best Foods to Help You Lose Belly Fat

Carrying extra weight around  your waist is an indication that you're harboring an excess of hidden belly fat called visceral adipose tissue (VAT), which can

spark a variety of health woes.

“Visceral adipose tissue predisposes people to metabolic syndrome, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease,” notes registered dietician and functional nutritionist Paula Mendelsohn.

She adds that it takes a “concerted effort” to lose VAT, including regular exercise, good sleep habits, stress management and diet. Eating less processed foods and simple carbohydrates — and more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables — is a good start.

Some foods also contain visceral fat-busting compounds. Here are 10 that Mendelsohn and other experts say you may want to add to your diet:

Coconut oil: This oil got a bad reputation because it’s high in saturated fat. But Boca Raton-based Mendelsohn explains: “Because it’s a medium-chain saturated fat, as opposed to long-chain, it’s very easy for the body to process. Coconut oil is the only fat known to cause weight loss and reduce waist circumference.”

Grapefruit: A 2011 study found that participants who ate half a grapefruit before their three daily meals lost more dangerous visceral fat than those who did not. Researchers believe that the potent flavonoid naringenin is a key factor. “Naringenin helps cells metabolize whatever they are processing,” says Mendelsohn.

Hot peppers: Cayenne and other chili peppers contain capsaicin, which cranks up the body’s heat production, a process called thermogenesis. One study showed that it increased metabolism by about 25 percent, which translates into burning more carbohydrates and fats. Other studies show that capsaicin also reduces appetite, so you’re likely to eat less when adding hot peppers to your meal.

Green tea: This superfood contains a flavonoid called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which also ramps up metabolism. “That compound not only supports weight loss by enhanced metabolism, but it’s heart protective, brain protective and anti-cancer,” notes Mendelsohn.

Avocado: Guacamole anyone? Avocado is great for your gut. Its monounsaturated fats help to prevent fat storage and curb appetite. It’s also high in oleic acid, which studies have shown improve blood sugar levels. Researchers at Penn State University found that oleic acid reduces belly fat.

White beans: “There’s a starch in white beans that helps slow down how the body processes starches and sugars,” says Mendelsohn. “It basically creates resistant starch.” Resistant starch feeds probiotics, and in one study, researchers found that replacing a mere 5 percent of a person’s daily carbohydrate intake with a resistant starch increased post-meal fat burn by 30 percent.

Milk: Not just any milk will do. You need to get it from pasture-raised cows that eat grass. Their milk is high in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which “has been documented to reduce visceral adipose tissue,” says Mendelsohn. “You can also get it in supplement form.”