Flat Abs Are Made in the Kitchen

What's a healthy food you could eat every day, no problem? Share your thoughts in the comments below.



As a child, Chef Babette Davis already was testing the limits of her core strength.

“When I was in the fifth grade, I can remember doing 50 sit-ups,” she says. “They were kind of testing us kids to see how strong we were…and they were bragging on me in class. And I was so excited about people noticing that I could do 50 of them.”

Her mother also had an influence. “My mother would always tell me, ‘Hold your stomach in and stand up straight,” Davis adds. “From that period in my life to adulthood, I always had a flat stomach. When I gave birth, I was 150-some-odd pounds, when I went into the hospital to deliver. When I came out, I was 132 pounds.”

Now age 73, Davis shares from her life generously, inspiring us via activities like serving as co-owner and head chef of Stuff I Eat, a plant-based restaurant in Inglewood, California; modeling in a fab photoshoot at age 70; and doing 100 push-ups for her 72nd birthday. And while crunches aren’t part of her routine today, she is a fan of planks, which are a core exercise.

“I believe that in terms of women in particular, we do have to deal with the fat around our guts, especially if we've had children,” Davis says. “It just seems like your stomach will just start pushing out on you, and before you know it, it's like, “What am I going to do with this gut?”

So, if you want flat abs now, what’s her big takeaway? Have you ever heard a personal trainer or exercise guru say, “abs are built in the kitchen?” Babette is a believer. The fitness enthusiast, who reaches more than 315,000 followers on Instagram @chefbabette, says her healthy food choices also help keep her midsection flat at 70-plus.

What to know about the types of belly fat

There are two kinds of belly fat: visceral fat and subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat is “stored just beneath your skin,” and you can pinch it between your fingers, Cleveland Clinic confirms, while visceral fat is “behind your abdominal muscles” and “surrounds your stomach, liver, intestines and other organs.”

“Someone may not hold much body fat in their arms and legs but have most of their body fat in the abdominal area. This is indicative of the presence of visceral fat, as subcutaneous fat is typically situated around the muscles,” wrote Destini Moody, RD, CSSD, LD, a registered dietitian with Top Nutrition Coaching in an email interview with Sisters.

And “too much visceral fat can lead to serious health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke,” notes Cleveland Clinic. Visceral fat also can secrete cytokines, “which are compounds that cause chronic inflammation in the body,” Moody explains. “As we age, we gain visceral fat more easily, especially when we eat too much, move too little and our diet becomes lower in nutritional quality,” she adds.

How to reduce belly fat

To meet your midsection goals, focus on lifestyle changes like exercising at least 30 minutes daily, reducing stress, and (ding, ding, ding) eating a healthy diet.

“Poor diet quality is one of the main reasons the body accumulates visceral fat. This includes a diet high in ultra processed foods, sodium, refined grains, added sugars and saturated fats,” notes Moody. That said, the body more easily puts on muscle with a healthy diet, she notes.

And while genetics figure in, lifestyle changes matter. Part of Davis’ motivation to stay strong came from watching her mother. “I had a mother who wound up with double knee replacements. My mother had so many issues. I watched her and I knew that she could not get in the bathtub and get out on her own. Whenever we went to the supermarket, she pushed the basket, because that was her walker,” she explains. “And I thought to myself, ‘I don’t want to do this. I don’t want this lifestyle to be my reality.’ You understand what I’m saying?”

We do. Maybe you’ve also seen loved ones struggle or had your own hardships. You’re not alone if so: More than 80 percent of midlife African-American women are overweight or have obesity, which increases risk for heart disease, heart attack, diabetes, and high cholesterol and blood pressure, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women’s Health.

And look, there’s no shame in any of this. Our bodies can be beautiful at any size. But if you want to minimize your midsection—for aesthetic or health reasons—consider these nutrition tips.

Calm down on processed foods. This is a big tip from Davis. “I’m not big on a lot of food. I love mushrooms, I love salads, huge salads, quinoa bowls, stuff like that,” she says.

Pay attention to nutrients. “At 73, baby, I’m looking for nutrients…more important to me than anything is making sure I’m nutrient-strong,” says Davis, who does this via juicing, in part, even while having a “massive sweet tooth.” (Here’s what she told us about how to make a juice that tastes like Kool-Aid.)

Reconsider cooking fats. “Black women don’t need to change their cultural food preferences to fit what the media describes as ‘healthy,’ but they should watch out for specific food items,” writes Moody. “When I was growing up, we cooked everything with Crisco, a type of shortening, because it was cheap and effective. Now we know that [solid hydrogenated oils are] one of the worst types of fats to eat for our heart health. So, you don’t necessarily have to change the meal, but cook with canola or olive oil instead.”

Consider various cooking methods. “Grilling, roasting and baking foods, especially high fat meats like beef, are more ideal as you typically don’t need to add additional fat and they allow the bad fats in the protein to cook off,” Moody notes.

Eat lean protein. “Science has shown that, when calories are kept equal, people put on muscle and keep from gaining fat when their diet is low in inflammatory foods like saturated fat,” explains Moody. “It’s also important to consume high-quality protein when wanting to put on muscle but making sure you’re getting it from lean sources.” (Lean or low-fat options include 93% lean ground beef, pork loin, and skinless chicken breasts, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture.)

Consider more raw foods. “Look, we’re all used to eating cooked food. I get it,” says Davis. “But make sure you have enough raw in there. Make sure that at least at night you put a nice wholesome salad on your family’s plate and your plate,” she says.

“Life begets life,” she continues. “Where are you going to get your nutrients if you do not ingest them?”

Mic dropped. So, check out Davis’s healthy and tasty recipes below to start your journey toward abs made in the kitchen. And enjoy.

Chef Babette’s Chopped Kale Salad With Homemade Balsamic Dressing

Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 to 6 pitted Medjool dates
1/2 tsp salt, optional

Method:

Blend all ingredients.

Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups stemmed and chopped curly kale
1 cup finely chopped purple cabbage
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup shredded jicama
Sliced almonds, to taste

Method:

Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Add blueberry balsamic salad dressing and toss.

 

Chef Babette’s Carrot ‘Untuna’ Salad

Editors note: If you are a fan of home juicing, this is a great way to use the solids (pulp) left over from juicing carrots in an extractor. Sea kelp powder’s briny flavor lends a “fishy” taste to this vegetable dish.


Ingredients:
4 cups carrot pulp
1/2 cup fresh sliced celery
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup agave syrup
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp liquid aminos
1 tbsp sea kelp powder (aka dried seaweed, available in grocery stores)
3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise

Method:

Mix all ingredients well and serve. Enjoy in a sandwich or as a salad.


What's a healthy food you could eat every day, no problem? Share your thoughts in the comments below.