Incorporating healthier foods into your diet is difficult enough at this time of year without dealing with hunger pangs too.
But what if there was a way to satisfy your grumbling tummy and make if flatter at the same time?
Pick up a few of these foods in this week’s grocery shop, then add them to your lunch or transfer them into small containers to keep in your handbag, car or desk drawer for when hunger strikes.
Avocado
Add half an avocado to your breakfast or lunch and you’ll be scoffing 10 grams of monounsaturated fatty acids, which are proven to correct the spikes in blood sugar that lead to the storage of belly fat.
Skip the coffee and reach for the lemon
Starting the day with a zingy lemon water is the key to stimulating your gastrointestinal tract — improving your body’s ability to absorb nutrients all day and helping food pass through your system with ease.
Beans
From chickpea to cannellini, mung to kidney, there’s a bean for every dish. Use them to substitute bloating carbohydrates such as pasta, white rice and potatoes and you’ll benefit from a nutritional boost as well.
Hummus
Made from chickpeas, hummus is a tasty snack that’s ideal for any time of the day. Slather some on a handful of chopped vegetables to eat in front of the TV or dip some cucumber in a pot of hummus at your desk instead of fattening, belly-bloating crisps.
Oats
There are countless ways to jazz up a portion of oats, whether you blitz them into your smoothie or soak them overnight. Eat them for breakfast and they’ll keep you full all day, blitzing those cravings and even lowering your cholesterol.
Almonds
These little wonder nuts are packed with good stuff, from a hefty dose of heart-healthy fats, Vitamin E (a treat for the skin) and filling protein to their high fibre content, studies show that people who snack on them tend to have less belly fat.
