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In part one of 12 must have foods for a six pack diet, I examined three awesome food groups that not only help you to trim down belly fat and reduce weight, they also help you to build muscle and fight off disease as well. In part two, I will be introducing three new food groups that, if not already, should become a part of your everyday diet. These food groups offer amazing health benefits and aid in burning fat and toning your midsection. In no particular order, we will be taking a close look at dairy, instant oatmeal, and eggs.
Dairy: There is a common understanding that dairy is essential for building strong bones, and this a very correct understanding. Dairy is full of calcium and calcium is what the body needs in order to strengthen bones and prevent fractures and breaks. However, what most people do not realize is that calcium and dairy products also help fight against obesity, high blood pressure, and certain types of bone cancers. Dairy should be an important part of a six pack diet.
Purdue University did a study of 54 people and tracked their weight gain over a two year period. The dieters who took in 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day (approximately three cups of fat free milk), gained less weight over the two year period than dieters who consumed lesser amounts calcuim. The study cocluded that calcium can be a major factor at keeping weight gain to a minimum.
As you can see, dairy is an awesome food group that has many great health kicks if used properly. Stick to fat-free or low-fat milk. Go with reduced fat shredded cheeses and cheese slices. Reduced fat cheeses taste just as good as the normal stuff, and often cut out almost 50 percent of the fat. Low-fat or fat free yogurts and cottage cheese are also great additions to a six pack diet. Most dairy products are often high in protein which equals a huge double bonus. Make sure to stock up on the correct dairy products on your next grocery trip, and start reaping the rewards of dairy.
Instant oatmeal: As easy as instant oatmeal is to prepare, it is also just as easy to overlook the health rewards that oatmeal can offer a six pack diet. Oatmeal contains some incredible hidden superpowers such as boosting your energy and sex drive, reducing your cholesterol, and maintaining blood sugar levels. It also helps fight against heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and obesity. Not bad for something that takes ninety seconds to make.
So what makes instant oatmeal so awesome? The answer is high amounts of soluble fiber. Simply put, when a food is high in soluble fiber it acts like a sponge once the food gets to the stomach. Soluble fiber attracts fluid from within the stomach and absorbs it, much like a sponge does when put in a sink full of water. The benefit of this is that when a food is high in soluble fiber like oatmeal is, and attracts and absorbs fluid, it then stays in your stomach longer and makes you feel full for a longer period of time. This helps curb snacking and should keep you feeling full all the way to your next meal.
One more cool fact about oatmeal is that studies indicate oatmeal raises levels of testosterone in your body, which enables you to build muscle and burn fat quicker, as well as boosting your sex drive! Try to avoid preflavored oatmeal's as these are just full of bad sugar calories. Adding instant oatmeal to your six pack diet can still be delicious just by combining other powdered foods such as milk and berries to enhance the flavor.
Eggs: If I would have wrote this article 15 or so years ago and told you to add eggs to your six pack diet, there would have been many doctors and fitness experts that would have strongly disagreed with me. The reason is because just two eggs actually contain enough cholesterol to put you above your daily recommended value. However, recent research done over the past decade or so has proven that eating an egg or two a day will not raise your cholesterol levels, as once firmly believed. This research now allows us to take advantage of the great protein benefits of eggs without a guilty conscience.
Protein is very important to a good six pack diet, and eggs have the highest "biological value" of protein of any food out there. Biological value is a measure of how well a food supports your body's protein needs, or simply put, how effective the food is at building muscle. Eggs are better for building muscle than even steak, beef, or chicken. Pretty solid for something that costs about two bucks for a dozen. Don't know what to cook for dinner tonight? Start looking towards eggs as more than just a breakfast food and think about eggs for dinner once in a while. Steak, eggs, and a sweet potato is a very well balanced meal for breakfast or dinner. How about some eggs, turkey bacon, whole wheat toast, and milk for lunch? Both of these meals are a great addition to a six pack diet.
Dairy, instant oatmeal and eggs all offer numerous health rewards, as well as helping in building a great core and a shrinking waistline. Next time you are at the grocery store, do not forget about these three treasures and there hidden benefits. These will add more diversity to your six pack diet, and allow you to still eat some of your favorite foods.
In part three of 12 must have foods for a six pack diet, turkey, peanut butter, and olive oil will all be put under the microscope for examination.
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