What foods should I avoid to reduce cellulite? Cellulite is not systematic… but almost!
It is often found on our thighs and buttocks, but it can also be found on our stomachs, arms or the back of our knees.
If its appearance can be explained by hormonal or genetic causes, diet also plays an important role.
As a general rule, foods to avoid when trying to reduce cellulite are rich in alcohol, salt, and sugar. There are three recommended diets for each of the types of cellulite: aqueous, adipose, and fibrous cellulite. Identifying the cellulite type allows one to select the best diet.
In this article, you will find a list of foods to avoid in the fight against cellulite.
If you’re instead looking for the foods that can help reduce cellulite, read this article: Foods that can help reduce cellulite: Start eating smarter
Table of Contents
What foods should I avoid to reduce cellulite?
Here are the foods that promote the appearance of cellulite:
Salt
It cannot be said enough, but excess salt contributes to the increase of edema. Consumption of pre-cooked and processed foods, nuts, deli meats, seafood, baked goods and dairy desserts should be reduced as much as possible.
For adults, it is recommended to consume less than one teaspoon of salt per day.
Delicatessen
As mentioned above, all products rich in salt promote the appearance of this orange-peel skin.
Excessive consumption of deli meats can lead to poor venous circulation and water retention, one of the main causes of cellulite.
Alcohol and stimulating drinks (coffee, tea, sodas, etc.)
As in all diets, water is the preferred beverage. Sodas and alcohol are sources of sugar and contribute to the appearance of cellulite (which is one of the most interesting facts about sugar for women).
Alcohol contains no nutrients and dehydrates the body. To compensate, the body will tend to retain water. That’s why it’s essential to drink enough water after consuming alcoholic beverages.
Excessive alcohol consumption promotes the accumulation of fat in the cells, which contributes to the formation of cellulite.
Good to know: drinking at least half a gallon of water a day allows the body to eliminate stored waste and thus fight cellulite.
White sugar and high glycemic index foods
Potatoes, non-whole grains, and refined flours cause a strong secretion of insulin, transforming the diet’s fats into reserve fats.
White bread, white rice and sandwich bread have a high glycemic index and promote the appearance of cellulite.
Good to know: the higher the sugar level, the more our pancreas will secrete insulin to lower it, but insulin is the hormone that promotes fat storage.
Therefore, to limit the formation of dimpled chunks, it is better to choose wholemeal products.
Candy and other treats
Another best friend of cellulite: candy, chocolate bars, cookies, and any other sweet treat. They increase the blood sugar level. Once in our body, the sugar will quickly turn into fat and be stored under the hypodermis.
To avoid the appearance of cellulite, choose naturally sweet foods such as fruits, especially pineapple, red fruits, and kiwis.
Prepared dishes
To improve the taste of food, manufacturers often do not hesitate to add molecules that retain water and modify their texture.
Therefore, they often add salt and refined sugar and emollients. And as you may know, salt and refined sugar promote water retention.
In addition, processed products promote storage because they are rich in energy, fats and carbohydrates that are quickly used up by our bodies.
In practice, we say goodbye to prepared meals such as soups, burgers, quiches, or pizzas.
Recommended diet per type of cellulite | What foods should I avoid to reduce cellulite?
For each type of cellulite, there is an action plan. To better treat it, it is important to know its type in order to better solve the problem.
Diet for watery cellulite
Aqueous cellulite is often linked to water retention and is the result of poor venous circulation.
Excessive salt intake will play an important role in the appearance of watery cellulite because excessive salt intake promotes water retention.
Therefore, the foods to avoid in the fight against aqueous cellulite are: all processed products rich in salt such as cheeses, breads and cold cuts.
Diet for adipose cellulite
This type of cellulite is the result of excessive fat storage due to an imbalance between the amount of fat we ingest and the amount of fat we expend.
Therefore, to avoid its formation, it is advisable to eliminate all fatty foods, too rich meals, and increase physical activity.
Foods to avoid in the fight against adipose cellulite are:
- Cold cuts
- Fried food
- Pastries
- Animal fats and butter
- Industrial dishes
- As well as all foods rich in saturated fatty acids
Diet for fibrous cellulite
This cellulite is the most difficult to treat and a diet rich in sugar will promote this type of cellulite. In this case, the foods to avoid are:
- All industrial sugars
- So-called hidden types of sugar (such as glycerol)
- Light products
- Cereals
- Candy
- Milk
- Cold cuts
- Smoked meat and fish
Good-to-know diet facts to reduce cellulite
A diet low in protein causes water retention and promotes the formation of edema.
Avoid eating between meals and especially try not to consume too sweet foods.
Being overweight favors the appearance of cellulite. Indeed, fat cells increase in volume, compressing the capillaries and can therefore cause difficulties for blood circulation.
It has also been shown that a low-calorie diet is not the solution to avoid cellulite formation. Losing weight does not affect cellulite in particular. Indeed, even thin women can have cellulite (and in general they have an even harder time accepting cellulite on their bodies).
What foods should I avoid to reduce cellulite? Conclusion
Alcohol, salt and sugar are all to be avoided, especially when combined with complex carbs.
Even if cellulite is only an unsightly defect, we must not forget that it is a natural phenomenon. Read more about cellulite and possible embarrassment because of it in our other article Should I be embarrassed of my cellulite?
If the way you eat is not enough to reduce cellulite, at least it can limit its appearance.
A good selection of foods helps fight against water retention, avoid storage, and limit the phenomenon of fibrosis.
To get rid of this orange-peel skin in the long term, it is therefore preferable to adopt new eating habits that will have an effect on both the causes and symptoms of cellulite.
And don’t forget: the combination of regular physical activity with a balanced and varied diet will have a very beneficial effect on cellulite.