Brown Rice
What's in it: Whole grains
The belly-fat connection: People who reported eating three or more servings of whole grains per day had 10 percent less visceral adipose tissue (aka belly fat) than those whose diets included very few whole grains. (The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and counted one piece of whole grain bread or 1/2 cup of oatmeal as a serving of whole grains.) The catch? Whole grain intake didn't make any difference in belly fat if people were also eating four or more servings of refined grains per day (think anything made with white flour, and one piece of whole bread or 1/2 cup of white rice is one serving.) Those who got the most belly-fat-reducing benefit from their whole grains ate less than one daily serving of the refined stuff. Which means you can't chase your cup of brown rice with three pieces of white-bread toast.
More ideas of what to eat: Look for products that say "100 percent whole wheat" or "100 percent whole grain" on the packaging, not "multigrain" or simply "whole wheat," as those often contain some refined sources.
Collard Greens
What's in them: Calcium
The belly-fat connection: Researchers tracked the diets and abdominal fat of more than 100 premenopausal women for one year. The years before menopause are notorious for weight gain, but the researchers found that for every 100 mg of calcium women ate per day, they gained 1 inch less of the dangerous fat deep within their bellies than women who didn't get as much calcium. It's not exactly clear why calcium seems to make a difference, but the researchers propose two ideas. First, there's some research showing that calcium helps your body use estrogen more effectively, and estrogen is linked to less fat in your abdomen. Second, high-calcium diets may lower production of cortisol, the stress hormone that's linked to belly fat. The National Institutes of Health recommends getting at least 1,000 mg and no more than 2,500 mg of calcium per day.
More ideas of what to eat: Aside from the obvious sources like milk and yogurt, foods like tofu, kale and sardines are also high in calcium.