This story has been updated since it was originally posted on 07/21/2021
It’s no secret that fruit should be a regular staple in your diet for a well-rounded lifestyle, but as it turns out, certain fruits can actually help you to reach your body goals in more ways than just being a delicious, low-calorie snack. Although most fruits offer the benefit of a variety of vitamins and minerals to help strengthen your immune system, naturally detox your body, and even streamline your metabolism, there’s 2 types of fruit which can minimize bloating, revealing a toned tummy in combination with regularly exercise and a healthy diet.
To learn more about the best fruits to help blast belly fat, we spoke to health experts who detailed which options can help you reach your weight loss goals so you can feel strong and confident knowing that you’re fueling your body with the nutrients it needs to thrive. Read on for tips and suggestions from Lisa Richards, registered nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet, Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD, registered dietitian at Balance One Supplements, Dana Ellis Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, senior dietitian at UCLA medical center and Dr. Daniel Boyer, MD, health and nutrition expert at Farr Institute.
1. Blueberries
Not only are blueberries the perfect snack for quickly providing you with energy and something sweet, but Richards says they’re also packed with antioxidants that have been shown to reduce belly fat while also minimizing your risk of disease. "Berries of just about every variety, but especially blueberries, contain fiber and phytonutrients which act as antioxidants in the body," she explains. "Antioxidants work to reduce free radical damage from toxins which lead to inflammation and chronic disease, like obesity." That means they're as healthy as they are delicious—we like the sound of that!
Berries are also packed with fiber, making them ideal for keeping you full and ultimately increasing satiety. The longer you stay full after eating, the easier it will be to maintain a calorie deficit in order to lose weight in a healthy way. And if you do feel like snacking, berries are a great choice to turn to as they are low in calories while being packed with vitamins and antioxidants to boost your wellbeing.
Looking for new ways to integrate blueberries into your diet? Try throwing a handful on your overnight oats each morning for a burst of natural flavor and sweetener without a calorie overload. Not a big oatmeal fan? Try adding blueberries into your next protein shake or on top of a smoothie bowl for added antioxidants.
Ultimately, Richards notes that fruits and vegetables are some of the most important foods to be regularly including in your diet for weight loss, but particularly prioritizing blueberries and antioxidant dense fruits is a great way to optimize your diet so you can achieve your weight loss goals. Ultimately weight loss will never be as easy as eating one food and achieving the body of your dreams, but making small swaps to your diet and snacking on fruit instead of chips or crackers can make all the difference in cutting back on excess calories and creating an all around healthier lifestyle.
2. Avocados
As fiber is imperative for healthy weight loss, Hunnes notes that avocados can provide your gut with support and long-lasting energy when eaten for breakfast. "Avocados have such amazing health properties such as monounsaturated fats, which are heart-healthy and anti-inflammatory," she says. They're also "extremely satiating," she adds, "so you will eat fewer calories overall, which helps in weight loss."
Best agrees, and says that the fruit's popularity only continues to increase among those looking to lose weight or anyone hoping to improve their health. "Avocados are becoming a very popular breakfast staple, especially among health enthusiasts and those wanting to integrate healthier eating," she explains. Avocados, she says, are an "excellent way to take in many nutrients and healthy fats that can improve our health." They are also beneficial for heart health, inflammation, and even skin health.
For a fun way to add avocados to your day, Best and Boyer recommend making avocado toast with whole grain bread for added benefits. "The healthy fats that avocados provide along with the fiber found in whole wheat toast are an incredible weight loss combination," Best says. "These two factors will cause the digestion process to slow down which will keep the consumer full for longer and thereby prevent overeating."
Boyer adds that "spreading mashed avocado or adding a few slices together with lemon or chili flakes on top of your whole-grain toast" may be an "ideal breakfast food" for weight loss or a flatter stomach. Whole grain floors are rich in nutrients, low in calories, and may enhance weight loss, he notes, particularly "when toasted with unsaturated fats like avocado." Avocado combined with a few slices of whole-grain bread provides the "right amount of calories you need to kick start your day with a significant amount of fiber to keep you full much longer, till the next meal, preventing extra calorie intake," he stresses.
Additionally, Boyer concludes that "consuming foods rich in monounsaturated fats like avocados which are considered healthy may also reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease including enhancing metabolism." The higher your metabolic rate, he says, the faster your body burns calories which in turn enhances faster weight loss. "Additionally, healthy fats also manage inflammation, a condition that may aid in weight gain when it becomes chronic."
