with added sugar, such as honey roasted peanuts or candies walnuts, are the most fattening but all varieties can cause problems.

Although generally a healthy food, low in sugar and high in fiber and certain minerals, they should be avoided if you are trying to loss weight. One important note: raw, unsalted varieties don't seem to cause overeating the same way as roasted, salted varieties. If you must have them around, try buying these types of nuts.

7) Cheese

This is another low carb food that can be easily eaten to excess. There is also some research that shows dairy fat has a unique ability to stimulate an insulin release (most fats have no effect whatsoever on insulin release).

Processed cheeses and those with mild flavors, such as cheddar, American cheese, and queso, seem to be the most fattening, but all varieties can cause problems.

6) Any food labelled "Fat Free" or "Reduced Fat"

Foods labelled "reduced fat" should really be labelled "increased sugar." Almost inevitably when food processors remove fat they replace it with sugar or some other high glycemic index carbohydrate.

One example of this is a Starbucks blueberry muffin. The low fat versions has 25 more grams of sugar and half the fiber of the regular muffin!

So if it says "low fat" just avoid it!

5) Potato chips and other salty snack foods

Chips, crackers, and other salty snack foods are all fattening. They are all high in calories, cause a significant insulin release, and are often eaten compulsively. Even popular diets foods like baked potato chips and fat free pretzels should be avoided.

4) Bread and other wheat products - Bread is another food that fits all three of my criteria for fattening foods. In addition, there is some research that suggests wheat may interfere with leptin signaling.

*Leptin is a hormone that decreases appetite and increases energy expenditure. It is released by fat cells in direct proportion to the amount of body fat a person has. It is theorized that wheat can cause leptin sensitivity, thereby changing a persons body fat set point. This resulting leptin sensitivity literally "tricks" the body into thinking it has less fat storage than it really has. When leptin signaling is thrown off, appetite increases and energy expenditure decreases because the body is trying to gain fat!

3) Breakfast cereals - Most breakfast cereals, even supposedly heart healthy ones like cheerios, spike blood sugar to extremely high levels. In fact, cheerios actually have a higher glycemic index than soda! And cereal is often eaten compulsively. How many of us have raided the pantry at night for a bowl of cereal? And how often does it end at just one bowl?

Most people make this food even worse by adding raisins or bananas. Although considered by most to be healthy, a breakfast of cheerios and sliced bananas in skim milk with a glass of orange juice will insure a blood sugar roller coaster for the rest of the day. You'd be better off skipping breakfast than starting your day like that.

2) Milk chocolate and other candy - Candy is loaded with calories and sugar. Most of us already know we need to avoid these foods if we are trying to loss weight. If you have an insatiable sweet tooth or your are a "chocoholic", try eating only chocolate that is at least 75% cocoa. Also consider shaving it off with a sharp knife or potato slicer and letting the shavings dissolve on your tongue one or two at a time.

1) Sweetened Beverages - Soda, sweet tea, and other sweetened beverages are the most fattening foods around. They are very quickly digested and cause a large insulin release. It takes only a few seconds to chug a 12 ounce can of soda, yet that beverage contains 150 calories! Consuming that many calories from solid food sources, even candy, would take much longer. Even 100% fruit juice contains an incredibly high amount of sugar and should be avoided if you are trying to lose weight or if you have metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, or diabetes.

Recommendations

To lose weight (or to avoid gaining weight) it is important that we reduce or eliminate these fattening foods from our diet. Sometimes, eliminating even one of these foods can cause a significant weight loss. One client I worked with lost 18 pounds in one month simply by cutting cheese out of her diet! It is also typical to see a double digit monthly weight loss by cutting out soda and all other caloric beverages. But it is not necessary to eliminate all of these foods completely.

Some of the strategies I have found to be most helpful include:

1) Start with breakfast

Most typical American breakfasts are loaded with processed grains and sugar. Even a "healthy" breakfast of cereal with skim milk, juice, and dry whole grain toast will sky rocket your postprandial blood sugar and leave you hungry and low energy two or three hours later. Other typical choices, like muffins, doughnuts, and bagels are just as bad, although the fat in these foods can help to stabilize your blood sugar and keep you full for a little longer than the first example.

