Summer is almost upon us, and if you’re like me, you’re staring at yourself in the mirror asking, “Am I ready?” For a woman wearing a bikini, the abdomen is one of the most important parts of the body. After all, the whole reason you’re reading a two-piece is because you are comfortable showing a little skin.

The difference between a nice, toned set of washboard abs and even a small accumulation of fat can mean the difference between jumping into that beach volleyball game, or maybe the arms of that guy you have been crushing on since last fall.

Fortunately, one of the easiest parts of the body to work out is the abdomen. You can achieve washboard abs in less than a month with a proper workout regimen, and there are tons of effective workouts out there. That said if you want to elevate your approach to a whole new plateau of physical results, you might want to give coconut oil a try.

Why Consume a Fatty Oil to Eliminate Stomach Fat?

It’s simple, actually.

In 2001, Harvard researchers said that diets moderate in (good) fats are actually more effective for weight loss results in the long run than diets that are low in fat.

Coconut oil is one of, if not the best known oil to use when it comes to keeping rolls off your stomach because the degree to which it is comprised of medium (as opposed to long) chain fatty acids. Lauric acid is one of these medium-chain triglyceride acids, and comprises about 50% of coconut oil. Lauric acid absorbs straight into the small intestines, and require less energy and fewer enzymes to metabolize as opposed to long-chained counterparts. To put this into perspective, 98% of all other fats we eat are long-chained, so to find a medium-chain triglyceride is relatively rare.

Lauric acid actually has antiviral properties as well.

Putting the Science to the Test

A study published in the journal Lipids had the following findings: a small group of obese women who consumed two tablespoons of coconut oil a day for 12 weeks saw their waistlines shrink, while women who consumed the same amount of soybean oil experienced no such change.

Comparing Different Types of Cooking Oil

If you are looking for a quality resource when it comes to all the different types of cooking oils out there, I suggest taking a look at the complete comparison chart of all known cooking oils, hosted over at Cooking Rules.

Simon is a writer and content specialist who is addicted to being on the front page of anything. A graduate of Dalhousie University, he specializes in using the em dash too often. Currently, Simon rests his typing hands in Vancouver, Canada. Check out a recent example of his work here.

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The answer must be burning calories.

But, that would be wrong.

The hunter-gatherer Hadza tibemen studied, although more active than Westerners, expended no more energy than those who are sedentary.

Although it is tempting to use simple math when trying to manage weight, it seems that processed, genetically modified food have an incalculable negative on human biology and weight maintenance.

So, if you are not hunting for your food on a daily basis, the next best thing is to eat simple, seasonal, unadulterated whole foods in their natural form.

Not surprisingly, the Hadza were more physically active than Westerners. However, they didn’t expend more energy. The Hadza’s average daily energy expenditure was no different than that of Westerners, after controlling for body size, the analysis found.

“We hypothesize that human daily energy expenditure may be an evolved physiological trait largely independent of cultural differences,” they write.

Unlike a growing portion of the Westernized world, however, the Hadza are lean. This suggests obesity rates in Westernized countries stem from differences in energy intake — meaning more rich food than our human ancestors ate, they conclude.

This recent story on 60 Minutes is raising more awareness on the health issues surrounding sugar. We need to wake up as a nation.

Love ice cream but hate the calories?

There are some great frozen treats which offer a lot of flavor without all the fat and calories.

Scoop up the info and learn the facts about your frozen favorites and see where a few substations can keep your fitness on track.

We’ve been saying for years that you need to avoid sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Check out this video and you’ll see why.

Stop drinking soft drinks and high-sugar juices. Don’t buy processed foods with high fructose corn syrup. This single change will have a huge impact on your health and ability to get lean.