Health Care

On these power foods you’ll be healthy and won’t feel hungry as often. The more of them you eat, the better your body will be able to increase lean muscle mass and avoid storing fat.
1) Eggs & Whey
Superpowers: Building muscle, burning fat
Secret weapons: Protein, vitamins and B12 in eggs; protein, cysteine and glutathione in whey
Fight against: Obesity
Protein contains essential amino acids that build muscle and bum fat. Where whey scores over other muscle supplements (like soy) is that it has the highest amount of protein for the fewest number of calories, making it fat’s kryptonite. It’s also a good source of cysteine, which your body uses to build a prostate cancer-fighting antioxidant called glutathione.
The protein found in eggs has the highest “biological value” of protein - a measure of how well it supports your body’s protein needs - of any food. In other words, the protein in eggs is more effective at building muscle than protein from other sources, even milk and beef. Eggs also contain vitamin B12, which is necessary for fat breakdown. And don’t worry: Research shows that an egg a day will not raise your cholesterol levels.
2) Whole Grains and Cereals
(Brown rice, whole wheat bread, chapati, dalia, oats, ragi, bajrajowar)
Superpowers: Preventing your body from storing fat
Secret weapons: Fibre, protein, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc
Fight against: Obesity, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease
There’s only so long a person can survive on an all-protein diet or an all-salad diet or an all-anything diet. You crave carbohydrates because your body needs them. The key is to eat the ones that have all their heart-healthy, belly-melting fibre intact. Wholegrain carbohydrates play an important role in a healthy lifestyle. Whole grains keep insulin levels low, which keeps you from storing fat.
Some whole grains and cereals are not just good for you but are also convenient. For ego breakfast cereal like oatmeal porridge, taken with other power foods like milk and fruit, can propel you through sluggish mornings.
Also, you can down a bowlful couple of hours before a workout to feel fully energized by the time you hit the weights, or at night to avoid a late night binge.
Additionally oatmeal contains soluble fibre, meaning that it attracts fluid and stays in your stomach longer than insoluble fibre. It also works like a bouncer for your body, showing troublemakers the door. For example, soluble fibre helps remove LDL cholesterol from your circulatory system.
Finally, preliminary studies indicate that eating oatmeal raises the levels of free testosterone in your body, boosting your sex drive and enhancing the body’s ability to build muscle and burn fat.
4) Nuts & Seeds
(Peanuts, almonds, cashew, walnut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, tiI)
Superpowers: Building muscle, fighting food cravings, burning fat, boosting testosterone
Secret weapons: Protein, monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, niacin, folate, fiber, magnesium, phosphorus
Fight against: Obesity, heart disease, muscle loss, wrinkles, cancer
Despite their fat content, nuts are clearly out to help you. For one nuts are high in protein. For another the monounsaturated fats clear your arteries and help you feel full.
Research shows that people who eat just a handful of nuts daily as a snack, end up taking in fewer calories than those who don’t eat. They speculate that nuts - with their high fibre, fat and protein content – help suppress appetite, especially if washed down with water. About 20-25 peanuts daily is all that it takes to earn their multiple benefits.
5) Meat
(Lean cuts of red meat, chicken, fish, shellfish)
Super powers: Building muscle, boosting the immune system
Secret weapons: Protein, iron, zinc, creatine (lean beef and mutton); omega-3 fatty acids (fish); vitamins B6 (chicken and fish) and B12, phosphorus, potassium
Fight against: Obesity, mood disorders, memory loss, heart disease, even cancer
A classic muscle-building nutrient, protein is the base of any solid diet plan. Chicken breast is one of the leanest meats you’ll find, and it packs nearly one-third of your daily requirements of niacin and vitamin B6. Red meat (beef, mutton), another classic muscle-building protein, is the top food source of creatine – a substance your body uses to make new muscle fibers.
To cut down on saturated fats even more, concentrate on fish because they contain a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids as well as protein.
6) Beans and Other Legumes (dal, rajma, channa, chole, soy, peas, chowli)
Superpowers: Building muscle, helping burn fat, regulating digestion
Secret weapons: Fiber, protein, iron, folate
Fight against: Obesity, colon cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure
Beans are good for your heart; the more you eat them, the more you’ll be able to control your hunger. Low in fat, they’re packed with protein, fiber, and iron - nutrients crucial for building muscle and losing weight. Gastrointestinal disadvantages notwithstanding, beans serve as one of the key members of the Flat Abs Diet cabinet because of all their nutritional power. In fact, if you can replace a meat-heavy dish with a bean heavy dish a couple of times a week, you’ll be lopping a lot of saturated fat out of your diet and replacing it with higher amounts of fiber.

To get thinner, feel fitter, and live longer you need to eat more often. Yes, that’s right. Your eyes aren’t playing tricks. There’s serious science behind this message.
Researchers at Georgia State University developed a technique to measure hourly energy balance- that is, how many calories you’re burning versus how many calories you’re taking in. The study found that if you keep your hourly surplus or deficit within
300 to 500 calories at all times, you’ll best be able to change your body composition by losing fat and adding lean muscle mass. People with the largest energy imbalances (those whose calorie surpluses or shortfalls topped 500 calories from hour to hour) were the fattest, while those with the most balanced energy levels were the leanest.
If you eat only your three squares a day, your energy levels can dip. Your goal: 3 meals and 2 snacks. Didn’t we say right at the outset that this plan isn’t about deprivation?
In other words the Flat Abs Diet encourages you to focus on (not restrict yourself to) a generous market basket of food types to fulfill your core nutritional needs.
The foods listed in these pages are so good for you, that they’ll just about single handedly exchange your fat for muscle (provided you’ve kept your receipt).
Just follow these simple guidelines:
. Include two or three of these foods in each of your three major meals and at least one of them in each of your two snacks.
. Diversify your food at every meal to get a combination of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
. Make sure you sneak a little bit of protein into each snack.
By alternating your meals with snacks (we’ve given you a ton of food suggestions) you’ll keep your stomach full, which will reduce the likelihood of a diet-destroying binge.
Finally, one meal a week forgets everything about good carbohydrates and good fats. Have whatever it is - pizza, payasam - that you miss the most. Think of this cheat meal as the carrot at the end of a good week of eating. Enjoy!