9 Ways to Banish Belly Bloat

By Rupina Meer • September 19th, 2012 • 16898 Views

On the heels of summer, many of you are returning back to reality from those all-you-can-eat indulgent cruises, road trips fueled with fast food and endless BBQs with a firm resolve to banish that unsightly belly fat. And according to a new study conducted at the Mayo Clinic, you may want to really follow through on this resolve. It turns out that even people of normal weight, but with a higher waist-to-hip ratio (with fat concentrated in their bellies) have a higher death risk than those who are obese. Yikes!  “We knew from previous research that central obesity is bad, but what is new in this research is that the distribution of the fat is very important even in people with a normal weight,” says Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic.

Focus on your waist, not weight

We all have visceral fat and it isn't all bad. It provides necessary cushioning around organs. The problem begins when there's too much of it. That's linked to a greater chance of developing high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia, and certain cancers (including breast cancer and colon cancer.) What's too much? Get a measuring tape, wrap it around your waist, and check your girth. Do it while you're standing up, and make sure the tape measure is level. Aim for less than 35 inches if you're a woman and less than 40 inches if you're a man. 

Retaining fat around your stomach is often a sign of toxic buildup in your system. When your body is toxic from chemicals in the foods you eat and your environment, it seeks to protect you as best it can. One of the ways this happens is that your body retains fat in order to store the toxins so they are insulated from your organs. Detoxifying, then, is a great step towards losing weight in your abdominal area. Let’s look at some simple steps you can take to detoxify your system, speed up your metabolism and get rid of belly fat:

1. Get hydrated! Start each day with 12-16 ounces of warm water with a splash of organic lemon.

2. Skip the sugar  – in all of its forms. Especially liquid calories from any source (soda, juice, alcohol) all of which store belly fat. Be on a mission to get high fructose corn syrup out of your diet as it is especially good at laying down belly...

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Location:  Orange County, US

Rupina Meer, Board-Certified Holistic Health Coach received her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). Health Coaches from Integrative Nutrition’s world-class training program learn from luminaries in the field of health and wellness including Drs....