Lose That Belly for a Healthier Heart

4 Tummy-Whittling Tricks for February American Heart Month

News | Feb 2, 2025

Cal Orey. M.A.

Forget stomach crunches and fad diets! Flatten your stomach – effortlessly!

In Lake Tahoe, locals and tourists, gain belly fat during the winter because they eat more and move less. The problem is the extra fat around the tummy can be bad for your heart. But there are ways you can help keep your belly and heart happy.

Did you know? Excess body fat that settles around the stomach – creating a body shape often referred to as an apple – puts you at higher risk for heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But with the right diet and lifestyle, anyone can tame the bulge, and have a flatter stomach and healthier ticker, too. Here are some tummy-whittling tricks.

1. Eat the heart-healthy Mediterranean Way. A diet high in dietary fiber and low in saturated fats can cut belly fat. Here’s proof: The heart-healthy Mediterranean diet based on traditional diets in European countries was touted in a large study of people for its link to decreased risk of weight and belly fat.

2. Limit Sugary Beverages. Sugary drinks appeal to visceral fat (found inside the abdomen, and around the vital organs), points out The Heart Foundation.

3. Reduce Alcohol Intake. Drinking too much alcohol can cause you to gain belly fat — the beer belly. However, beer alone isn’t the culprit. Drinking excess alcohol can boost belly fat, because alcohol contains calories, according to The Heart Foundation. To banish belly fat, limit your booze intake (1 drink per day for women, 2 drinks per day for men, advises the American Heart Association, or AHA).

4. Chill. The American Institute of Stress states when we are stressed out it triggers cortisol (a hormone that redistributes body fat to our gut). To destress the AHA recommends — staying physically active, [take the dog for a walk] getting enough sleep, and keeping a Pollyannaish attitude. And these are tried-and-true tricks to blasting belly fat – painlessly.

CAL OREY, M.A., is a bestselling author-novelist specializing in topics such as adventure, nutrition/health, romance, and science. She holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in English (Creative Writing) from San Francisco State University. Her books include the popular Healing Powers series (based on the Mediterranean diet), and Courage with Paws: The Heart of a Siamese Cat, (Book 2) Time-Traveling Tabby, and a thrilling co-authored sci-fi series–The Ghost Ships to be released this winter. She is a South Lake Tahoe local. Her website is http://www.calorey.com