Prevention Magazine has created THE FLAT BELLY DIET, based on a new cutting-edge study published in the July ’07 issue of Diabetes Care, and corroborated by a Harvard research study and a report in the British Journal of Medicine. The diet program includes three components: a book, THE FLAT BELLY DIET, by Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief of Prevention Magazine and Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD and Prevention’s Nutrition Director, a subscription-based website with an online support community, all launching in January ’08, and a cover article in the February ’08 issue of Prevention Magazine.  THE FLAT BELLY DIET is specifically designed to help women lose belly fat and get healthy simply by including MUFA’s in every meal.  MUFA’s are in healthy oils derived from plant foods such as olives, nuts, seeds and avocados, and surprisingly, chocolate.  Medical and scientific studies have confirmed that a MUFA-rich diet can reduce “bad” cholesterol, increase “good” cholesterol, reduce inflammation which can trigger many chronic diseases, boost calorie burn and result in body fat and weight loss.  

Anyone who’s struggled to zip up her jeans knows about the fat you can see.  Called subcutaneous fat, it’s what prevents you from fitting into your pants.  But the more deadly fat is the fat that builds up around your internal organs; it’s called visceral fat, and it can increase your risk of heart disease (the #1 killer of women), and other dangerous medical conditions: breast cancer, dementia and elevated insulin levels which can lead to type 2 diabetes. The study reported in Diabetes Care, conducted by scientists at the Reina Sofia University Hospital in Cordoba, Spain, along with a Harvard research study and a British Journal of Medicine report, all confirm that a MUFA-rich diet can help people lose weight, and subcutaneous and viscera belly fat without any changes in their calorie intake or exercise routine.  Cynthia Sass, Prevention’s Nutrition Director, a nationally recognized dietitian with over 10-years of experience helping people lose weight and reduce their risk of disease, created THE FLAT BELLY DIET, based on the findings from these breakthrough research studies.

THE FLAT BELLY DIET, tested on Prevention Magazine readers, works!  The diet involves several simple steps: eat a MUFA at every meal, four 400 calorie meals a day (three meals and a snack), and every 4 to 5 hours to control your blood sugar and hunger.  The subscription-based THE FLAT BELLY DIET website (www.flatbellydiet.com) provides members with the tools and support to succeed: access to customized daily menus, food logs to track nutritional and calorie values of what they eat, an auto-generated food shopping list linked to their meal plan selections and the ability to monitor their weight loss progress and connect with other members and Prevention Magazine editors for support and personalized guidance.