here's been a lot of media attention on belly fat lately--and for good reason. Carrying extra weight around your middle, or being "apple shaped," is a risk factor for several health conditions, including high blood pressure, high LDL (bad) cholesterol, high triglycerides, insulin resistance and high blood sugar. These conditions can lead to heart disease, strokes, diabetes and even breast, cervical or prostate cancers.

Experts believe that the presence of subcutaneous fat (fat under the skin) at the waist indicates that visceral fat (internal fat around the organs) is present, too. Visceral fat is not always visible since its deep inside the body in the spaces surrounding our organs, but it is one of the most dangerous types of fat since it can actively release fatty acids and inflammatory and other reproductive hormones that contribute to heart disease, diabetes and cancers. These substances may also directly affect the liver and its role in blood sugar control and cholesterol production.

Most people associate "apple shape" with men and "pear shape" (carrying extra fat around the hips, buttocks and thighs) with women, and its true that hormones can influence body shape. Being "pear shaped" and moderately overweight is not as unhealthy as carrying extra fat in the abdomen, since the type of fat that is stored in pear-shaped people does not produce dangerous hormones like the visceral fat in apple-shaped people does, but women can be "apple shaped" and therefore have the same amount of health risk associated that shape as men do. Some post-menopausal women may also find that their formerly "pear-shaped" bodies are now "apple shaped," an indication that their "pear-shaped" protection has been lost. Advancing age for both women and men plays a role in the development of deep abdominal fat, too.

In fact, being "apple shaped" may be a more important indicator of health risk than Body Mass Index (BMI) or weight alone. A good way to assess if you have apple-type health risks is to measure your waist circumference (just above your belly button) - 35 inches or greater for women and 40 inches or more for men is considered risky. However, there is evidence that health risks start to rise at smaller waist sizes, too. Body shape is due in large part to genetics, but while you can't change your genes, there's plenty you can do to improve your shape. Exercise physiologists have still not found a way to "spot reduce" your problem areas, but exercise and diet can make a big difference. Cardiovascular exercise is important for helping to reduce fat, and muscle building exercises help to improve insulin sensitivity and slow the accumulation of belly fat. Nutrition researchers have recently discovered that replacing some carbohydrates and saturated fat with the right types of "good" fats can make a big difference when it comes to making your tummy smaller.

For people in one major research study with a combination of excess belly fat and insulin resistance, switching from either a high carbohydrate, low fat diet (65% carbs, 20% fat) or a high saturated fat diet (47% carbs, 38% fat-mostly saturated fat) to a diet that emphasizes monounsaturated fat (47% carbs, 38% fat-mostly monounsaturated fat) helped them lose belly fat and improve their insulin sensitivity. What this means for you (even if you don't have insulin resistance) is that replacing some of your starches like bread, crackers, rice, cereal, pasta, cookies and cakes, as well as some red meat, butter, cream and cheese, with olive oil, olives, nuts, avocados and very dark chocolate will help you lose some belly fat-especially if you also cut your total calorie intake. Extra virgin first cold-pressed olive oil should be the cornerstone of your healthy fat intake, though, so don't go thinking that you can just eat lots of dark chocolate and lose belly fat. Aside from monounsaturated fats, there is one other type of fat that aids in belly fat loss: omega 3 fatty acids. Other research has shown that eating omega 3 fats is especially helpful for "apple-shaped" individuals when it is eaten in place of saturated fats. These fantastic fats are found primarily in fish and, to a lesser degree, in flax seeds, canola oil and some fortified foods. Try to include at least one of these healthy monounsaturated or omega 3 fats at each meal.

