What you do today effects what happens in the future. Same thing goes for what you put in your body and how you take care of yourself. Recent studies have found that what we eat today can have great affects on we look and feel for years to come.

Considering we are all trying to beat the aging clock, its time to keep in mind what we do to our bodies today to make sure that we don’t hurt them tomorrow.

These four foods will keep you feeling great today, as they are ALL a part of your flat stomach diet, and will help you still look great later.

Cucumber – Cucumber peels are made of silica. Silica, sounds like silicone, is the building block of our skin. Its the collagen that plumps our lips and prevents wrinkles! The more we have of it the better. Researchers recommend at least five milligrams of silica a day to help avoid early wrinkles, about the amount in the skin of one cucumber. Try the organic skin of a cucumber today to keep those wrinkles away tomorrow.

Broccoli – Researchers recently found that broccoli can help fight the aging process by reducing redness and swelling of the skin when exposed to UV radiation.  How come? They found that broccoli, which has sulforaphane, boosts the activity of our protective enzymes in our cells that don’t always work at their complete ability.  So, eating more broccoli will help keep your cells fighting cancer all day long.

Rainbow Trout – With winter here, dry skin is a common problem most of us battle daily with lotion. However, to truly conquer the dry skin battle you need to work from the inside out – how? The easiest way to keep your skin moist is to increase your intake of healthy fats. Healthy fats protect your cells, including your skin cells – keeping them strong and lubricated all winter long. One of the best sources of healthy fats is fish and to battle dry skin this winter Rainbow Trout should be your number one choice. Rainbow Trout contains EPA – an omega-3 fatty acid that helps repair skin cells and prevents dry skin.

Watermelon – It may not be the season for watermelon, but the reddish-orange tint in watermelon (also found in tomatoes) can help protect your skin from harmful UV rays – working from the inside out.  The coloring of tomatoes and watermelon contains beta-carotene and lycopene, two antioxidants that help repair cells damaged by the sun.  Recent studies have found that an increase in watermelon or tomatoes in your diet can help your skin defend itself from UV rays by 20%.

Next time you’re in the grocery store looking for your anti-aging cream – head to the produce aisle instead of your pharmacy. With just the right combination you can eat your way younger.

Summer is my favorite time of year for many reasons, but one of my favorite parts was the fact that for years, I thought I had the BEST flat stomach diet. I would walk on the beach in my bikini feeling skinny, my tummy didn’t bulge and I didn’t feel bloated or gross like I did the rest of the year.

However, there was something definitely wrong with my flat stomach diet of four years ago (you can tell by looking at my ‘before’ picture on my Twitter page).  Every day I would have a bowl of cereal with some fresh fruit (if there was any around) for breakfast. Then I’d wait a few hours and have some ice cream for lunch (it’s my favorite food group), then maybe a candy bar or granola bar a few hours later.  Then dinner – well, I never really knew dinner – some days sure I’d have a salad or whatever my mom cooked and that was usually followed by some more ice cream.

Basically I was eating three or four times a day and nothing I ate was really healthy. I would eat salads for lunch or go out to lunch and have a wrap, but would indulge in the french fries that came along with the meal.  At that time, I didn’t really think too much about my diet because I felt skinny and thought that I was doing the right thing to be skinny.

But I was wrong.  Now I look at pictures and I wasn’t really ‘skinny’ at all. Not to mention I wasn’t happy and was usually seriously lacking energy because I wasn’t eating the right things.

As I have learned over the last few years, if you want a flat stomach, having the right flat stomach diet is very important.  And NOT eating is not going to get you there. You may ‘feel’ good but as soon as you start eating regularly or the right foods your body is going to plump up and your flat stomach is going to go away.

I have taken what I have learned to compile this list of 22 tips to help you make sure that you have a flat stomach diet that will help you get a flat stomach.

1. EAT – The biggest mistake most women (and myself) make is to think that to get a flat stomach we aren’t suppose to eat. WRONG! That’s the worst thing you can do. To really get a flat stomach you should eat at least 5-6 small meals throughout the day.
2. Each meal should have a healthy fat, protein and some carbohydrates (depending on what your flat stomach goals are).
3. Drink lots of water. Water will flush your system of toxins and help you stay fuller for longer (keeping you away from those unhealthy snacks.

   

4. Stay away from soda and sugary fruit drinks. Say no to extra sugar! Sugar only prevents you from getting a flat stomach.
5. Make sure you have ‘healthy fats’ in your diet. Some examples of ‘healthy fats’ include almonds, natural peanut butter, olive oil, walnuts, and flaxseed.
6. Make sure your diet has enough protein. Protein helps you rebuild your muscles after your workouts (more muscle = less fat = a flat stomach).
7. Follow a flat stomach workout.
   
8. Stay away from simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates will bring you up and then you’ll crash right down (just like the ice cream did in my diet!).
9. Include complex carbohydrates in your diet. Yes, these types of carbs are good for you – grains, fruits, vegetables and some cereals are filled with complex carbs (and fiber) that will help fill you up for longer and give you more energy for longer – keeping you away from those snacks that won’t give you a flat stomach.
10. You don’t have to just eat salads everyday to get a flat stomach – there are lots of great flat stomach recipes out there.
    
11. Eat LOTS of vegetables. Vegetables are only good for you – they are low in calories and a good source of dietary fiber (that will help fill us up for longer).

    

12. Add some blueberries to your diet.  Blueberries are a great flat stomach food – full of antioxidants and cancer fighting capabilities.
13. Take Omega-3 Fish Oils.  Omega-3 fish oils will help your brain, heart and joints.  It will also lower your blood sugar after each meal, which will help you get a flat stomach.
    
14. Eat breakfast. It IS the most important meal of the day. After sleeping all night – it wakes your metabolism and gets it burning fat off your stomach as you start your day. Not sure what to eat – here are Three Quick Healthy Breakfast Options.
15. Drink green tea. Green Tea has been proven to help you burn fat. If you don’t like the taste of plain green tea – try some of the flavored varieties.
16. Post – Workout Nutrition is very important for a flat stomach. Make sure you eat after your workout to help your body recover and burn more fat.
17. Think about ‘what does your flat stomach look like?‘. Know what you are working towards and that will help you get there.
    
    
18. Plan your meals. Sit down on Sunday morning and figure out what you are going to eat for the week. Then hit the grocery store and buy what you need to make your meals for the week. If  you have everything you need to eat healthy then you can’t stray! Plus, if you pre-cook your meals, you can make lunch for the week or when you’re home after a long day – there is food in the fridge – no excuses to not eat healthy!
19. Go to the food store with a list of what you are going to buy. This will make sure that no extra ‘non-healthy’ treats show up in your cart.
20. Write down what you eat.  Keeping a journal of what you eat, will make you more responsible and aware of just HOW many cookies you are sneaking in daily.

    

21. Positive Thinking. Know that you can do it – that you can eat healthy, that you can get a flat stomach – if you don’t think you can – you never will.
22. Don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day! Get back up – refocus – and make sure the next meal is a good one.

Okay, there it is – 22 tips to help you create a flat stomach diet that will GET you a flat stomach and avoid the mistakes that I made.