This is the age of fast food, fast cars, all the modern conveniences to make our lives easier. However, all the above come at a price--our health. We're familiar with the rolls of flab around the midriff that wiggle, jiggle and taunt to no end. After hours of ab crunching at the gymnasium all we achieve is a large hole in our wallets. So where do abs come from? Well, everyone has a set of abdominal muscles that enable us to bend, rotate, skip, jump, dance and move around freely as we do. However, we should note that a combination of the percentage of body fat along with abdominal muscular definition that reveals those washboard abs that you've always dreamt of. So how many more crunches do we need to do? Surprisingly, the answer may lie not in the amount of exercise but our daily food consumption and stress levels.
More often than not the smallest details often go unnoticed like food-type and nutritional quality of our diets. Again, managing reports, meeting deadlines, attending meetings, creating presentations and also taking care of our families eventually build up to a stressful lifestyle. This constant pressure to deliver has a detrimental effect on our health and is often reflected on the condition of the body. That little roll of flat that refuses to budge may in fact be connected to the stress.
In order to achieve those killer abs, the first step is to include lots of fibrous foods. Researcher and professor of nutrition at the University of Toronto, David J.A.Jenkins, M.D.,Ph.D.,D.Sc, who is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences(NAS) Food and Nutrition Board believes that we need to consume at least 25 grams of fiber each day. Fiber is found in indigestible parts of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods and works inside the body in 3 ways.
Firstly, fiber acts like a dry sponge inside the digestive tract absorbing water and other substances quickly. This 'bulk' factor facilitates quick and smooth digestion. Secondly, there is the 'filling' factor of fiber. A study conducted at the Human Research Center at Tufts University has highlighted the shortcomings of certain low-fat diets that are loaded with sugar, salts and preservatives. The study says that these diets often lead to weight gain rather than weight loss. A diet will yield results only if it contains significant amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grain and other fiber-rich foods that add mass without the excess calories. We should drink lots of water while gradually increasing the fiber intake to keep the food moving through the system quickly and efficiently. Lastly, one should opt for high-quality carbohydrates instead of junk food. Maintain the carb between 45-65% (202-292gms for a daily 1800-calorie diet) to avoid water retention, bloating and temporary weight gain around the midriff.
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