Instead of the typical choices, start your day with a low carbohydrate, high protein, and high fat meal. Eat foods naturally low in carbohydrates such as eggs, avocados, olives, smoked salmon, and naturally cured breakfast meats. Small amounts of low calorie fruits such as raspberries or blackberries can also be included.

2) Strive to eat half

It can be very discouraging to imagine a life without your favorite foods. So don't. Instead strive to eat half.

Take half the bread off your sandwich. Eat half of the pasta that is served with your grilled chicken. And when you eat desserts, share them with a friend.

3) Don't keep fattening foods around

Most people overeat at night. But if you don't have fattening foods in your pantry you can't eat them. Don't buy candies, chips, cakes, or cookies. Ditto for breakfast cereals and breads. And I don't accept the excuse that you need to have these foods in your house for your kids. Even if you feel that you have to keep some snack foods around for them, don't buy ones that you like!

4) Consider supplements and super foods

Fenugreek and cinnamon extracts have both been shown to improve postprandial blood sugar spikes. Acidic foods such as vinegar and lemon juice can also lower blood sugar. Medium chain triglycerides (i.e. coconut oil) and green tea have both been shown to increase metabolic rate and energy expenditure. And fish oil seems to improve just about every condition known to man.

John Kuzora is the #1 personal trainer in Raleigh and has been teaching Wake County clients how to lose weight, get toned, and fit into their skinny jeans for over 10 years. Check out his Raleigh personal training center here: http://kuzorafitness.com

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Health and Fitness: Weight-Loss
John A Kuzora

Email Address:SubscribeWeight Loss Article FeedFind More ArticlesSearchSimilar Articles29 Healthy Fit TipsLosing Fat - Facts and Fiction?Intense Cardio Is A Great Way To Lose Belly Fat7 Ways To Get Your Body Ripped For SummerTip on Losing Weight - 7 "Secret" Rapid Fatloss Tips That You Would Pay To know!Recent ArticlesShould I Weigh Myself? Three Tips For SuccessHow To Lose Weight Fast - Why Should You Exercise Less But With More IntensityDon't Diet, Change Your LifestyleHow to Get Rid of Muffin Top FatThe GERD Diet: Food and LifestyleWhat If You Can't Lose Weight? Try The FollowingSimple Steps to Get Rid of Your Excessive-Weight ProblemsSimple Ways to Transform the Belly Bulge Into Fine AbsCost Of Vegan Diet - May Be Worth It No Matter What The CostWhy You Can't Lose Weight: Is It "A Perfect Storm" or "The Diet Matrix"?Submitted On January 30, 2012. Viewed 14 times. Word count: 1,668.

Important Disclaimer: Articles provided are for general information purposes only and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychological, tax, accounting, legal, investment, or any other professional advice. EzineArticles.com expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed by any of our members or anywhere else within the site. Lastly, EzineArticles.com does not endorse any article. Use at your own risk.

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Kuzora, John A.".".30 Jan. 2012EzineArticles.com.3 Feb. 2012 .APA Style Citation:
Kuzora, J. A. (2012, January 30). . Retrieved February 3, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?8-­Most-­Fattening-­Foods-­You-­Need-­to-­Avoid-­for-­a-­Flat-­Stomach&id=6849806Chicago Style Citation:
Kuzora, John A. "." EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?8-­Most-­Fattening-­Foods-­You-­Need-­to-­Avoid-­for-­a-­Flat-­Stomach&id=6849806EzineArticles.com© 2012 EzineArticles.com
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How To Have A Flat Stomach - 2 Natural Methods Revealed

ByJennifer Skelton

Listed below are two methods for how to have a flat stomach which you can implement with confidence. Both of these methods use natural foods and do not require any medication or any other pricey or dangerous treatments.

These methods have already been utilized by Women from Asia for a long time, and I will certainly verify how efficiently they do the trick from my own, personal experience!

How to have a flat stomach method 1 - Get yourself a flatter belly

Raw food is deemed one of the very best methods to reduce belly fat rapidly. It's among the key reasons why Asian Women, broadly speaking, have narrow waists without killing themselves exercising.

Some of the better raw foods I've discovered that will help anyone wanting to learn how to have a flat stomach are focused around high-fibre, low-calorie fruit and veggies:

- Cabbage

- Avocado

- Cauliflower

- Carrots

- Tomato

- Pear

- Water-cress

For me, all these ingredients tend to attack fat stores round the belly, and pretty fast. Put them into your daily food diet by any means possible, so long as they remain RAW.

