The Key To A Flatter Belly

According to an article in the October 2011 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, high fiber diets may blast away visceral fat, the health-threatening stuff that lies deep beneath the pudginess.  Using CT scans to measure fat at the beginning and end of a five-year study period, researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that people who ate more soluble fiber, (10 grams a day was the magic number), gained less dangerous belly fat than those who didn't. Exercise helped even more.  Beyond the belly-fat link, fiber is a great weight-loss weapon because it helps fill you up.  How to get to 10 grams: Start your day with a cup of cooked oatmeal and a large chopped apple; have a sandwich made on whole wheat bread for lunch; a quartered orange for a snack and a cup of cooked broccoli as a side with dinner.  Other soluble-fiber stars: dried beans, peas, and prunes.