The 10 Best Foods For Flat Abs

You can crunch yourself into a coma and still have ab flab. If you really want a sleek, sexy midriff, you've got to tweak your diet. All of the best waist-whittling foods contain fiber to banish bloat, antioxidants to boost your abs routine's effectiveness, and protein to help maintain a healthy metabolism. Here, the top 10 choices for flatter abs
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Almonds
These delicious and versatile nuts contain filling protein and fiber, not to mention vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. They're also a good source of magnesium, a mineral your body must have in order to produce energy, build and maintain muscle tissue, and regulate blood sugar.

Try for: An ounce a day (about 23 almonds), with approximately 160 calories. An empty Altoids tin will hold your daily dose perfectly.

Eggs
You won't find a more perfect protein source. Eggs are highly respected by dietitians because of their balance of essential amino acids (protein building blocks used by your body to manufacture everything from muscle fibers to brain chemicals.

Try for: One egg a day, unless you have high blood cholesterol, in which case you should check with your doctor first. (One egg packs about 213 milligrams of cholesterol.)

Soy
Soybeans are a great source of antioxidants, fiber, and protein. Plus, they're incredibly versatile. Snack on dry-roasted soybeans, toss shelled edamame into soups, and slip a spoonful of silken tofu into your morning smoothie. Liquid soy also makes a good meal replacement.

Try for: Twenty-five grams of whole (not isolated) soy protein daily. A half cup of steamed edamame contains about 130 calories and 11 grams of protein. Four ounces of tofu (94 calories) contain 10 grams. Choose whole soy foods over products packed with "isolated soy protein" -- the latter may not provide all the benefits of whole soybeans.

Apples
A large apple has five grams of fiber, but it's also nearly 85 percent water, which helps you feel full, Apples also contain quercetin, a compound shown to help fight certain cancers, reduce cholesterol damage, and promote healthy lungs.

Try for: An apple (or two) a day.Red Delicious, Cortland, and Northern Spy varieties had the highest antioxidant activity

Berries
Most are loaded with fiber, every dieter's best friend. The more fiber you eat -- experts say that it's best to get between 25 and 35 grams every day -- the fewer calories you absorb from all the other stuff you put in your mouth. That's because fiber traps food particles and shuttles them out of your system before they're fully digested. Berries (and other fruits) are also high in antioxidants, which not only help protect you from chronic diseases like cancer but may also help you get more results from your workouts. Antioxidants help improve blood flow, which can help muscles contract more efficiently.

Try for: At least half a cup daily, or about 30 calories' worth. Don't limit yourself to the usual suspects, like raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. If you can find them, add boysenberries, gooseberries, and black currants to the mix for excitement.

Leafy Green
Their cancer-preventing carotenoids won't help shrink your waistline, but their low calorie count definitely will. One cup of spinach contains only about 40 calories, while a cup of broccoli has 55 calories and satisfies 20 percent of your day's fiber requirement. Most leafy greens are also a good source of calcium, an essential ingredient for muscle contraction. In other words, they help fuel your workouts.

Try for: Three servings daily. Keep a bag of prewashed baby spinach in your fridge and toss a handful into soups, salads, pasta dishes, stir-fries, and sandwiches. When you get sick of spinach, reach for a bunch of arugula, broccoli rabe, or broccolini, a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale.

Yogurt
People who get their calcium from yogurt rather than from other sources may lose more weight around their midsection. The probiotic bacteria in most yogurts help keep your digestive system healthy, which translates into a lower incidence of gas, bloating, and constipation, which can keep your tummy looking flat.

Try for: One to three cups a day of low-fat or fat-free yogurt. Choose unsweetened yogurt that contains live active cultures. Add a handful of fresh chopped fruit for flavor and extra fiber.

Veggie Soup
People who eat broth-based (or low-fat cream-based) soups two times a day are more successful in losing weight than those who eat the same amount of calories in snack food. Soup eaters also maintained, on average, a total weight loss of 16 pounds after one year. Plus, it's a simple way to get your vegetables.

Try for: At least one cup of low-calorie, low-sodium vegetable soup every day.

Salmon
Seafood, especially fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel, is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. These uber-healthy fats may help promote fat burning by making your metabolism more efficient. Studies showed that overweight people who ate fish daily improved their glucose-insulin response. Translated, this means that seafood may help slow digestion and prevent cravings. If that doesn't hook you, consider this: Seafood is an excellent source of abs-friendly protein.

Try for: Two four-ounce servings per week. Wild salmon, though pricey, contains more omega-3 fatty acids than farm-raised. (If it doesn't say wild, it's farm-raised.) If seafood's not your thing, you can get your omega-3's from flaxseed (grind and sprinkle on your cereal) or walnuts.

