The Flat Belly Diet: What It Is

It sounds like a dream come true: Eat certain foods and banish belly fat forever.

The Flat Belly Diet promises a flat belly and weight loss of up to 15 pounds in 32 days. "A flat belly is about food & attitude ... not a single crunch required," it boasts on its cover.
Written in the first person by Liz Vaccariello, editor in chief of Prevention, along with Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, nutrition director at Prevention, it is targeted to the millions of Americans who want to notch off a few inches or more off their waistline. After all, who doesn't want a trimmer belly?

The basic Flat Belly Diet plan is a 1,600-calorie Mediterranean-style diet with an emphasis on wholesome, unrefined foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds, lean protein, and very little red meat (once a month).

According to the authors, the secret ingredient in the Flat Belly Diet that whittles away belly fat is the addition of a monounsaturated fat, or MUFA, at every meal. MUFAs are found in olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, soybean, flax, and olive and sunflower oils.