Five Nutrients That Help Women Over 50 Lose Belly Fat

After the age of 50 women tend to deposit fat at the belly more easily. This is due to a number of changes that the body naturally undergoes in the fifth decade of life. One factor is a drop in the production of estrogen and progesterone. Decreased production of these hormones leads to a slower metabolism and an increased ability for your body to store fat in the midsection.

This is a frustrating side effect of aging; however, it can be combated with the addition of certain dietary nutrients.

5 Nutrients that help women over 50 lose belly fat:

1. Omega 3. This is an essential fatty acid which means that your body cannot make Omega 3 and must therefore obtain it through the foods you eat. Not only will a daily dose of Omega 3 help your body burn belly fat, it may also help ease joint pain, improve heart health, and balance blood sugar levels.

2. Irvingia Gabonensis. This is a tough ingredient to pronounce, but it is even tougher on body fat. Participants in a study on Irvingia lost an average 6.7 inches from their waistline. It works by making your body cells more receptive to the fat-burning hormone called leptin.

Leptin is a key hormone that controls many facets of the weight loss puzzle. Its job is to protect your body against starvation. When you go on a diet your body inhibits the secretion of leptin. This puts the brakes on fat burning and can decrease your ability to burn fat by up to 50% after only one week of strict dieting.

Any nutrient that increases your body's production of leptin or your body's sensitivity to leptin will boost your ability to burn belly fat.

3. Modifilan. This is another beneficial nutrient that can enhance the production of leptin by stimulating the production of thyroid hormones.

4. Green Tea. This is a natural extract that has been shown to increase resting metabolic rate and fat burning. It has also been credited with working as an appetite suppressant.

5. Shan Qi. This is a traditional Chinese herb has been shown to have beneficial fat-burning properties, including natural appetite suppression and the ability to increase leptin sensitivity.

Gaining weight around the belly is a frustrating occurrence that comes with aging. It is not only an issue of appearance. It also comes with an increase in health problems. Belly fat is said to be "metabolically active" fat, which means that it can more easily release fatty acids into the bloodstream. This is one of the reasons that women over 50 experience an increase in diseases such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

Adding these nutrients to your daily diet can help combat belly fat and improve overall health. At this point you are likely wondering where you can get these 5 fat-burning nutrients and how to take them in the right dosage.

Finding and figuring out how to take these separate nutrients in the right combination for fat loss would take a lot of research and experimentation.

The Protein Power Diet

What Is the Protein Power Diet?

The popularity of low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets is not as high as it was years ago when Protein Power graced the New York Times best-seller list for over a year. However, low-carb, high-protein diets continue to offer weight loss options.

Written by a married couple of MDs, Michael R. and Mary Dan Eades, the book promises that you will "feel fit and boost your health - in just weeks!" The cover includes praise from one of their diet-expert-author competitors, Barry Sears, author of The Zone, who calls their book nothing less than "The Nutritional Primer of the Nineties."

What sets Protein Power apart is the wealth of historical information about low-carbohydrate diets and how these have influenced dieters galore, ever since William Banting wrote his Letter on Corpulence in the mid 1800s. The Eades also provide scientific explanations for the functions of insulin and glucagons, the major hormones involved in the food-to-fuel process, along with plenty of encouragement and practical suggestions, such as what to order in a French restaurant or fast food joint.

What You Can Eat on the Protein Power Diet

Those of you who crave steak, eggs, and cheese will have a great time on the Protein Power diet. Vegetarians will not, because tofu is the main source of protein allowed non-meat eaters. And as even the most dedicated know, tofu three times a day can get tiresome.

To determine your daily protein quotient, the authors take you through a series of steps and measurements to determine your body fat and lean body mass, as well as ask you to assess your physical activity level.

You may choose your protein from fish, poultry, red meat, low-fat cheese (cottage cheese, feta, mozzarella, Muenster), eggs, and tofu. If you want to lose a lot of fat (the authors don't say you lose weight, but fat instead) or correct a health problem, you can add only 30 grams of carbohydrate, or less, divided throughout the day. If your need to lose is not so great, you can up that quota to 55 grams per day. Favorite low-carb foods? Lists of low-carb fruits and vegetables are given to make your life easier. These include leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, eggplant, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, celery, cucumber, mushrooms, and a surprise fruit that rarely makes the diet sweepstakes: avocado, high in fat, but low in carbs.

Add in 25 grams of fiber (you can subtract the fiber grams from the carbohydrate grams in commercially processed foods, which gives you more carbs to play with), and healthy fats: olive and nut oils, avocado, and butter. Drink at least eight glasses of water per day. And a glass of wine or a light beer is OK, but their carbs count, too.