All we want for summer is a flat tummy

With summer on our mind we all tend to shed layers of our clothing and try to look our best – all the diet books and diet plans come into action and are dusted off those shelves.

There are right ways and wrong ways to diet. It depends on what your ultimate goal is. A few weeks ago on the radio driving into work, I heard about the Six Weeks To OMG diet, written by London-based personal trainer Venice A. Fulton. Now I assumed it was the routine statement that coffee is an appetite suppressant, but in fact it was a bizarre diet plan: cold showers, skip breakfast, drink coffee all day and blow balloons. Now, I do not know about you, but if I did that, I would faint shortly after the first day.

Dieting is not for everyone. When you are busy and on the run or travelling for work, that’s when things become tough.  Just be practical.  It’s about buying right foods, not giving into temptation and doing some exercise every day.

Everyone can do this. It doesn’t mean you need to spend money or join a gym or join Weight Watchers; it does mean you should be aware of what you put into your mouth.

If you do drink before a meal, it partially fills your tummy. It can be coffee, it can be water – water is probably the healthier of the two. If you decide to drink coffee, do it in moderation; it does help with your metabolism.

Most importantly, ensure that you eat your “five-a-day”. This consists mainly of fruit, veggies, beans, pulses, and dried fruit. Keep a balanced diet in your eating regime. So instead of munching on a chocolate bar during work, cut some carrots at home and nibble on them as a snack.  It may not be as tasty, but do you want that flat tummy?! You need to make a little sacrifice.

If fruit is perhaps something you prefer, eat strawberries or blueberries – both great anti-toxicants, although a bit pricier than other fruit, but blueberries may have another surprising benefit: they can shrink belly fat! If budget is an issue, buy an apple or orange for Vitamin C, which is vital to your diet, and chop it up and add it to some yoghurt.

Walnuts are one of the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, as is salmon. But if fish is not your thing, you need to find another substitute.

Lastly, exercise: if you prefer to be outdoors than to join a gym, go running or – even better – swimming. It is a full workout that affects not only your abs, but helps strengthen most of the muscles in your body. We all need some form of movement every day.

With the sun out, cocktails or a glass of wine might seem ideal – but refrain from this, or limit it to one glass. Remember you have a mission!

Pooja Sahny