Six-Pack Foods: The Perfect Meal Plan For Abs
Why Nutrition Matters for Your Abs
To see visible abs, you need to reach specific body fat thresholds: typically 12 percent or less for men and 22 percent or less for women. That’s because getting great abs means you need to focus on overall lean body mass — working on just one part of your body (AKA, spot reducing) doesn’t yield results because it’s not a thing that you can actually do.
You could do all the crunches and ab workouts in the world, but if those muscles are hidden under a layer of fat, they’re not going to show.
Everyone carries their fat a bit differently, but there are certain threshold levels that you would need to reach to get abs to show.
Seattle-based registered dietitian Ginger Hultin, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and owner of ChampagneNutrition, agrees that diet is key to having visible abs.
“Many people have developed abdominal muscles but their body fat is too high to be able to see the definition,” explains Hultin. “There is evidence that diet plays a role in fat around the waist, or belly fat, which could hide your ab muscles, so focusing on what you eat makes sense if this is important.”
The Best Foods to Eat For Abs
There’s no one magic food that helps with weight and fat loss, but there are ways to eat and build your meals that will help put you on the right track to not just great abs but great health.
Focus on three food categories: vegetables (one to two cups per meal), high-quality protein (lean chicken, fish, eggs, or plant proteins like tofu and chickpeas), and whole grains (packed with fiber and nutrients).
For starters, meal planning can help you stay on track with consistently eating healthier.
When you’re building your meal plan, focus on incorporating these foods into your meals.
Veggies
They’re low in calories, high in fiber, and filled with nutrients your body craves. Aim for one to two cups of vegetables in every meal.
If you do this one thing, you are much more likely to get leaner, faster.
Just keep in mind that gassy cruciferous veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale may cause you to bloat.
It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat them, since they have so many great nutrients, but you may want to avoid them before putting on a bathing suit or tight dress.
High-quality protein
Protein has been shown to help keep you fuller longer and requires the most energy to digest thus lending a slight boost to your metabolism. Aim for a palm-sized portion (about three to four ounces) of protein at each meal.
Look for lean proteins, like chicken, eggs, turkey, and fish.
And there are plenty of great plant proteins, too!
Add some organic tofu, edamame, or chickpeas into your next meal prep for an animal-free protein source.
Whole grains
Instead of choosing refined, white grains, opt for whole grains. Aim for about half a cup of cooked whole grains per meal.
They’re packed with more vitamins and minerals, and also fiber, which helps to fill you up and regulate healthy blood sugar levels.
Foods to Avoid
Minimize foods that quickly raise your blood sugar levels and can lead to fat deposits around the midline, if eaten in excess.
These include processed items, such as:
- White bread — quickly raises blood sugar and can lead to fat deposits around the midline
- Sugary drinks like soda or juice — spike blood sugar levels and contribute to excess calorie intake
- Alcohol — linked to increased belly fat when consumed in excess
You don’t have to completely cut these foods out of your diet forever, but limiting them to once or twice a week can help you get to your goals faster, in a healthier way.
Recipes for Your Meal Plan for Abs
Ready to get cooking? Check out our list of healthy recipes that can help you eat your way to poppin’ abs.
Here are some specific recipes to get you started:
If you want a bit more guidance, follow our pre-planned weekly meal preps.
They include five days of meals that you can easily prep at once, and then enjoy all week long:
Other Tips for Great Abs
Along with good nutrition, exercise is another key piece of the puzzle to getting great abs.
Hultin, who is also a certified personal trainer, states that “in order to develop visible abdominal muscles, you need to incorporate strength training for this muscle group into your routine.”
And that means more than just crunches.
You want to work all the muscles of your core, including your rectus abominis (your “six-pack” muscles), transverse abdominis (your deep-lying core muscles) and your obliques (on the sides of your torso).
You can accomplish this by incorporating a variety of exercises that work your core from all angles into your weekly workouts.
Getting great abs takes work but if you incorporate the tips above you will be well on your way. The bottom line: visible abs require both strategic nutrition to lower body fat and targeted strength training to develop your abdominal muscles.
It’s not just a cliche saying when you hear that “abs are made in the kitchen.” What you eat and drink makes a huge difference in whether your six-pack is showing or not.
That’s why a focused meal plan for abs can help you finally get that washboard look you’ve been striving for. Visible abs typically appear at 12 percent body fat or less for men and 22 percent body fat or less for women.
Although there are plenty of factors that go into getting the physique you want (like activity level, stress levels, and genetics), there are some key things you can do while meal planning to help you maximize your ab game.