Visceral fat is a bit different than the fat under your skin. It is not necessarily used by your body for energy and is therefore very difficult to get rid of through exercise and caloric restriction. All food that is absorbed through your stomach goes directly through your liver through the hepatic vein. Unfortunately, a lot of the food we consume today contains a lot of toxins in the form of preservatives, unnatural proteins (gluten), antitoxins and unhealthy fats. A lot of nutrition experts agree that this is the primary cause of the so-called ‘belly fat’ that your body stores in between your internal organs. This type of fat is the most dangerous, not only for your looks, but also for your health. The best way to get rid of it is not through exercise, but by cleansing your liver.
Foods that cleanse your liver
Try to include some of those foods in your diet on a daily basis. In general, foods that cleanse your liver are foods that are high in antioxidants and flavanoids. This is part of the reason why many people lose a lot of weight by drinking green shakes – they pack a powerful antioxidant punch. Here is a quick list of antioxidant-rich foods, drinks and spices:
- Green tea
- Garlic
- Turmeric
- Walnuts
- Greens
Green tea contains EGCG, a powerful antioxidant that reverses liver damage and scavenges free radicals. Spices like turmeric do the same and nuts like walnut contain ample amounts of fat-soluble antioxidants, which are particularly helpful for cleansing your liver. Greens like spinach contain vitamin c and chlorophyll, in addition to dozens of other well-known antioxidant compounds.
Foods to avoid
Avoid foods that contain too much polyunsaturated oils (vegetable oil). Mono-unsaturated fat, which is the fat in olive oil is fine. Processed foods and drinks that contain fructose are the two biggest liver-killers and should be avoided at all costs. Many people look at nutrition labels and when they realize the food is low in calories they feel free to consume as much of it as they want. However, the liver-clogging action of those foods will make you store visceral fat, regardless of the amount of calories you consume.
How to Get Rid of Belly Fat With a Daily Detoxing Smoothie
If you’re looking to quickly detox your liver and lose belly fat, check out the four-ingredient red smoothie recipe here. Belly fat is closely related to fatty liver – the fat-soluble toxins that the liver processes require a strong antioxidant molecule to be converted to water-soluble ones, so that they can then be excreted by the kidneys. Without that antioxidant molecule, the toxins get stuck to a fat layer, covering each cell. This layer of fat interferes with hormone signaling, and no matter how little calories you eat, the “signal” to start burning off the fat doesn’t get through. The red smoothie solves this problem by rapid detoxification of the liver. Once the layer of fat is then eliminated, cell signaling works correctly and fat automatically starts to get eliminated.
As we already said, belly fat is often very stubborn and can be almost impossible to get rid of through exercise. It is extremely important to get rid of it, as it is the primary cause of many diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. In fact, many studies find no link with subcutaneous fat and health issues, which may mean that only visceral (belly) fat is bad for your health. Even small amounts of it can disrupt the function of your internal organs and prevent your liver from properly metabolizing glucose. Following a detox diet is an easy and effective way to enable your body to get rid of all belly fat.
