The Best Diets for Belly Fat

Belly fat can be the hardest to lose due to visceral fat. According to the Body Sculpting Bible for Women, visceral fat is located underneath your belly fat and can accumulate around your organs. If left untreated, visceral fat can cause high cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease. The best way to reduce belly fat is to increase healthy foods such as vegetables and protein, lower your carbohydrate intake and eliminate or reduce saturated fat and refined sugar from your diet.

Low-Carb Diet

A low-carb diet significantly reduces your carbohydrate intake and increases your protein consumption. According to "The Abs Diet," protein increases your muscle and helps lower cholesterol while maintaining your energy levels. Carbohydrates are burned off while you are physically active, but when your body does not have enough carbohydrates it burns fat stored in your body. While on this diet, cut out snacks and sugary desserts as they contain simple carbohydrates, which provide little nutrition. Your carbohydrates should come from whole-grain bread, pasta, beans and vegetables. These carbohydrates are called complex carbohydrates and assist in lowering cholesterol and digest slowly, which leaves you feeling fuller longer.

Low-Calorie Diet

A low-calorie diet reduces your caloric intake from 2,000 to 1,600 in women and from 2,500 to 1,800 in men. Although you are reducing the amount of food you are consuming, your diet should still provide vitamins and nutrients. According to "You on a Diet," nutrient-dense foods such as asparagus, kale, garlic, bell peppers, onions and spinach are just a few vegetables that contain vitamins A, C, K, D, and E along with folate and zinc. These vitamins must be maintained to avoid vitamin deficiencies that can cause health complications. Meal replacement supplements can also be taken during lunch to reduce calories, but should be carefully monitored by your physician or dietitian. Saturated fat should be eliminated from your diet as it can lead to obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes. Saturated fat can be found in red meat, dairy and the skin of poultry. Switch to fish to reduce your fat intake, and provide Omega-3 fatty acids, a nutrient that helps maintain your blood pressure.

Flat Belly Diet

According to the "Flat Belly Diet," the cause of your belly fat is the unhealthy foods that cause bloating. Some of these harmful foods are high in sodium, which soaks up water and causes you to retain water weight. According to the American Heart Association, you need no more than 2,300 mg of sodium daily, but can go as low as 1,300 mg.

Avoid eating mass amounts of carbohydrates as they are high in calories and convert into fat if they aren't burned. Carbohydrates should only make up 25% of your meal, and should be complex carbohydrates, not simple. Although eating an energy bar boosts your energy and provides nutrients, the sugar substitutes in the bars can cause your stomach to produce gas and bloating. Gassy foods such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, peppers and onions should be eliminated from your diet, or consumed in small portions until you lose your belly fat.