Best foods for abs

Are there any that really help develop abs while Im trying to lose weight?

Tuna...Sardines...Chicken...lean beef...Turkey...Nuts...Onions...egg whites...grapefruit.

There are no foods that will develop certain muscles.

sully is right. developing abs is about exercise and losing the fat on top. Eating clean has been said to have good benefits for abs, but to me it benefits you over all not just abs. There are foods/drinks that make you more bloated though, and stomach can appear bigger for a certain time if you want to get that technical.

Sully - you're the one always saying "abs are made in the kitchen" - I think that was the point of the question, no?

Right, defined abs are generally a function of low bodyfat, which is best achieved through diet.  If someone is losing weight their abs will likely become more defined or developed or whatever.  But there aren't any specific foods that will 'develop' your abs specifically.  If you lose 10 lbs of fat by eating lots of chicken and broccoli your abs aren't going to be any more developed than if you lost those same 10 lbs eating salmon and spinach.

k, thanks

From a site:

Onions

Raw onions contain quercetin, shown to promote the burning of bodyfat in animal studies. Quercetin is also an antioxidant.  (Aside – antioxidants fight free radicals; excessive free radicals can impair your immune system and reduce muscle growth.)

Onions can be good after a workout to assist in loading muscles your post-workout protein and carbs. I favor red onions myself.  Eat them raw, like in a salad or on a lean burger if possible.  If you cook them, the longer you cook the less benefit you’ll get.  And be careful of what you cook them in!  I use a tiny bit of extra-virgin olive oil, some black pepper and garlic powder sprinkled on top.

Peppers

Green peppers are similar in some respects to onions, but peppers have about half the carbs and half the calories (and less than half the taste!).  Similar antioxidant properties. If you’re older, you might be interested to hear that the vitamin content in peppers has been linked to reduced incidence of cataracts.  Prepare peppers the way you prepare onions.  Check out the nutrition data.  Note that red bell peppers have more overall vitamins.

I have no idea why asparagus isn’t at the top of every bodybuilder’s list!  I love asparagus.  But for some of you, it might take some getting used to.  Yet the benefits of liking this “twig” as one of my friends calls them, are worth the time to acquire the taste.

Asparagus is

• low calorie
• low carb
• high protein (for a veggie)
• full of vitamins

One cup has only 27 calories, 5g total carbs (3 of which are fiber!), zero fat, and packs in 3g of protein!  And unlike some veggies, it actually fills you up (the techies say it has high “satiety”).  It does have a downside – your urine will smell funny.  Small price to pay though.

Plus, it contains a unique antioxidant called glutathione. Glutathione – get this – helps produce a quasi-hormone messenger called prostaglandins, which, in turn, influences growth.

If you aren’t already including asparagus into your bodybuilding diet, you should.

Mmm, asparagus is definitely my favorite vegetable! 

Original Post by karozel:

Mmm, asparagus is definitely my favorite vegetable! 

Yeah nutrition is definitely a factor in getting good abs because you have to lose the bodyfat covering the abs up. Basically make sure to get protein from sources like chicken, turkey, tuna, whey protein powder, etc.. Then there is carbs from whole grains (whole wheat pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread) and vegetables. Finally healthy fats from sources like peanut butter and almonds. A lot of water too. If you combine getting enough calories of the right types of foods with strength training and HIIT cardio, you will defnitely see results. I recommend sprinting for HIIT. Sprinting is a killer ab exercise in its own right.

Prevention magazine has been extolling the virtues of eating certain foods along with your meals to prevent belly fat. They have a book out now called "The Belly Fat Diet," or some such thing. I'm not sure about the title.

Here's their thing--you eat ONE of these five items with each meal to prevent belly fat:

Olives

Dark chocolate

Olive oil

a handful of nuts (not peanuts, though)

Hmm, dang. I can't remember the fifth one. You'll have to look it up on Prevention's website. I usually eat nuts, but I have not done this religiously, so I can't tell you whether it works.

I'm just tossing this out for what it's worth.

• Olive Oil
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Mackerel
• Sable Fish/Black Cod
• Seaweed
• Turkey & Chicken Breast
• Omega-3 Enriched Eggs
• Olives
• Grass-Fed/Finished Red Meats
• Pumpkin & Other Squash
• Leafy Green Vegetables (Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, etc)
• Onions, Leeks, Garlic
• Green Tea, Black Tea, White Tea, Herbal Tea

Eat a diet high in protein to build up your muscles and in low fat to reveal them.  Of course, you'll also need crunches. ^.^

Original Post by tiggercline:

Eat a diet high in protein to build up your muscles and in low fat to reveal them.  Of course, you'll also need crunches. ^.^

This is wrong on so many levels..

Beat me to it, ily51.

it's a basic statement....but it's not too wrong.

Original Post by eddiepotter:

it's a basic statement....but it's not too wrong.

 how is that not 'too' wrong? The only part I'd agree on it "eat a diet high in protein" and after that, it's total crap. :)

Eating protein doesn't build muscle, you need to do weight training AND eat protein to build muscle AND be in a calorie surplus.

Eating low fat will not reveal them. To reveal them you need to lose the fat on top of the muslce by being in a calorie deficit. Generally guys will show their ab muscles at 10% body fat where women are 14-18% to show them.

Crunches are garbage and will not give you a 6 pack, on matter if your doing 50, 100, 200 a day.

Original Post by silverbutterfly:

Original Post by eddiepotter:

it's a basic statement....but it's not too wrong.

 how is that not 'too' wrong? The only part I'd agree on it "eat a diet high in protein" and after that, it's total crap. :)

Eating protein doesn't build muscle, you need to do weight training AND eat protein to build muscle AND be in a calorie surplus.

Eating low fat will not reveal them. To reveal them you need to lose the fat on top of the muslce by being in a calorie deficit. Generally guys will show their ab muscles at 10% body fat where women are 14-18% to show them.

Crunches are garbage and will not give you a 6 pack, on matter if your doing 50, 100, 200 a day.

I'm sorry but we are assuming the OP is working out, and he is asking us what foods to eat....so eat foods high in protein to help build you muscles....

I do a lot of crunches a day, and I have an 8 pack of abs.  people need to understand that while NO one thing will work to give you the tummy you want...you can't just say some one is wrong when they are partially right.   I KNOW what works...CUZ I HAVE THE ABS.   Eating good amounts of protein, doing crunches with weight, and have a good balance of cardio will get you the abs you want.