As much as we would all love a magic bullet for a perfect flat stomach, it doesn’t exist and probably never will. There’s no pill you can take to make belly fat melt away and carve out those perfect abs you’ve always dreamed of. But the good news is that it doesn’t take months of hard work in the gym to slim down your middle; you can get a summer-ready body through moderate fitness paired with smart food choices. Here are some tips to lose belly fat for good:

Toss Out the Junk Food

Okay, this might seem like an obvious step, but it’s one that must be highly stressed. Junk food contains high, high levels of simple carbohydrates, sugars and hydrogenated fats, all of which are direct links to obesity, diabetes and yes, belly fat. Furthermore, the food scientists who create junk food sneak chemicals in there that propagate junk food addiction because guess what? Their job is to sell more junk food. So it becomes a vicious cycle of buying junk food, eating junk food and getting fat- but being unable to quit because your body physically craves the junk food high. Throw it out, break the cycle and start slimming down. Which leads us to…

Eat Whole Foods

All of that junk food needs to be replaced with something, right? Well guess what: there is some good news to be found here. You can actually eat a lot of food and slim down your belly. You just need to eat whole foods filled with fiber and vitamins. Choose whole fruits and vegetables over fruit juice or products that claim to “contain” fruits and vegetables. Simply leave behind processed food, and go to the actual source.

Think Primal

If our ancient ancestors couldn’t identify it as food, don’t eat it. Select foods that are made of one or two ingredients for ultimate belly slimming- those foods that cavemen would have eaten. For example, if you’re at the grocery store investigating a product that contains a whole list of ingredients, leave it on the shelf! Primal cavemen wouldn’t recognize that! Eat a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, organic meat, nuts, seeds, fish, eggs… these are things that cavemen would have eaten, and this primal diet has been proven to be successful in weight loss and reduced belly fat.

Try Herbal Supplements

Combining herbal supplements with a diet rich in whole foods can be a successful way to combat stubborn belly fat. Green tea supplements can boost metabolism and help your body burn calories even at rest. Other herbal supplements help your body regulate its blood sugar and insulin, and control appetite and cravings. You can speak with a health consultant to find the best combination for your particular body to help slim down.