You can be a belly dancer for an entire lifetime, but if your digestion is not optimal your abdomen will still not look its best. There will still be a pooch hanging around. By the way, belly dancing is an excellent option to implement into your exercise routine. You can try belly dancing by learning through a video or local class. But, the important point is that healthy digestion is the key to having a better looking abdomen.
Fiber, Essential Fatty Acids, and Water for Achieving Flat Abs
Improving your digestion consists of following a healthy diet. It is a must to consume enough fiber to get your digestion moving. You can get fiber by eating your favorite fruits, vegetables, or grains. It is better that you eat the fruits, vegetables, and grains you know you love instead of being told exactly what you must eat. The goal is to improve your digestion by consuming more fiber. Just start adding fiber-rich foods with each meal. Consuming 25-30 grams daily is ideal. If you don’t consume the ideal amount, then start slowly to avoid bloating. For example, have oatmeal and strawberries for breakfast, add some broccoli or a leafy green salad to lunch, and a slice of whole grain bread to your dinner.
Fiber improves blood-sugar regulation, binds and eliminates toxins, and decreases appetite because it makes you feel full without increasing body fat or weight. This leads to flatter abs.
Essential fatty acids and water are vital to the lubrication and improvement of your digestive system. Essential fatty acids replace the bad fats stored in your body, including fat stored in the abdominal area.
Among the best essential fatty acids are Omega 3 found in fish and fish liver oil, and in flax and flax seed oil. Fish oils also benefit your heart and your brain. Flax seed oil helps with weight loss and arthritis related pains. Flax can also be taken in seed form and therefore besides lubricating the digestive system, ends up helping to move along the digestive process because of its fiber content. Many vegetables contain essential fatty acids.
Since our body does not manufacture essential fatty acids, and it is often hard to consume enough, I recommend you take fish oil in capsule form. You do have to be careful that the oils you are taking are not rancid. They should contain Vitamin E and you should refrigerate them to prevent spoilage. If there is a severe fishy smell when you cut one open, then it is best to consider it spoiled. With much success, I use the Nordic Naturals brand of Omega 3 fish oil.
For flax, liquid flax that has been cold pressed and kept refrigerated at the store selling it, is best. I use 1 to 3 tablespoons daily of ground flax meal by Red Mill. It is delicious with cereal or mixed with a cup of milk, orange juice, or apple juice. It has a mild nutty flavor.
Yet another reason Omega 3 helps our belly is that it helps heal inflammation of the intestines. Taken in capsule form, the Omega 3-rich oils can be mixed with each other and with Omega 6 and Omega 9 containing oils such as borage oil or evening primrose oil. Oil Smart by Renew Life is an excellent soft gel capsule that contains a mix of borage, flax, and cold water fish oils and, therefore, delivers all three of the essential fatty acids.
The standard recommendation for Omega 3 is 1000 – 2000 mg daily. If you are taking blood thinning medication, please check with your doctor before taking fish oil. If you feel that your LDL (good cholesterol) levels will rise due to taking fish oil, taking garlic can prevent that.
Water consumption will also help your digestion. Distilled water is delicious and healthy. If you cannot stand to drink water all day, just drink diluted fruit juices, low sodium V8, green tea, or herbal infusions. Six to eight glasses of 8 ounces of fluids are the general recommendation. Drinking tea counts as half of the ounces that you actually consumed since teas have a diuretic effect.