Much is known about foods to avoid helping one shed their belly fat, however not much is known about what foods help to burn belly fat. According to studies and health experts, eating more soluble fibre could help you to lose your belly fat.
What is fibre?
Fibre is divided into two categories, insoluble or soluble and both interact with water in the body in different ways.
Insoluble fibre does not mix with water and acts as more of a bulking agent.
This kind of fibre helps form healthy stools and allows it to pass through the gut with ease.
Soluble fibre mixes with water and forms a gel-like substance which slows down digestion.
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When soluble fibre reaches the colon, it’s fermented by gut bacteria into short-chain fatty acids – these fatty acids are a major source of nutrition for colon cells.
Studies show that short-chain fatty acids help increase levels of fullness hormones, such as cholecystokinin, GLP-1 and PYY, which may help to reduce visceral fat by suppressing your appetite.
Bolstering the claims, one study published in the journal Obesity found that for every 10-gram increase in soluble fibre eaten per day, visceral fat was reduced by 3.7 percent over five years.
Ten grams of soluble fibre can be achieved by eating two small apples, one cup of green peas and one-half cup of pinto beans, according to lead researcher Kristen Hairston, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist.
Other rich sources of soluble fibre include oats, oat bran, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries and potatoes.
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Humans provide the bacteria with a perfect breeding ground whilst the bacteria help to take care of processes like producing vitamins and processing waste.
There are many different types of bacteria and having a greater variety of gut bacteria is linked to a lower risk of conditions like type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and heart disease.
Consuming more soluble fibre has a greater variety of bacteria and better health outcomes including helping to lose belly fat.
As the body cannot digest fibre itself, it reaches the gut largely unchanged.
Once there, specific enzymes in gut bacteria can digest soluble fibre.
This is one important way in which gut bacteria promotes optimal health.
Soluble fibre helps to act as a prebiotic providing the bacteria with nutrients.
This process of digesting and breaking down soluble fibre is called fermentation.
It produces short-chain fatty acids – a type of fat that helps reduce belly fat.
When it comes to the benefits of eating more soluble fibre to burn belly fat, Medical News Today said: “Soluble fibre helps to lower fat absorption and helps with weight management.
“As a thick, spread-out gel, soluble fibre blocks fat that would otherwise be digested and absorbed.
“Soluble fibre also helps to stabilise blood sugar levels by again preventing fats from being absorbed, soluble fibre helps to slow down the digestion rate of other nutrients, including carbohydrates.
“This means meals containing soluble fibre are less likely to cause a sharp spike in blood sugar levels and may prevent them.”
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