Us women have always battled the old waistline, but new findings show we're all creeping over the healthy mark and need to get those tummies in check for the good of our health.
The average waist size for women in the UK is 4.9cm larger than recommended as healthy, the new research has found.
[Related article: Eat rye bread for a flatter stomach]
The survey of 54,000 women carried out by Britain’s largest healthcare charity Nuffield Health shows that the vast majority of women assessed had a waist size in the ‘high health risk’ category.
Not only does this not look great in your bikini, but carrying weight around your middle significantly increases the risk of breast cancer, infertility, not to mention heart and liver disease and type 2 diabetes. Cripes!
So, what’s the key to a trimmer tummy?
Nutritional Therapist, Alison Stork from Nuffield Health recommends a diet that delivers a full range of important vitamins and minerals, which will help keep you full and regulate fat storage.
[Related article: Flatten your tum with Pilates]
Try Alison’s three day tummy trimming plan to kick start that waist weight loss:
Day 1
Breakfast
Porridge with a tablespoon of crushed, mixed seeds (pumpkin, linseed, sunflower)
Lunch
Vegetable and Lentil Soup
Dinner
Grilled Salmon with salad and new potatoes
Snacks
Plain yoghurt with fresh fruit
Day 2
Breakfast
Boiled Egg with a slice of wholemeal toast
Lunch
Jacket sweet potato with hummus and mixed salad
Dinner
Stir fry chicken & vegetables with brown rice
Snacks
Fresh Fruit and a small handful of unroasted, unsalted nuts
Day 3
Breakfast
Fresh fruit with plain yoghurt and a dessertspoon of mixed nuts & Seeds
Lunch
Sardines on toasted rye or wholegrain bread with grilled tomato and a sprinkle of herbs & green salad
Dinner
Lentil Dahl with mixed steamed vegetables
Snacks
Oatcake with cottage cheese
We're on it! Slimmer tummies here we come…
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