In a 2010 survey by the French skincare company RoC, half of women said cellulite was their biggest cause of misery, and four out of five indicated cellulite gave them a negative self-image. In the search for a cure for this lumpy body fat, women have turned to everything from over-the-counter creams to cosmetic surgery. Although there is no magic treatment to prevent or get rid of cellulite, dietary changes such as focusing on raw foods can help improve your body composition.
Cellulite and Fat
Cellulite is sometimes called cottage cheese, orange peel or hail damage, and refers to the dimpled or bumpy skin on the thighs, hips, buttocks and abdomen. It can occur as early as the teen years and is much more common in women than in men, with up to 80 percent of all women having some degree of cellulite. The cause is related to the fibrous cords connecting skin to the underlying muscle, with the fat sandwiched between the two; when fat cells accumulate in the middle layer, they push up against the skin as the long, tough cords pull down, creating an uneven surface. Contributing factors to cellulite include obesity, genetics, stress, a sedentary lifestyle and the use of hormonal contraceptives.
Raw Foods Diet Principles
A raw foot diet is made up of primarily organic uncooked fruits, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, seaweed, grains, legumes and purified water. The grains, nuts, seeds and legumes are soaked or sprouted to make them digestible, and any food that is cooked, such as a soup or stew, is kept below 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The diet contains fewer trans fats and saturated fats than a typical Western diet and is also high in fiber, potassium, magnesium, folate and health-promoting plant substances called phytochemicals.
Raw Food Benefits for Cellulite
Weight loss and a healthy diet, along with exercise, are the most beneficial in treating cellulite. Osteopathic physician Lionel Bissoon, author of the book "The Cellulite Cure" published in 2006, noted in his travels around the world that women who don't have much cellulite or none at all eat organic foods and are constantly active. Several studies have linked raw food diets to substantial weight loss, including one published in 1985 in the "Southern Medical Journal" that found a diet of 62 percent uncooked foods led to a mean weight loss of 8.4 pounds over 6.7 months. Another study, published in a 1999 issue of "Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism," found that a long-term raw food diet caused a an average weight loss of 21.8 pounds for men and 26.4 pounds for women over a four-year period, with body mass index in all the subjects below the normal weight range.
Considerations
Any weight-loss diet plan should also include exercise for best results in reducing cellulite. Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., co-author of "No More Cellulite," recommends 20 minutes of strength training, with five exercises for the upper body and five for the lower body, and 20 minutes of treadmill walking or jogging, staying at about 70 to 80 percent of maximal heart rate, for three days per week. If you stay on a raw-food diet for any length of time, you may suffer nutritional deficiencies and need to take supplementary calcium, iron, protein, vitamin D and vitamin B-12.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Cellulite; January 2011
- "Scientific American"; Is Cellulite Forever?; Katherine Harmon; May 2009
- Columbia University Health Services: Is a Raw Diet Healthy?; December 2009
- "Southern Medical Journal"; Effects of a Raw Food Diet on Hypertension and Obesity; J.M. Douglass, et al.; July 1985
- "Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism"; Consequences of a Long-term Raw Food Diet on Body Weight and Menstruation; C. Koebnick; 1999
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