Quinoa
Never heard of it? Pronounced KEEN-wah, this whole grain contains 5 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein per half cup. Cook it as you would any other grain (although some brands require rinsing). Quinoa's nutty flavor and crunchy-yet-chewy texture are like a cross between whole-wheat couscous and short-grain brown rice.

Try for: At least one half-cup serving (a third of your whole-grain requirements) per day.

How To Get Sexy Abs

It's all about your body fat percentage

Having sexy abs all comes down to having a low percentage of body fat. For men, having a body fat percentage of below 10% is enough to start to see those sexy abs. For women, a body fat percentage of below 14% is about right.

It is plain and simple, if your body fat percentage is too high you will not see the abdominal definition that will get you those sexy abs.

Most people who want to get sexy abs spend all their time trying to do lots of crunches. Getting abs that are sexy goes far beyond how many crunches you do! If you really want to lose body fat, then overloading on ab exercises will not help. Once your body fat is low, then doing lots of ab exercises in a specific way will help you to get the sexy ab definition you want.


Eating Habits

Cut back on low-carb snacks.
Many bars and candies contain glycerin or sugar alcohols, which can cause bloating because your body can't fully digest them

Watch it with condiments.
Condiments can be high in salt, leaving you bloated and puffy. A quarter cup of ketchup gives you a third of a day's sodium allotment; a tablespoon of soy sauce holds nearly half a day's worth.

Push the potassium.
This natural diuretic can counteract the belly-bulging effects of extra salt. Find it in tomatoes, bananas, salmon, almonds and cherries.

Have more H₂O.
Drinking water makes you retain less water by carrying bloat-causing elements such as salt out of your body.

Eat 4-6 small meals per day of protein, healthy fats, and low glycemic carbs.

This will you get sexy abs because you are spacing your meals only a few hours apart. This way your blood sugar stays regulated and you are less likely to overeat.

Total body workouts are also a great way for your body to increase its metabolism and get a step closer to getting some nice sexy abs. If you work your muscles and do high intensity cardio, your active and resting metabolism will increase. This will help you to burn more calories while being active and while at rest.

If you combine the great diet and total body workouts w/cardio, then you will create a fat burning inferno that will help you lose lots of body fat and get some slim sexy abs.

Target those abs

Basic Crunch: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands lightly behind your head for support. Using your abdominal muscles lift your shoulders a few inches off the ground, pause briefly and return to start position. Complete at least one set of 10-12 reps.

Standing Towel Circle: Stand tall and hold a small towel (or resistance band) taut overhead. Contract abs and slowly draw a large, wide circle over your head and around your torso with your hands. Keep towel pulled taut throughout. Return to beginning position and reverse the circular direction. Complete at least one set of 8-10 reps in each direction.

Oblique Twist With Ball: Begin by sitting on the ball. Walk feet forward until ball is resting under your back -- body is now parallel to the floor. Place hands lightly behind head for support. Using your abdominal muscles slowly crunch up lifting your shoulder blades off of the ball and rotate left shoulder toward right hip. Return to starting parallel position and repeat then switch sides.

Seated Jackknife: From a supine lying position, stretch your legs and arms and keep a pad or a form of support under the hips. Pull your legs back with knees bent. All together, bring your head, shoulders and arms forward to jackknife position pivoting on the buttocks. Hold the contraction

Abdominal Hold: Sit tall on the edge of a sturdy chair (or step with four risers) and place your hands on the edge with your fingers pointing toward your knees. Tighten your abs and bring your toes 2 to 4 inches off the floor. Lift your butt off the chair. Hold this position for as long as you can -- aim for 5 to 10 seconds. Lower yourself down and repeat. Continue this exercise for 1 minute.

Side Crunch: Kneel on the floor and lean all the way over to your right side, placing your right palm on the floor. Keeping your weight balanced, slowly extend your left leg and point your toes. Place your left hand behind your head, pointing your elbow toward the ceiling. Next, slowly lift your leg to hip height as you extend your arm above your leg, with your palm facing forward. Look out over your hand while bringing the left side of your rib cage toward your hip. Lower to your starting position and repeat 6 to 8 times.

The Hundred: Sit tall on the mat with your knees bent by your chest and your hands at your sides. Lie down with your knees bent and your palms facing down. Exhale and raise your head and shoulders off the mat. Vigorously pump your arms 6 inches up and down, reaching with your fingertips. Inhale for 5 pumps, then exhale for 5 pumps. Be sure to curl your chin in toward your chest. Do 100 pumps, or 10 full breaths. Try to keep your lower back pressed in toward the floor and keep your lower abs pulled in toward your spine. You should keep your abs engaged this way throughout the workout.

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