No matter how many crunches or planks you do, the reality is that you can’t achieve a flat stomach through your fitness efforts alone — your meals matter just as much.
Experts say what you eat at dinnertime can have a major impact on your waistline, and to beat bloating and bust fat, you’ll want to fill your plate with plenty of vegetables, which are low in fat. calories but rich in water and fiber. , plus satiating lean protein and heart-healthy fats.
With all of this in mind, dietitians say the best dinner you can eat for a flat stomach is a Cobb salad. But not just any cobb, of course. Their slim version skips the cheese and replaces the salmon, egg whites and turkey bacon with some of the traditional ingredients.
How to do it
Here’s what you’ll need for one serving:
- 5-6 oz. salmon fillet (grilled, smoked, air fried, blackened or roasted)
- 1/4 avocado, cubed
- Two pieces of turkey bacon, crumbled
- 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 hard-boiled egg without the yolk, chopped
- 2 cups lettuce of your choice (romaine, spinach or mixed greens work well)
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- 1/4 cup light vinaigrette
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Why a Cobb salad?
There are a number of reasons why this dinner is such a smart choice for slimming your waistline.
“While there’s nothing wrong with eating the whole egg, egg whites alone are lower in calories and fat,” says Mackenzie Burgess, RDN and Recipe Developer at happy choice. “This makes it a great option for achieving a slight calorie deficit and helping reduce belly bloating.”
As counterintuitive as it may seem, eating foods that are naturally high in water, such as leafy greens and tomatoes, can help your body eliminate the excess water it retains, thereby preventing bloating. Fish is a low-carb source of protein that’s easy for your body to digest, helping you feel full while preventing gas and bloating.
“One of the benefits of high-protein meals is that they help you stay full longer, which will help if you’re trying to cut back on your diet.“, says Michelle Hawksworth, RD for Muscle and musculature. “Filling up on protein also allows you to preserve muscle mass, so any weight you lose is purely body fat. Plus, this macronutrient has a strong thermic effect, which means your body will have to work harder. hard and burn more calories to digest it properly.”
But not all protein sources are created equal, of course. Erin Kenney, MS, RD and CEO of Nutrition Reimagined, says salmon is a particularly good choice because to research shows that high-protein meals reduce cravings by 60% and boost your metabolism, helping you burn 80-100 extra calories a day. Salmon is also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with feeling full and reducing inflammation.. Salmon is also full of vitamin D, which is linked to decreased abdominal visceral fat.
Finally, avocado is a powerhouse ingredient you won’t want to ignore in your cobb salad. Not only does it add a satisfying creamy texture, but it also helps you lose belly fat. Surprised? Even though avocados are notoriously high in fat, it seems that the specific type they contain, monounsaturated fats, may have a positive impact on your body composition. In fact, a 2021 study in The Nutrition Diary found that eating avocados reduced participants’ visceral fat— a dangerous type of belly fat that can increase your risk of certain chronic diseases.
Top your salad with a light dressing, Burgess says, and you’ve got an anti-bloat dinner that’ll keep you satisfied all evening while keeping belly fat at bay. Here’s a pro tip though: be sure to check the sodium content of the salad dressing, or better yet, make it yourself, as salt can cause your body to retain water, which contributes to bloating. .
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