Instant abs?! Is this true? Perhaps not instant, but I tell my husband this all the time - your abs are made in the kitchen.
All you need to do is follow these Rules of Abs - and then learn how to apply them.
- OLD RULE: Eat more Polyunsaturated Fats / NEW RULE: Avoid Polyunsaturated Fats!!!
The typical Standard American Diet (SAD) is too high in Omega-6 fats and the primary source is soybean oil. This has been linked to weight gain and inflammation. Other oils linked to this: safflower, sunflower and even canola oil!
2. OLD RULE: Eat Less Red Meat / NEW RULE: Enjoy Red Meat - especially Grass Fed Beef!
Eating a protein-rich diet is critical. Red meat, as well as, dairy and eggs, provide us with other healthy, weight loss fats (linoleic acid - that helps to improve heart health and reduce belly fat; stearic acid, a saturated fat that actually reduces cholesterol. Grass-Fed Beef has the high-quality proteins and essential amino acids need for a strong healthy body.
3. OLD RULE: Turkey and Chicken are pretty much the same / NEW RULE: Turkey builds abs; chicken builds flab!
Like beef, turkey is high in essential amino acids that helps improve heart health and reduce belly fat. Chicken is devoid of this conjugated linoleic acid.
4. OLD RULE: Drink Skim Milk and Eat Low-Fat Yogurt / NEW RULE: Enjoy that fat!
According to recent studies, eating a small amount of full fat yogurt or dairy (containing around 4-5% fat content), is still better than eating a larger amount of low-fat yogurt or dairy which could contain stabilizers and hidden sugars that mount up the calories.
5. OLD RULE: We overeat because we lack discipline / NEW RULE: We overeat because we are addicted to foods!
Overeating certain foods doesn’t mean you’re a gluttonous or weak-willed person. It means your body has learned to crave junk food. Intensely addictive processed foods can spike your blood sugar, hijack your brain chemistry and drive you to seek out more.
6. OLD RULE: All fish are good for you / NEW RULE: Some fish make you fat!
Besides protein, the great nutrient in fish is omega-3 fatty acids (which are derived from the very bottom of the ocean's food chain). However, much of what we eat today is farmed fish. You are better off getting the burger and supplementing with a high-quality Omega 3.
7. OLD RULE: Look out for foods high in fat and calories / NEW RULE: You can eat fat and ignore the calories - but make sure it is the right kind.
High-energy foods like nuts have gotten a bad rap. Coconut, because its primarily saturated fat also got a bad rap. However, nuts - such as walnuts - are heaped with healthy fats to reduce inflammation and promote weight loss, and coconut oil is high in lauric acid, a saturated fat with many health benefits.
8. OLD RULE: Starches make you gain weight / NEW RULE Starches help you melt your belly.
You shouldn't avoid starches, in fact, you should eat more - lentils, beans, sweet potatoes, etc. These are resistant starches. They pass through the small intestine intact and are digested in the large intestine, where our healthy gut microbes chomp away at them.
9. OLD RULE: Eat more diet foods / NEW RULE: Nothing labeled "diet" is good for you!
Eating highly processed "diet" food means that your body doesn't have to do any work at all - all the fiber's been stripped away, the nutrients extracted (and then added back in as chemicals) and the food is completely broken down.
10. OLD RULE: Cut carbs to get cut / NEW RULE: Pile on grains to find your abs!
Grains are packed with the minerals, magnesium, and chromium, both of which battle the stress hormone cortisol. Grains also contain amino acid betaine, which positively influences the genetic mechanism for insulin resistance and fat storage.