The Cellulite Issue

Cellulite, the scourge of the modern women. It is possibly the #1 issue that women have about their appearance, especially as the days get hotter and the prospect of bare legs looms nearer. The weekly trash mags love to hi-light it on celebrity bodies – making them ‘more real’.

Don’t get me wrong, in this day and age where airbrushing pictures is so de rigeur that we have a distorted view of perfection, I would be lying if I said seeing cellulite on an otherwise ‘supposedly’ perfect body didn’t make me feel a little warm inside. However, my personal viewpoint is that the media, rather than focusing on the not particularly nice looking stuff should focus on the natural and positive attributes – without the digital effects of image distortion.

Excessive cellulite is a result of our fast-paced processed/junk food lifestyle. It can appear on the stomach, arms, bums and thighs  – i.e. the places where fat is stored. That said, cellulite is a multi-faceted issue, there is not a total cure, however there are a number of nutritional protocols that you can do to help reduce it dramatically.

Contributory Factors:

The presence of cellulite indicates congestion within the body’s fatty tissues. Poor diet, lack of exercise, constipation, over-burdened liver contribute to toxin overloads that impair the efficiency of blood flow and lymph circulation as well as the exchange of fluids, nutrients and expulsion of toxins from cells.

Lymph:

This is how the fatty tissue is transported around the body. Unlike the blood, there is no pump so it is pushed around the body, solely via the movement of the body, which is why exercise is so important. When lymph is overburdened and there is a build-up of toxins this can be a significant contributor to cellulite and skin appearance.

Liver:

The liver is the body’s workhorse. Everything that comes into our bodies will go through the liver at some point from alcohol and drugs to the nutrients of food, cholesterol is made here, as are hormones – and it detoxifies all the nasties that our body can not cope with for elimination via the digestive tract. It is our silent partner, the background cog that just keeps on churning, no matter how much crap we throw at it. When the liver is at capacity or does not have the required nutrients to perform its actions with each of the detoxification pathways, it becomes clever. It packages up toxins, such as heavy metals like mercury, lead, aluminum; or chemicals or plastics that we consume through our food, bundles them up and hides them so they do not cause a threat to the body.

And guess where they are hidden? In the fat cells, which are innate so cannot cause damage.

This makes the fat cells more difficult to remove and contributes to the cellulite problem.

Connective tissue:

The connective tissue that separates cells becomes weaker with age, and if the requisite nutrients are not consumed or absorption is problematic then this will increase the fragility and exacerbate the orange peel effect.

Cell Function:

If the body is dehydrated and not enough good fats are consumed in the diet then there will be issues surrounding fluid and nutrient exchange and toxin removal. The cells become harder and it is more difficult for these essential actions to occur.

Constipation:

Toxins are eliminated via the bowel and if constipation occurs the will be re-absorbed and recycled in the body. This has a cumulative effect on toxin levels and increases toxic storage requirement in fat cells. Dietary fibre, good gut bacteria, magnesium, essential fats and water are all essential ingredients to allow good stools to be formed.

What to avoid:

The concept of Negative Equity Nutrition^TM is ideal to follow here, foods that are high in sugars, saturated fats, additives, chemicals, toxins, salt, caffeine and low in fibre all impact cellulite including:

• Processed, ready meals and junk foods
• White starchy carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice)
• Trans, hydrogenated and saturated fats: baked goods, processed meats, cakes, biscuits and crisps.
• Caffeine and artificial sweeteners in fizzy drinks & fruit cordial
• Excess red meat and dairy products can trigger higher oestrogen levels, which also increases the burden on the liver
• Alcohol: the sugars and toxins in alcohol directly impact the body.
• Smoking reduces blood flow to the skin and destroys vitamin C and zinc levels – both crucial nutrients for skin health.

What should we be eating instead?

• Strengthen the connective tissue: Peppers, kiwi fruit, broccoli, citrus fruit, tomatoes, berries and peas are rich in vitamin C. Goji berries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, grapes and buckwheat are full of bioflavonoids.
• Water – water is the most important ingredient to help flush the skin and keep cells working well.
• Liver support: Dark green leafy vegetables such as cabbage, kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, watercress, radishes and grapefruit. Research has shown that cabbage proteins have helped enhance liver detoxification as do broccoli sprouts, which contain sulphoraphane.
• Enhance cell performance and balance hormones through increased consumption of essential fats – nuts, seeds, oily fish and omega 3 enriched eggs.

