The first thing that has to be said about the flat belly diet is that it's not a crash diet, nor does it involve doing a terrifying amount of stomach crunches that will leave you feeling exhausted and hungry beyond words. It's actually a diet plan conceived by Liz Vaccariello, editor in chief of Prevention lifestyle and weight loss magazine, together with Cynthia Sass, nutrition director at Prevention, which promises an effective, healthy regime to help you lose up to 15 pounds in a month (32 days to be more precise) and shed a few inches off your waistline.

The Flat Belly diet plan is based on several basic principles, the first of which is limiting calorie intake to 1,600 a day while following a Mediterranean-style eating plan that puts most of its emphasis on wholesome, unrefined foods such as whole grains, nuts, beans, seeds, very little red meat, lean protein and a lot of fruit and vegetables. The "secret" ingredient of the Flat Belly Diet is eating at least one type of food that contains a monounsaturated fat (or MUFA) at every meal. "Research shows that MUFAs have health benefits and target belly fat. They also help control satiety, so by adding in one MUFA at meals and snacks it is easier to stick with the plan and lose belly fat", co-author Cynthia Sass explains.

MUFAs are found in olives, dark chocolate, avocados, soybean, nuts, seeds, and olive and sunflower oils. According to the plan, dieters should eat four, 400-calorie meals every day, spaced every four hours, and include at least one MUFA per meal. Exercise is optional, but both Vaccariello and Sass encourage it. The Flat belly eating plan encourages a change of lifestyle rather than a simple diet that you start, maybe finish and then completely forget about. It's as much about weight control as it is about stress reduction and turning bad habits (such as not eating breakfast or skipping meals) into good ones.

For example, breakfast could be a serving of oatmeal with almonds and one apple, lunch could be a sandwich made of whole-grain bread with low-fat cheese, lettuce and tomatoes plus one cup of grape tomatoes, and for dinner someone following this diet could have 3 oz of grilled salmon steak with 2 tablespoons of almonds and 1 1/2 cups green beans. In between meals, snack on fruit and drink plenty of water (at least two liters) every day, and don't forget physical activity always helps with any eating plan. Good luck.