This is actually the secret of how to have a flat stomach that Asian Women apply most of the time. Whichever food on the list you're eating should be raw.

It works because of the fact that your body could need to work harder to disassemble and eat up raw food, and in doing this it works a lot of muscles round the belly... without you undertaking even one sit-up.

This method also expends kcalories through the larger effort, which eventually ends up with a far more effective fat-burning diet! This strategy will be popular among people who don't enjoy going to the gym, but who still want to learn how to have a flat stomach.

Knowing the benefit of raw foods, especially the raw ingredients with this list, will go a significant way towards you learning how to have a flat stomach and receiving the body back that you are worthy of. Check it out for yourself!

How to have a flat stomach method 2 - drink yourself slimmer

I have used a pleasant drink recipe which is a great method of how to have a flat stomach that I found out about years back from my Japanese Grand-mother (and she actually discovered it from HER Grand-mother!):

Put about eight glasses of water right into a pot alongside:

- One tea-spoon of grated ginger

- One cucumber, sliced thinly and peeled

- One lemon, thinly sliced

- Ten small spearmint leaves

Mix all of the foods above and allow them to remain in a refrigerator during the nighttime. Drink everything throughout the next day.

It's amazing I know, but women from Asia are slim for several reasons and this method of how to have a flat stomach is 1 of these reasons. Apply it yourself and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Jennifer Skelton is a fitness writer and enthusiast. To learn more about how to have a flat stomach, read this review of the Truth About 6 Pack Abs by visiting http://truthabout6packabsreview.weebly.com/.

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Health and Fitness: Weight-Loss
Jennifer Skelton

Email Address:SubscribeWeight Loss Article FeedFind More ArticlesSearchSimilar ArticlesFounder of Living Foods Institute Shares Her Healing from CancerHow to Get a Flat Stomach in 2 Weeks - Extremely Easy Methods to a Sexy, Toned Body Line!Reduce Stomach Fat Fast - A Woman's Guide To A Trim Tummy!Shrink Stomach Fat Fast - 2 Incredible Tips That Will Help You Flatten Your Belly in Weeks!How to Build Muscle and Gain Weight Without SteroidsThe Easiest Way Ever To Burn Fat, Flatten Your Stomach And Tone Your AbsBest Way to Lose Weight Fast - How to StartGet Rid of Love Handles in 2 Weeks and Have the Flat Stomach You Always Wanted15 Vegetables That Help You Lose Belly FatJamie Oliver - Tremendous Attempt to Change the Diet of Kids in SchoolsRecent ArticlesThe Best Weight Loss Plan - Eliminating Sugar and Refined Carbohydrates From Your DietThe Ultimate Nutritional Diet Plan to Lose WeightHow to Lose Weight in a Healthy and All-Natural WayLifestyle Fitness Coaching - How to Get Past the Hurdle and Jump Start Your Weight Loss3 Reasons Lifting Weights Works Better Than Cardio for Fat Loss - Especially For Women!Burn Belly Fat and Other Tricks to Look More AttractiveGet Your Figure Back With These Weight Loss TipsReach a Healthy Weight by Eliminating Your Challenges One by OneLose Weight Quickly With These 5 Great IdeasYour Weight Increases Your Blood PressureSubmitted On January 24, 2012. Viewed 23 times. Word count: 494.

Important Disclaimer: Articles provided are for general information purposes only and are not intended to substitute for informed professional medical, psychological, tax, accounting, legal, investment, or any other professional advice. EzineArticles.com expressly disclaims liability for any product, manufacturer, distributor, service or service provider mentioned or any opinion expressed by any of our members or anywhere else within the site. Lastly, EzineArticles.com does not endorse any article. Use at your own risk.

MLA Style Citation:
Skelton, Jennifer".".24 Jan. 2012EzineArticles.com.26 Jan. 2012 .APA Style Citation:
Skelton, J. (2012, January 24). . Retrieved January 26, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?How-­To-­Have-­A-­Flat-­Stomach-­-­-­2-­Natural-­Methods-­Revealed&id=6837967Chicago Style Citation:
Skelton, Jennifer "." EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?How-­To-­Have-­A-­Flat-­Stomach-­-­-­2-­Natural-­Methods-­Revealed&id=6837967EzineArticles.com© 2012 EzineArticles.com
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