Wouldn’t you love to flush unwanted fat down the drain… so to speak? It may seem impossible, particularly if you’ve been carrying around belly fat for years. But these fat flushes can help. They aid digestion, remove toxins and even help reduce stubborn fat.
The importance of water during a fat flush
Water is the foundation for all fat flush recipes. Why? Because, apart from keeping you hydrated, water rids the body of unwanted waste products like toxins and fat deposits. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers claim there is link between boosting your water intake and reducing body weight. Unsurprisingly, water drinkers appear to lose more weight — and more quickly — than those who don’t increase their water intake.
But water alone is not a magic “fat-flushing” solution. It is, however, the means required to flush waste products from the body. Water carries waste products to the bladder where it’s expelled through urine. So, for greater weight loss, consider drinking more water. Meanwhile, here are some fabulous (and hydrating) ways to boost your body’s ability to flush fat!
Flush fat with infused water
Infused water has been all the rage lately and likely stay on trend for years to come. That’s because infusing water with ingredients like tangerine, grapefruit, cucumber and mint can help your body release fat cells. It also aids digestion and helps keep your organs healthy. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 liters of purified spring water
- 1 organic tangerine, peeled and sectioned
- 1/2 organic grapefruit, sliced thinly
- 1 organic cucumber, sliced
- 1 small bunch organic peppermint leaves
- Ice, made from purified water
Simply make a pitcher before going to bed, and drink throughout the following day. The tangerine increases your sensitivity to insulin, stabilizes blood sugar and increases fat burned during exercise, because it is high in vitamin C.
Research from The University of Western Ontario found that a substance in tangerines not only prevents obesity, but also protects against type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis, the underlying disease linked to heart attacks and strokes. Grapefruit offers similar benefits.
Cucumber is a natural diuretic, which results in less bloating and water retention. Meanwhile, the addition of mint is not only refreshing, but also helps digestion.
Flush fat with garlic and green tea
A poor diet can overwhelm the pancreas, making it difficult to burn energy efficiently and remove fat. When the pancreas is overworked, it can lead to fat storage, particularly stubborn belly fat. To stimulate your pancreas and help flush fat, drink green tea infused with garlic.
A Korean animal study shows that garlic reduces body weight and the mass of white adipose tissue found in the abdomen. Green tea can also help flush fat from the body. To burn fat, first, it must break down in the fat cells and move into the bloodstream. The active compounds in green tea help by boosting the effects of fat burning hormones, suggests research published in the journal ASPET.
Here’s what you’ll need to do for this tea:
1. Steep one green tea bag in hot water for about 5 minutes.
2. Add 2 garlic cloves (whole and peeled) and steep them in the tea for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the garlic cloves and drink up!
While this fat-flushing beverage may sound a little unappetizing, it actually tastes similar to broth. Enjoy the garlic tea after lunch.
Boost vitamin C to help flush fat
Most people understand that a diet high in vitamin C has immune-boosting potential. But did you know that vitamin C can also help you burn fat? Science is now finding out that too little vitamin C — below the recommended daily allowance — could be linked to obesity.
This vitamin deficiency affects about 15 percent of adults living in the U.S. You need at least 75 milligrams of vitamin C a day to help your body turn fat into energy and flush it out.
The following fruits and vegetables are all high in vitamin C, will help you flush fat and will provide you with 75 milligrams of vitamin C:
- 1 cup of strawberries
- 1 cup of papaya
- 2 kiwis
- 2 oranges
- 2 grapefruit
- 1 cup of broccoli
- 1/2 cup sweet red pepper
- 1 cup of dark green leafy vegetables
4. Flush fat with ACV detox drink
Apple cider vinegar is more than just a fad-food, it’s been used to treat digestive disorders, among other ailments, for thousands of years. It’s full of enzymes and good bacteria. It also contains acetic acid, which has been shown to lower blood pressure.
Acetic acid is the main active component in apple cider vinegar. It’s actually a short-chain fatty acid that dissolves into acetate and hydrogen within the body.
Animal studies suggest that the acetic acid in ACV may lead to weight loss by burning fat, reducing fat storage and superseding appetite. Another human study found that ACV intake reduced body fat mass in obese individuals in a double-blind trial.
By combining ACV with lemon juice, cinnamon and cayenne pepper you can also boost fat-flushing potential, balance blood sugar and increase your metabolism. Simply blend together:
- 1 glass of hot purified water
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- Add raw honey or stevia to taste
Sip this ACV detox drink each morning before breakfast or lunch.
5. Fat-flushing cranberry juice
In 1988, nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman created The Fat Flush Plan. The Fat Flush Plan combines weight loss, detoxification and a low-carbohydrate, restricted-calorie diet. But the basis for her fat-flush comes from consuming eight glasses each day of a cranberry juice and water combined.
While the fat-flushing diets have certainly evolved since 1988, cranberry juice is still popular — when consumed unsweetened — to help detoxify the liver and flush fat, thus accelerating weight loss.
Cranberry juice is packed with flavonoids, enzymes and organic acids such as malic acid, citric acid and quinic acid. According to Gittleman these organic acids combine with stubborn fat deposits in the lymphatic system. Cranberry juice helps digest stagnated lymphatic wastes, says Gittleman. That means you’ll flush fat and even reduce cellulite!
Simply mix together seven ounces of purified water and one ounce of organic and unsweetened cranberry juice. Make sure to use pure cranberry juice, not cranberry cocktail mixed with other fruit juices that you generally find at the grocery store. Pure cranberry juice can be purchased in health food section of the grocery store or at a whole food grocer. Enjoy in the morning or make a larger pitcher to enjoy throughout the day.
Burn more fat by adding two foods into your diet
Gittleman suggests that flushing fat out of your body is something that is generally accomplished by eliminating foods that cause bloating and replacing them with protein-rich foods and essential fats. According to Dr. Oz, you can also rid your body of fat by adding certain foods to your diet such as chia seeds and pumpkin seeds.
Add a hydrating, metabolism-boosting cocktail into your diet, by mixing chia seeds with purified or spring water, a slice of lemon and a little raw honey for taste. In addition, a handful of pumpkin seeds as a snack is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which has been shown to decrease the body’s ability to store fat.
Remember fat-flushing doesn’t mean starvation diets. You still need enough calories in your diet to sustain energy levels. In addition, never underestimate the power of exercise to break down body fat. Exercise in combination with a healthy fat-flushing diet is sure to improve your digestion, detox organs and eliminate that unwanted fat.
— Katherine Marko