Following are some ways to make those subtle but important dietary changes:

Instead of	Try
A cheese omelet with a whole bagel	Omega 3-fortified eggs cooked in olive oil with a slice of flourless whole-grain toast
Cereal with 2% milk and a glass of juice	Plain oatmeal with walnuts, blueberries and unsweetened soy milk (see recipe below)
Chicken salad sandwich	Tuna sandwich with avocado spread on flourless whole-grain bread (see recipe below)
Energy bar	Carrot sticks with almond butter
Cheese and crackers	Guacamole with baked tortilla chips
Caesar salad	Spring mix with Marcona almonds, olives, olive oil and lemon juice
Pasta with meat sauce	Spaghetti squash with walnut pesto (see recipe card)
Breaded veal or turkey cutlets	Baked salmon with olive tapenade (see recipe card)
Beef and broccoli stir fry with white rice	Stir-fried vegetables with shrimp and cashews cooked in canola oil
Baked potato with sour cream	Roasted baby potatoes tossed with olive oil and rosemary (see recipe below)
Creamed spinach	Spinach sautéed in olive oil with pine nuts and currants (see recipe below)
Cookies or cake	Dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)

The trick to eating more of these healthy fats and losing weight is to eat the fats in place of less healthy fats and starchy carbohydrates. Simply adding these fats to your diet will likely result in weight gain. Making these changes will be easy at home since you can restock your pantry and control the ingredients that you put into the foods you prepare. It will be more challenging if you eat our a lot. Always request that your food be cooked in olive oil instead of other fats at restaurants and replace starchy side dishes with vegetables. Order fish more often than chicken, beef, lamb and pork and skip dessert if you can (you can always eat a piece of dark chocolate when you get home). Additionally, it's imperative that you read ingredient lists and avoid foods that contain "partially hydrogenated oil" since this type of fat signals your body to store visceral fat, which would be counterproductive to your fat loss efforts.

Emphasizing healthful fats in your diet can be an exciting change since it will enhance the palatability of your diet and improve your health. I know it can be a little scary to eat more fat, since the importance of eating "low fat" has been drilled into us for so many years. What has changed is that now we understand that the type of fats we eat plays a significant role in our weight and disease risk-especially if you are "apple shaped."

Power Oatmeal
Serves 3

1 3/4 cup WestSoy organic unsweetened vanilla soy milk
1 cup Silver Palate thick and rough oatmeal
1/3 cup Melissa's organic dried blueberries
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoons Wholesome Sweeteners organic raw blue agave nectar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Flanigan Farms walnut pieces

1. Heat soy milk in a small pot over medium-high heat until little bubbles form on the surface. Stir in oats, blueberries and salt. Lower heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally until the oats are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about eight to ten minutes.
2. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, and agave nectar. Place 2/3 cup oatmeal in each bowl and top with three tablespoons of walnuts.

Avocado Sandwich Spread
Serves 7

1 very ripe organic avocado
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Fage TOTAL 0% Greek yogurt

1. Cut avocado around the pit along the seam. Twist halves apart. Use a spoon to scoop out the pit. Make several cuts in a grid pattern down to the skin without cutting through the skin. Use the spoon to scoop the avocado chunks into a shallow bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork until smooth. Stir in lime juice, salt and cayenne.
2. Tilt the opened yogurt container so that any water flows to one side. Measure out one tablespoon of yogurt from the dry side of the container. Stir it into the avocado. Cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to use.

Roasted Baby Potatoes with Olive Oil and Rosemary
Serves 4

1 pound baby purple potatoes (or other baby potatoes), halved
2 tablespoons Napa Valley organic olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large sprig fresh rosemary broken into several pieces

1. Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, pepper and rosemary pieces. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender and lightly browned.

Spinach with Pine Nuts and Currants
Serves 5

1/4 cup Sun-Maid dried Zante currants
1/2 cup very hot water
1/4 cup Melissa's organic pine nuts
18 ounces organic baby spinach, washed and drained, but not dried
4 teaspoons Napa Valley organic olive oil
1 medium Melissa's organic onion or two very small onions, finely diced
2 cloves Melissa's organic garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Soak currants in very hot water while you prepare other ingredients.
2. In a large, deep pot with a lid, toast the pine nuts over medium heat until lightly browned. Stirring occasionally for about four minutes. Remove nuts and set aside.
3. Add the damp spinach to the pot and cover to wilt it, stirring occasionally for three to four minutes. When spinach is just wilted, transfer it to a cutting board and discard the green water. Coarsely chop the spinach and blot any excess water that runs out with paper towels.
4. Add olive oil to the pot and heat it over medium heat. Add onion and cook to soften, but not brown it, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Drain the currants. Stir in currants, spinach, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Toss and cook about two minutes until everything is heated through.