Ditching alcohol? Doing hundreds of sit-ups? Sure, but there is another way to get a flat stomach. Nutrition, for example.

Wholemeal bread contains four times as much fibre, more than three times as much zinc and almost twice as much iron as white bread. The carbohydrates in wholemeal are broken slowly over several hours and so do not give any sudden flooding of sugars into the bloodstream. This gradual release helps you to feel full for longer.

Legumes consist of amylose, which is a resistant starch, so called because it is resistant to stomach acid and digestive enzymes, it reaches the large intestine essentially intact. So it manages to escape digestion and absorption in the small intestine. It almost behaves like fibre, providing bulk for the bowel motion and fuel for the beneficial bacteria.

Artichokes are great for "beating the bloat". One of the active constituents of artichokes are the chlorogenic acids, which aid detoxification and stimulate bile production. This means great digestion and a flatter stomach.

Watermelon is packed with antioxidant-boosting nutrients to stop the ageing process, but it's a natural diuretic that's also loaded with potassium to stop any water retention.

Unpasteurised miso is a natural source of friendly bacteria, which plays many vital roles in gut health, including breaking down and absorbing nutrients.

For the greatest benefits, make sure you go for unpasteurised miso, as the pasteurised versions are heat-treated and will contain only minimal - if any - beneficial bacteria. And if you're using unpasteurised, don't heat your miso to high temperatures, for the same reason.