Hi there, nutrition diva, Monica Reinagal here with this week's quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous.

And this week, we're going to be talking about belly fat.

Can certain foods or dietary strategies help you target fat around the middle?

Georgia writes,

I see a lot of stuff online about foods that supposedly melt belly fat.

Is there any truth to these claims?

Well, yes and no, Georgia. Certain food and lifestyle choices can help you reduce fat around your middle.

And at the end of the podcast, I'll give you my top six tips for whittling your waistline.

But belly fat doesn't just appear or disappear in response to specific foods.

So what's the deal with all those fat melting foods?

Well, most of the foods you'll see on these lists fall into one of two categories. The first

category is foods that prevent blood sugar spikes. Examples of this category of

so-called flat-bellied foods include salmon, avocado, olive oil, almonds, and dried beans.

Do these foods literally burn belly fat? Not really.

But foods that contain protein, fat, and or fiber are relatively slowly

digested and absorbed, so they're less likely to cause a sharp increase in

your blood sugar. These foods can even slow down the digestion and

absorption of carbohydrates from other foods that they are eaten with. The idea here is

that when your blood sugar zooms up as it does when you eat sweets or refined carbohydrates it sets into motion

a hormonal cascade that promotes the storage of abdominal fat the hope is that

avoiding those blood sugar spikes will also help prevent belly fat.

And there is some research to support this theory.

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