Belly fat is a huge issue. Much of it will make you lose your shape, and also predispose you to various kinds of diseases. The main challenge here is the ‘how’ to get rid of this belly-fat. You are what you eat! When you lose weight on any diet, belly fat usually goes first. Here are foods that can help you burn or increase belly fat.

FOODS THAT BURN BELLY FAT

1. Apples – An apple a day keeps the doctor away is the very old rhyme. Recent studies have shown that it isn’t just the doctor that an apple can keep away – it also wards off belly fat. Hairston’s research shows that people who eat 10 grams of soluble fibre per day [an average apple is about 150grams] -- without any other diet changes -- build up less visceral fat over time than others.

2. Green tea -Several studies suggest green tea promotes weight loss by stimulating the body to burn abdominal fat. Green tea contains catechins, a type of phytochemical that may briefly affect the metabolism. To get the most benefit, you may need to drink green tea several times a day.

3. Watermelons - Foods that are high in water content take up more room in the gut. This signals the body that you've had enough to eat and leaves less room for other foods. Watermelon is chock-full of water and nutrients, but low in calories.

4. Yogurt- What makes yogurt a delicious tool for weight loss is its protein content. A study linked eating yogurt to lower body fat and belly fat.

5. Avocados – This is another fruit that can help you lose weight, especially belly fat. It contains the amino acid lecithin - which helps in preventing liver overload - and aids the memory and helps balance weight.

FOODS THAT FATTEN THE BELLY

1. Doughnuts: They can really bulk up your belly if you take them too often. A glazed doughnut has as much as 260 calories.

2. Ice Cream: You do get some protein and calcium from ice cream. But you also get 230 calories per half-cup, and that's just for plain vanilla, no toppings.

3. Chips: A serving of 15 chips has 160 calories. Huge!

4. Beer: The average 33cl can of beer has about 150 calories. Those calories add up, just like anything else you eat or drink.

5. Hot Dogs: One cheese dog has 390 calories and 8 grams of "bad" fat.

6. Fatty Red Meat: A 300grams of this can have more than 1,000 calories and 37 grams of "bad" fat. That’s huge!

7. Meat-Topped Pizza: Pizza can be healthy. But if you like toppings such as pepperoni, sausage, ham, and beef, you could get more than 300 calories in one slice.

8. Burgers: If it looks big and loaded, it will bloat your calorie budget, too. Some have more than 1,000 calories and up to 75 grams of fat.

#NOTE: There are other things that can fatten the belly as well. High consumption of refined carbohydrates like white rice, white bread etc can also give same effect.