How to get rid of visceral fat – the key vegetables to reduce belly fat
Dr Zoe Williams discusses visceral fat on This Morning
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Visceral fat is a particularly dangerous form of fat because it wraps its way around vital organs, including the liver and intestines. Although most belly fat can be seen, visceral fat is known as “hidden” fat, because even those who appear slim on the outside may have a build-up.
According to the NHS, diet and lifestyle changes are crucial for reducing your risk of unhealthy levels of visceral fat.
Yet, according to studies, packing in more of one specific type of vegetable could help to reduce fat levels.
According to dieticians, leafy greens could be important for helping with visceral fat maintenance.
Speaking to Eat This, Not That, Isa Kujawski the owner of Mea Nutrition, said that dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale are good because of their calcium content.
Calcium has been shown to “down-regulate fat storage hormones”.
During a 2010 study, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, researchers found that among a group of more than 100 premenopausal women, fat was significantly reduced in those who consumed the most calcium-rich foods.
In fact, for every 100 milligrams of calcium they consumed per day, they lost an inch of intra-belly fat.
However, calcium is not the only fat-busting vitamin that leafy greens provide.
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These dark green vegetables are also rich in vitamin D.
For example, in just one cup of cooked spinach, you can find up to 25 percent of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that you can get from vitamin D-rich foods or supplements. Your body is also able to make it through sun exposure.
When a person has adequate levels of vitamin D in their body, more leptin is released which is the hormone that sends signals to the brain indicating the body has eaten enough food.
People who do not have enough vitamin D may find they need to eat more in order to feel full – thus adding to belly fat.
Dr Liz Applegate, director of sports and nutrition at the University of California, added: “Being vitamin D deficient is also linked to insulin resistance which leads to hunger and overeating.”
Though more studies are needed to confirm how much of a role vitamin D has in weight loss, several have shown promising results.
In 2021, a study in over 4,600 elderly women found that higher levels of vitamin D were linked to less weight gain between visits during the span of the four and a half year-long study.
Another study, undertaken in 2012, provided overweight and obese women with vitamin D supplements for 12 weeks.
At the end of the study, while the women didn’t experience any weight loss, researchers found that increasing levels of vitamin D decreased body fat overall.
Eight leafy green vegetables to include in your diet:
- Kale
- Spinach
- Watercress
- Cabbage
- Romaine lettuce
- Swiss chard
- Rocket
- Bok choy
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