While abdominal crunches have become a thing of the past – they did, right? – and diets that incorporate foods like chocolate are becoming a norm, there is still a lot of confusion and misconceptions about losing that rather annoying belly fat.

In their new book, Flat Belly Diet, Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass, editors at Prevention magazine, explain that heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs (pronounced “moofas”), are key to banishing tummy bulge to get those perfect abs.

Recent research shows that MUFAs – found in olive oil, nuts, avocados, seeds and, yes, even chocolate – help the body lose weight, specifically in the midsection. However, the Flat Belly Diet does a substandard job explaining that you cannot really expect to spot reduce your belly fat simply by incorporating MUFAs in your diet.

How does the Flat Belly Diet work? The idea is that MUFAs slow the emptying of the stomach, delay hunger and prevent fat buildup. The authors say that the MUFAs have to be worked into every meal.

According to the Flat Belly Diet, there are two types of stomach fat: subcutaneous (the kind visible when “pinching an inch”) and visceral (the kind hidden within the torso and that can contribute to problems like diabetes and cancer). “You can cut calories and exercise religiously, but that can still leave you with a lot of visceral belly fat,” says Sass.

The question is: do we have compelling evidence that MUFAs can meaningfully reduce visceral belly fat? I am not convinced.

Does the Flat Belly Diet work? Yes it does, assuming you follow the diet and exercise plan it prescribes. Huh? Didn’t I just question that MUFAs can reduce visceral belly fat? Yes I did. In my opinion, the diet works because it puts you on a low calorie diet plan, but not because of some magical powers of MUFAs. [source: Life & Style]