10 Get great abs: Best foods for women|Health
Doing 200 crunches a day is not enough to give you a washboard stomach - you also need to eat the right foods that will burn through stubborn fat and promote muscle growth.
Protein-rich foods play a particularly important role in helping your body to build muscle and stop storing fat, and you should make sure that every meal or snack includes a dose of this magic nutrient while also sticking to a balanced, varied diet.
Here is our list of foods that will give your natural fat burners a turbo-boost and give you tight, toned abs.
Eggs
A veritable protein-powerhouse, eggs make the perfect breakfast or post-workout meal as they stop lean muscle from being broken down, while their high level of vitamin B12 has the opposite effect on fat cells (B vitamins also give you energy, so you'll feel like the Duracell bunny when doing sit-ups).
If you are worried about your cholesterol, you can cut out the egg yolks and still benefit from the high protein content in the whites.
Lean meat
Meats like turkey and beef are full of protein, which makes them adept at building muscle and strengthening the immune system, but you need to make sure you buy as good a quality meat as you can afford (go free-range or organic) and always look for the leanest cuts of beef, such as rump, topside or fillet.
Beef is also full of those fat-destroying B vitamins, which is an added bonus.
Oily fish
Don't be fooled into thinking these delicious fish, which are full of omega-3 fatty acids, will make you put on weight rather then lose it.
They might contain significant levels of fat, but these are indisputably 'healthy' fats that work with the high levels of protein to increase muscle mass and stop your body from storing fat on your waist.
They also protect your immune system, so you can keep exercising without feeling run down or ill. You should aim to eat three portions of oily fish a week.
Nuts
You weren't expecting that, were you? Nuts have a reputation for being eye-wateringly high in fat - but in fact they are another source of 'good' fats and nuts such as almonds and Brazils are the perfect snack to carry around with you.
If you feel hungry during the day, eat a handful of nuts to fight cravings and prevent muscle loss (other snacks such as chocolate, chips and cookies contain dreaded transfats - the worst possible for your waistline).
Olive oil
It goes without saying that you should be cooking with olive oil rather than other unhealthier fats such as butter or vegetable oil. Olive oil actually encourages your body to burn fat and reduces your cholesterol, which means your heart benefits too.
Just one ounce of olive oil contains almost 90 per cent of your daily recommended amount of monounsaturated fat. If you are hard enough, down a shot of olive oil once a day - your stomach will thank you for it.
Beans
Most beans (and we're talking about the likes of kidney, lima, fava and edamame rather than canned baked beans, which can be high in sugar) are full to the brim with protein, as well as dietary fibre (good for your digestive system) and iron.
To get the full benefits - make sure you cook them thoroughly, as this makes it easier for your system to properly break down the proteins essential for keeping your muscles toned and your waistline slim. Legumes, such as lentils, are another great source of protein and vitamins.
Whole grains
Your body still needs carbohydrates (every meal should include a fine balance of protein, carbs and fat) so don't cut them out of your diet altogether.
If you want a flat stomach, then you need to stop eating processed carbohydrates like white bread, pasta and white rice. Instead, swap them for fibre-rich, unprocessed whole grains, including whole grain bread, pasta, rice and cereals to stop your body from storing fat.
Low-fat dairy
As most of you are probably already aware, cheese is the enemy of our waistlines. But it doesn't have to be. You should still eat cheese and other dairy products such as milk and yogurt, but make sure you switch to a low-fat variety.
As well as strengthening bones, low-fat dairy products are thought to help you rip through fat reserves. Research carried out at Purdue University found that those who consumed three cups of low-fat milk a day gained less weight over two years compared to those on low-calcium diets.
Peanut butter
Another reason why protein is so fantastic at burning fat is that the body requires more energy to process it than it does carbs and fat, so you burn more calories in the process. Peanut butter is essentially liquid protein, and it's a top choice for a pre-workout breakfast.
Leafy vegetables
Low in calories and fat (obviously), green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and lettuce are packed with fat-burning fibre as well as an endless list of vitamins and minerals.
Fibre (just like protein) has the added benefit of making you feel full, so they are a great way to bulk up your diet and keep you from craving carbs or sweet snacks - which are the enemy of your stomach.
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