Building a set of defined abs is not as much about exercise as it is nutrition and getting rid of the most stubborn fat around your abdomen is no easy task. But, eating suitable fruits can be quite tricky. So, what are the best fruits to eat for defined abs?
The best fruits to add to your diet if you want a well-defined set of abs are bananas, cherries, apples, oranges, and blueberries due to the various nutrients that aid the reduction of body fat and muscle growth. Fruits also contain a range of healthy vitamins and minerals.
When it comes to building a set of abs, adding a healthy dose of fruit to your diet is going to go a long way towards keeping your appetite at bay and finding a healthy source of fuel for all of the vigorous exercises that you’ll be putting yourself through.
Which Fruits Should You Eat For 6-Pack Abs?
Adding fruit to your diet can be one of the most effective ways to create a set of well-defined abs. You’re still going to have to put the hours in at the gym, but incorporating the following fruits into your diet will put you on a fast track to getting the six-pack you’ve always wanted:
Bananas
Sometimes your belly will take on a bloated look if your potassium levels are low. This is because a shortage of potassium will increase your body’s water retention. Bananas are one fruit that is packed with potassium.
Having one banana twice a day can reduce bloating and water retention, which will help you work past the final layer of stubborn belly fat that never seems to go away.
Cherries
Cherries are packed with phytonutrients, which are antioxidants that also have anti-inflammatory properties. Tart cherries are exceptionally effective at inducing fat reduction. Research indicates that cherries are actually able to alter the expression of fat genes!
Cherries are low in calories, packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are good for your body, keep your stomach full, and they aid your body in post-workout recovery.
Apples
If you’re looking for a great source of fiber, you can’t really do any better than eating an apple. Soluble fibers mix with water to slow down the speed at which the stomach releases digested food into the gut. It has a significant influence on your body’s propensity to gain belly fat. Apples also contain pectin, a soluble fiber that is considered a natural fat burner.
Beyond this, apples contain antioxidants, which can cut fatty buildup in fat cells. The variety of apple with the most antioxidants are pink ladies.
Oranges
Oranges are proven to be a great way to improve the effectiveness of your workouts because they contain all of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to stay strong, which help your body’s cells repair and aid recovery. Oranges also contain electrolytes that keep you hydrated.
Blueberries
Blueberries are filled with polyphenols, a fat-preventing chemical that actively burns belly fat and stops your body from producing it. Above this, blueberries contain a chemical that prevents muscle breakdown, ursolic acid, in their skins.
Adding blueberries to your diet will not only help you burn off that stubborn belly fat, but it will also help you build and sculpt the muscles below it!
How To Plan Your Diet For Abs
Any good diet needs a clearly defined set of goals. Primarily, you should be trying to eat a lot of protein, which helps you build muscle. You’re also going to need a large composition of carbs and healthy fats so that your body has sufficient energy to work out.
Unfortunately, you cannot target any specific part of your body when it comes to fat reduction, but lowering your entire body’s fat will inevitably lead to a reduction of belly fat over time. So, if you’re looking to reduce your body fat, you need to create a caloric deficit, which means that you should eat fewer calories than what your body needs.
With a caloric deficit, your body will look elsewhere for energy and tap into other sources, such as stored body fat. Fruits (and vegetables) are low-calorie foods that will fill your body due to their high fiber content. So you can eat until you’re full but continue to maintain a calorie deficit.
Therefore, incorporating as much fruit into your diet as possible will help you reduce belly fat and give you six-pack abs.
However, pay close attention to the amount of weight that you’re losing. It is suggested that you can only lose roughly one or two pounds (0.45-0.91kgs) per week if you want to be safe about how much weight you lose. Accelerated weight loss can lead to nutrient deficiencies, gallstones, and other issues, including muscle loss! So losing weight too quickly will inevitably be counterproductive for your goals.
Other Foods To Include In Your Diet For Abs
The best fruits for abs that we’ve discussed in this article are just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many healthy foods from all food groups that will work wonders for you when you’re trying to build defined abs.
The best food for healthy fats and protein includes chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, beef, salmon, milk, cheese, yogurt, tofu, beans, tempeh, nuts, and seeds like pumpkin, sunflower, and quinoa.
But what about carbohydrates? As we’ve said before, fruits and vegetables are one such source of low-calorie carbohydrates. You should also try to include non-starchy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, unrefined grains, beans, and legumes are also rich in carbohydrates. What separates these carbohydrates from the bad types (like bread) is that they aren’t empty carbs. Empty carbs are carbohydrates that have been processed and have had their nutrients removed in the refining process, removing any fiber, vitamins, or minerals that unprocessed carbs have to offer.
Which Food You Should Avoid For Abs
So now that you know what you should be eating, the bad news is that you still need to learn what you shouldn’t be eating (and this is the hard part). You’re going to want to avoid eating an excess of calories, particularly in the form of foods with lots of fat and sugar.
Foods with low nutritional value that have lots of calories should be avoided, like the plague. Some of the worst examples include food or drinks with added sugar like chocolate, candy, soft drinks, energy drinks, and alcohol.
Fried foods and refined grains like white bread and white pasta will also lead to an increase in body fat and will throw you off track, making them notoriously bad for anyone looking to lose fat around their bellies.
Another important example of foods to avoid is processed meats, like pepperoni, pastrami, and hot dogs.
Conclusion
Building a solid six-pack will take a lot of hard work, both in the gym and in the kitchen. But it is possible! And while that final, stubborn layer of fat that has literally stuck with you through thick and thin seems like it’s just never going to go away, if you put the time and the effort into structuring your diet, it will be worth it when you see the results.
Sources
- What foods might help define a six-pack? | Medical News Today
- 27 Best Foods for 6-Pack Abs | Eat This, Not That!
- Abs Are Made in the Kitchen: Foods to Eat and Avoid | Healthline
- Fruits and Vegetables to Make Flat Abs | Our Everyday Life
- How Eating Fiber Can Help You Lose Belly Fat | Healthline
- What are refined carbohydrates? | Medical News Today
