7 Foods You Should Eat If You Want Six-Pack Abs By Summer

With spring break and summer coming faster than an 8th grade virgin touching his first boob, it’s time to start shedding that winter coat.

Eat fewer calories than you burn and the fat will come off. That’s a given, but it isn’t the whole story. Quality of food plays a big role as well, along with the types of foods you’re eating. Very few people in the world get ripped off of eating shit food alone. I don’t count the story about the Kansas State professor who went on the Twinkie diet and lost 27lbs. He was still skinny fat after it was all said and done.

Most of the best foods that are staples of a fat burning diet have a few things in common:

High protein. Which helps build lean muscle, and preserve muscle mass. Protein also requires more calories just to digest it than anything else. Making protein a staple of any fat burning diet.

High fiber. With enough fibrous foods you’ll feel fuller for longer, and eat far less calories to get that feeling. And take better dumps.

Fat. With enough healthy fats certain foods can keep you satisfied for much longer because they take so long to digest. This keeps you from over indulging during that meal, and during subsequent meals later on. Eating quality fats also helps with hormone production, which will help shed even more fat.

Here are 7 foods for six-pack abs.

  • Bison:

Bison is one of the top protein sources you could ever hope to come across. 3 ounces isn’t even 100 calories, making it nearly 100 calories less than beef. It contains more protein, has less fat, more Beta Carotene, more Iron, and tastes delicious. It has a tender and juicy texture, and full of flavor.

Fat alone isn’t the enemy, but it is easy to overdo it with fat. At 9 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories for protein and carbs, it’s easy to blow through calories when eating lots of fat.

When keeping calories low and protein high, bison is a no brainer. Most bison is exclusively grass fed as well, making the little fat it does contain higher in Omega-3’s.

  • Spinach:

Popeye was jacked and it seemed like his wife was a loving lady. I doubt he worked his forearms like most of us from ages 11 – never ending.

Kidding aside spinach is a veritable nutritional powerhouse. It’s incredibly low calorie at 7 whopping calories per cup, is over 50% fiber, and holds a surprising amount of protein for being so a low calorie vegetable.

Spinach is also packed with Vitamin A which will help with vision, cell growth, and overall health. It also contains a respectable amount of Vitamin C, Iron, and Magnesium.

  • Avocado:

Avocado has become food celebrity lately. Everyone is touting its health benefits, as they should. Because it’s hard to beat avocado straight up. It’s a true nutrition powerhouse.

Avocado is packed with monosaturated fats, the same fats in olive oil that are good for your heart. Avocado also has 4x the potassium of a banana, a shit ton of fiber, Vitamin C, B-6, and Magnesium.

Due to so much fat though it is wise to watch how many you’re eating a day. Eating 10 a day on top of the rest of your meals could send you over your daily calorie budget pretty quick.

  • Steak:

Steak is one of the best foods on the planet. There’s no debating it. Aside from being tender, succulent, juicy, and every other adjective for fucking delicious – turns out it’s pretty damn good for you.

Steak is an top notch source of protein. Making it an excellent choice in helping preserve, and build, lean muscle mass. It also happens to contain small amounts of creatine, to aid in muscle building. As well as iron, which will help with energy and keep your immune system working well.

The big key to steak being a fat burning monster is the fat content in it though. The saturated fat in steak actually helps increase testosterone production, which helps burn fat. There are also two other types of fat in steak that actually help your cholesterol levels for the better, and increase other muscle building hormones.

  • Potatoes (Sweet and White)

For some reason there’s a war waging on the internet about sweet potatoes and white potatoes. Which makes no sense. I’m an equal opportunity potato eater. Both types have their place in a fat burning diet.

White potatoes are usually a lower calorie option than sweet potatoes, and contain plenty of Vitamin C and B-6. They also provide a good dose of carbohydrate, necessary for energy. Especially during a fat loss diet when calories are lower.

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of Beta Carotene and Vitamin A. They’re also a slightly higher source of fiber. Both are nutritional powerhouses that should be in a fat loss diet. Don’t worry about if adding butter will ruin them. As long as you don’t overdo it, butter alone won’t make these superfoods calorie bombs that ruin your waistline.

  • Salmon

Salmon might be one of the best possible foods in the world to eat. It’s a full of protein, and loaded in essential fatty acids. Namely Omega-3’s. Omega 3’s, or fish oil, is widely known as having plenty of healthful benefits to it.

They’re responsible for helping keep your heart working, hair/skin/nails looking like you’re a pampered trust fund baby, and your brain in top shape. Eating salmon 2-3 times a week can actually remove the need to use fish oil supplements completely.

Buy quality salmon. Cold water wild caught salmon is no doubt the best choice. Farm raised salmon tends to be much lower in Omega-3.

  • Kale

I couldn’t make it through this list without appeasing hipsters everywhere. Just like they loved Bon Iver before any of us heard Skinny Love, they were onto something with kale. It’s loaded in Vitamin A and Vitamin C, which will keep your eyes and immune system healthy.

Fiber is represented damn well with kale, and makes up a bulk of its carbohydrate amount. Making kale a filling, yet low calorie option that packs a nutritional punch that most vegetables could only hope to.

These 7 foods aren’t some magic pill. You won’t see these blended up in a pill and thrown on Dr. Oz. They are however practical options that everyone can include in a diet that will support overall health, keep calories low, build lean muscle, and burn through that fluff layer you added during winter.