05 Mar MUFAs VS BELLY FAT

Breaking News – Belly fat is bad! I’ll give you a minute to get back onto your chairs now.

Okay, so it’s not so shocking, but it may be worse for you than you were thinking. Studies have shown that belly fat increases your risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Now for the Good News – There’s a superhero in town ready to help you fight the battle. This hero goes by the name of MUFA.

Okay, so maybe I’m pulling your leg a little again. MUFA isn’t a superhero. It’s actually an acronym for my favorite belly-busting foods -Monounsaturated Fatty Acids.

Monounsaturated fatty acids are the healthy fats that you’ll find in plant foods. These fats can help enhance heart health, protect against chronic diseases and – possibly the best part – help you target and obliterate your dreaded belly fat. Woot!

A study published in Diabetes Care, an American Diabetes Association journal, found that a diet rich in MUFAs may help reduce abdominal fat better than a diet rich in carbohydrates.

Participants in this study who consumed a carb-rich diet were found to accumulate more belly fat. But when they ate a MUFA-rich diet, belly fat decreased – without exercise!

Alright, let’s get down to business. Here are the top five MUFA foods and how to incorporate them in your daily diet:

» Oils: This includes flaxseed, olive, peanut, avocado, sesame, walnut and even pesto sauce! 1 tablespoon of any of these is all you need for a daily serving.

» Nut and seeds: This includes natural peanut butter, cashews, Brazil nuts, sunflower/pumpkin seeds, and pine nuts. 2 tablespoons is the daily serving.

» Avocado: You only need ¼ cup to fulfill your daily serving requirements.

» Olives: An afternoon snack of 10 olives would complete your daily serving.

» Dark Chocolate: Who wouldn’t want to try this after a meal? Make sure to not go over your daily serving of ¼ cup.

*Remember that with all MUFAs; a little goes a long way.  You don’t even need to use a whole serving. If you’re adding olive oil to your salad, you don’t need to add avocado as well.