Can eating organic food help lose belly fat?

We often wonder that even though we spend hours on the treadmill we are not able to achieve our health goals. We think we are eating healthy organic food but we still can’t get rid of fat especially belly fat and we get that feeling of bloating and uneasiness. The weight gain around the abdomen is not only caused by a sedentary lifestyle but often enough people who exercise daily complain that they just can’t reduce belly fat. Many then resort to shortcuts like quick slim remedies. But these just don’t work.

The question we need to ask ourselves is that, is our diet really healthy. A healthy diet is not only food that is nutritious but also food that is grown without the use of toxic chemicals found in pesticides and fertilizers.

Consuming harmful chemicals present in our food not only harms our body but also brings in life-threatening diseases like cancer, arthritis, diabetics, etc.  In fact, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, liver disease, thyroid problems are all linked to our diet.

Changing to organic food is good for our body and our environment as well. This means that our environment: water, soil, and the air is also rid of the harmful chemicals which are used in agriculture. In the farming process, a lot of these chemicals enter the soil, water, and air ( crop spraying). The industries producing fertilizers are one of the most polluting industries. If there is less demand for fertilizers there will less production of these chemicals and therefore less pollution. Eating organically grown food is a win-win situation for us, as it is beneficial for our body and we get a cleaner environment to live in as well.

So what exactly is organic farming?

In simple terms, organic farming does not use chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Instead, they use ecologically based pest control and fertilizers derived from animal and plant waste like cow dung or horse manure and manure got through vermiculture. They use nitrogen-fixing crops instead of chemical fertilizers. They use natural seeds versus hybrid and genetically modified seeds. So to answer the question of whether genetically modified food is organic, it is not.

Organic farming reduces the intake of pesticides to 97%.

Studies have shown that chemical pesticide exposure increases body mass indexes in children and increased abdominal fat and high insulin levels in rodents.

In order to understand how to lose fat especially belly fat, we need to look at why we put on weight especially around our waist.

How do toxins in pesticides make you gain weight especially belly fat?

 

They create havoc with our hormones:

When the hormones do not work well the body is out of sync and we gain weight. Weight gain due to hormonal imbalance is usually reflected in excessive weight around our midriff, bad digestion, and disturbed sleep patterns.

Toxins incite the body to create fat cells:

Fat cell creation is the body’s response to toxins. These cells move the toxins away from the vital organs and lead to weight gain.

Toxins mess with our thyroid:

It is the job of the thyroid to regulate our metabolism. When the thyroid is not functioning properly, our metabolism is not good and we gain weight.

Chemicals in pesticides used in farming practices mess with our hormones, our thyroid, and fat cells. When we change to organic food,  We see that we are actually not only feeling good but now looking better and slimmer as well. This happens in two major ways.

Our food  cravings are reduced 

Chemicals used in conventional farming methods lead to food cravings. The body gets addicted to these toxins and people keep wanting to eat more of this food which is full of chemicals this is especially true of Junk or fast food. This addiction caused by excessive production of Dopamine, which leads the brain to feel good about junk food, and results in us binge eating and an increase in weight. By changing to organic food one would stop eating this toxins-filled food and the body will work better and we would see a considerable weight loss as our food craving would decrease.

Reduced Sugar

Organic food is not genetically modified. It is smaller and has a more irregular shape than conventional fruits which are modified to increase the sweetness with added sugars. This extra sugar leads to weight gain.

Free of antibiotics and growth hormones etc

Organic food is free of antibiotics, growth hormones and is not genetically modified which means the body is not bombarded with hormones and medicines which leads to an acute hormonal imbalance and weight gain.

Changing to organic food would mean that we get nutrient-packed food full of dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in the optimum amount which nature meant for us. This would not only keep us stay healthy but help us lose weight especially belly fat which is often linked to an unhealthy diet, hormone imbalances, stress, lack of sleep, and other factors. All of these factors are addressed by eating natural chemical-free organic food.

To learn about  vegan diet for weight loss click here.

Eating these organic food products  will help you lose weight :

Quinoa:

It is high in fiber and contains all nine amino acids. It is rich in proteins and low in calories. A perfect choice for vegetarians. It is also rich in magnesium, iron, and manganese.

Oats:

Oats help keep insulin levels low. they are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates. They prevent the body from storing fat and help reduce belly fat.

Beans:

There are so many varieties of beans to choose from. They are rich in proteins a perfect meat substitute. They are also high in fiber and help lower insulin levels in our bodies.

Chilies:

Chilly peppers have capsaicin which helps increase the metabolic rate and burn calories. this has to be a part of a balanced diet and not a stand-alone method of weight loss.

Apples:

They are rich in fiber and do not increase insulin levels like other fruits. They are also low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals. An apple a day might just keep weight gain at bay.

Dark leafy vegetables:

Vegetables like spinach are rich in calcium. Calcium increases the metabolic rate in the body which helps lose fat, especially belly fat. Rather than starving the body of fat which leads to the body storing fat especially on the belly, it is better to eat calcium-rich vegetables which help burn fat faster. Apart from being rich in calcium, they are food high in fiber and other nutrients.

Papayas:

Papayas are rich in digestive enzymes which helps the body break down food proteins starch and carbohydrates which increases the metabolic rate leading to weight loss.

Brocolli:

It is rich in calcium and has nutrients that prevent heart disease and even cancer. Perfect food for weight loss.

Green Tea:

It has Epigallocatechin Gallate or EGCG which makes the brain and nervous system work faster thus burn calories faster.

Lemons :

A good digestive system keeps the body healthy and prevents unwanted weight gain. Lemons have citric acid which aids in the digestion of food and keeping the blood sugar in balance.

When we eat healthy organic food our overall health improves and we not only lose unhealthy fat but we also start looking good.  With toxins no longer entering our body our skin starts glowing. Our work performance gets better we feel lighter and in much better shape. In fact, when we team our change to organic food with exercise, we see that we now are able to get results in reducing belly fat. Our thinking capacity gets sharper and our immunity increases.

A note we don’t need to go on fancy diets. Often we find that in traditional food we get really good options that are easy to make and tasty to eat and are great for weight loss as long as the ingredients are organic. Salads made of sprouted daal, poha, upma, fruit chaat with seasonal organic fruits are ideal weight loss dishes along with every dish that we cook at home. The one rule we must remember is that we should eat in moderation and a balanced diet.

Just a small note while changing from conventionally grown food to organic food one might need to supplement one’s diet with multivitamins.  After years of abusing our body by eating food grown with chemicals and laced with sugars and unhealthy fats, our bodies’ natural ability to assimilate vitamins and mineral food might have diminished. So till such time we get our body in top shape, we might have to take some supplements. We can make sure that the supplements we take come from organic sources.