If one of your fitness goals at AFAC gym is to reduce belly fat, make sure to pay attention to what you’re eating, too. It turns out, your diet is a key factor in how much fat you have around your midsection, and by “diet,” we don’t only mean how many calories you eat.
In addition to watching your calories, it also pays to watch what you eat – making sure you consume plenty of vegetables to give yourself the healthy body and trim tummy you’ve always wanted.
Are you wondering what the link is between eating vegetables and reducing belly fat? Read this blog to learn more!
The Magic Formula for Losing Belly Fat at the Gym
While sit-ups, vertical knee raises, and planks will help you build muscle in your abdominal area, they won’t get rid of the fat covering your six-pack abs because unfortunately, there’s no such thing as “spot reduction.” The only way to banish any kind of fat — including belly fat — from your body is to create a calorie deficit. That means you need to eat fewer calories than you burn and/or do plenty of cardiovascular exercise to torch even more calories. You also have to commit to a high-protein diet and strength train at least 2-3 days per week to build muscle which will help speed up your metabolism.
Once you commit to these principles, you should lose fat all over your body, including your abdominal area (although in most people, that stubborn belly fat is the last to go!)
How Do Vegetables Support Your Weight Loss Efforts at the Gym?
When it comes to food choices, you just can’t go wrong with vegetables. They’re full of nutrients and can be prepared in virtually unlimited ways, which makes them the perfect addition to any meal or snack. And if you’re trying to lose belly fat, veggies can help with that, too! Here’s how.
They provide a lot of volume with fewer calories
A calorie is a measurement of how much energy food contains. All food has calories, but some foods are denser in calories than others. This means you could consume the same amount of calories eating a well-balanced meal or by eating a couple candy bars (but obviously, one of those choices is healthier than the other). So, while counting calories is important, they can look very different from one food to another.
For example, let’s say you want to eat a 200-calorie snack. Eating 16 Doritos would give you about 200 calories. Or, a package of two Reese’s peanut butter cups has a little over 200 calories. So does 5 slices of bacon.
On the other hand, vegetables are very low in calories (with a few exceptions). To get 200 calories from vegetables, you can eat 7 cups of chopped celery, 10 cups of broccoli, or 50 baby carrots!
So, strive to eat as many vegetables as you can each day. If you don’t, chances are you’ll eat more of another food group that’s dense in calories, making it difficult for you to lose belly fat.
They reduce inflammation
Vegetables are full of important nutrients like vitamins and minerals. They’re also full of antioxidants, which can help decrease oxidative stress in your body. Why does this matter?
You need to breathe in oxygen so that your body can perform many essential functions. However, when your body combines that oxygen with the food you eat to create energy, byproducts like free radicals are left behind. These free radicals can be damaging to your body’s cells.
The free radicals produced during digestion and metabolism — in addition to environmental toxins you’re exposed to like air pollutants — place oxidative stress on your body. Eating a poor diet that’s full of simple sugars and trans fats, and low in antioxidants, can increase the oxidative damage to your cells which boosts inflammation in your body.
But there’s good news! Antioxidants fight off free radicals that can attack and damage your body’s cells. Vegetables are incredibly high in antioxidants, which means the more veggies you eat, the more your body can defend against free radicals and the inflammation they cause. When inflammation goes down, so does belly fat!
They contain vitamins and minerals necessary for weight loss
While losing belly fat isn’t as easy as popping a few pills, there are a few vitamins and minerals you can consume to ensure your body is functioning as efficiently as possible for weight loss.
For example, all B vitamins – B-1, B-2, B-3, B-5, B-6, B-7, B-9, and B-12 – are essential for a fully functioning metabolism. These vitamins help your body metabolize carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, allowing you to use the energy stored in food. Low levels of one or more of these vitamins could hinder your metabolism from functioning at its best. A good illustration of this is thiamine (B-1), which helps your body’s cells convert carbs into energy.
Vegetables that contain good amounts of B vitamins include asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, green peas, and spinach.
Iron also plays a role in allowing your body to create energy from nutrients. It helps carry oxygen to and from all the cells in your body, including your muscles, which in turn helps you burn calories. In addition, consuming too little iron can lead to iron deficiency anemia which causes fatigue, weakness, and low energy levels, leaving you too tired to go to the gym and exercise. Having a low iron level also reduces your physical endurance and athletic performance.
Gram per gram, vegetables often have a higher iron content than foods typically associated with having high iron like eggs and meat. And, although vegetables contain a form of iron that’s not as easily absorbed (non-heme iron), vegetables are also rich in vitamin C which helps enhance iron absorption.
The vegetables that offer the most iron per serving include leafy greens (like spinach, kale, and collard greens), tomato paste, potatoes, mushrooms, and palm hearts.
Which Vegetables Are Best for Losing Belly Fat?
All vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients that are good for you, but nutritionists have picked the following veggies as the most helpful in anyone’s journey to lose belly fat.
Spinach
Leafy green vegetables like spinach are high in fiber, which helps with digestion and the absorption of nutrients. Spinach is also high in B vitamins, vitamin K, and iron, all of which can support the reduction of body fat.
Red bell peppers
Red bell peppers are high in nutrients, low in calories, and can help you feel full in between meals so you won’t overeat throughout the day. They also have fiber and capsaicin, both of which are touted for their weight loss benefits.
Broccoli
Broccoli is rich in antioxidants that drive down inflammation, allowing the body to work efficiently at releasing weight. Broccoli is also rich in nutrients that help you shed pounds including iron, B vitamins, vitamin K, potassium, vitamin C, calcium, and chromium.
Carrots
Carrots are delicious and contain tons of nutrients. Plus, the hard texture of carrots produces a thermogenic effect (TEF) in your body, which means your body must burn a high rate of calories just to digest them.
Beans
Beans are rich in soluble fiber which fights inflammation that can cause fat accumulation in your belly. Some studies have also linked bean consumption with a reduced risk of obesity.
Asparagus
Asparagus contains a chemical called asparagine. This amino acid increases insulin sensitivity, which helps the body store energy in muscle tissue instead of storing it as body fat. Asparagus is also very low in calories (only 20 calories in half a cup), which means you can eat a lot of it without worrying about weight gain.
Potatoes
Unless you’re trying to eat low carb for a few days, potatoes are a filling, satisfying vegetable with lots of potassium and fiber. Research has shown that people who eat potatoes report consuming less food throughout the day.
Lose Belly Fat by Eating More Veggies and Exercising at AFAC Gym
Adding lots of vegetables to your diet can be one part of a multifaceted plan to lose belly fat. When paired with a calorie deficit, regular cardiovascular exercise, and strength training at the gym, you’ll be giving yourself the best chance of trimming down your waistline.
If you’re curious about the best exercises to do at the gym to shrink belly fat, please feel free to ask one of our personal trainers for assistance. Our staff is here to support you and all other gym members who are working to achieve their fitness goals and get the best results possible.
To learn more about AFAC gym and why we’re the best gym in Thornton, Colorado, please stop by or give us a call anytime. We’ll be happy to assist you. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.