• Organic food is preferable if you want to remove the toxins from the food you eat. If you have budgetary considerations, purchase organic varieties of apples, pears, berries, grains and citrus fruits.

Finally, bodybrushing and exercise such as rebounding specifically help to stimulate lymph and may be helpful in reducing cellulite, however, any active exercise will aid the movement of lymph and enable the bodys cells to work more effciently.

Hayfever: Help Yourself Naturally

Hayfever has to be the scourge of the summer. There you are peeling off the layers of winter protection that protect you so well; feeling rejeuvenated, walking jauntily along the pavement until suddenly, you sneeze for no reason, then you accidentally rub your eyes which start start itching like mad, your nose starts twitching and then you remember – hayfever and it completely spoils your day.

The worst ever case I suffered from was when I was eighteen, visiting Australia, during haymaking season. Until then I had never experienced the full wrath of the pollen. I was double dropping anti-histamine tablets like no tomorrow but I got no relief, my face looked like it had been in ten rounds with Mike Tyson, without the bruises.

I have worked with natural solutions for a good few years now, to great affect. I have heard that homeopathic remedies can be very affective, but my success lies wholly with nutritional based remedies.

Reducing Grains:

Our dependency on grains is very high, from breakfast cereals to bread, rice, pasta, fillers in processed foods – it is very easy to eat grains at every meal. As a food group, grains were not introduced into our diets until 10,000 years ago, which believe it or not, is very recent in the timeline of human existence. Thus, our bodies have not evolved sufficiently to digest them as easily as vegetation and meat.

Reducing the amount of dietary grains, especially wheat, has been found to help alleviate hayfever symptoms. The type of wheat used in the majority of produce is high in gluten, which is especially hard for the body to break down. A US study in 1928 discussed the possibility of indigestible grain proteins passed to babies via their mothers’ milk or cows milk resulting in a subsequent sensitivity to grain pollen, which manifests in hayfever.

If you’re a heavy grain consumer, start with removing the food group from one meal and then slowly increase.

For example:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs & spinach

Lunch: Beetroot, feta and lentil salad

Dinner: Roast chicken and steamed vegetables

Increase Natural Anti-histamines:

There are many natural anti-histamine foods in nature, which reduce the amount of histamine released as a response to the allergen.

Vitamin C:

A US study by Arizona State University found that hayfever sufferers given between 500mg – 2,000mg doses of vitamin C per day over six weeks had up to 40% reduction in symptoms as the doses reached the higher range.

Fruit and vegetables are packed full of vitamin C, so it is really important to have as much fresh produce in your diet as possible. Vitamin C degrades over time, some reports say that many foods lose up to 50% of their vitamin C content after picking, so it is very important not only to eat seasonally to increase the density of nutrients but also locally as nutrients degrade during the transportation processes of chilling and storing.

It may also be helpful to supplement with 1,000mg vitamin C between 2-3 times per day – chose a mixed ascorbate product rather than ascorbic acid which is harsh on the body and hard for it to absorb. Emergen-C is a good product that comes in handy sachets and available at most health food shops or online.

Quercetin:

Quercetin is a bioflavonoid that works synergistically with vitamin C. It has been found to stabilize the cell membranes of histamine producing cells. A small study of 24 people in Japan found that 100mg per day reduced the symptoms of itchy and swollen eyes, although not runny noses. Medical herbalists recommend supplementing with 500mg quercetin twice a day 20 minutes prior to eating.

Fish Oils:

Fish oils contain anti-inflammatory properties so increasing the amount of fish you eat may help to alleviate symptoms. A supplement may be useful here – choose a brand such as Eskimo 3 or Nordic Naturals, two excellent products that are rigourously tested for purity.

Bee Pollen:

Find a source of local bee pollen and sprinkle no more than 1/2 a teaspoon on salads, fruit or cereals. It goes well with fish. Check out your local farmers markets for possible producers.

Food to increase:

Vitamin C: berries, apples, dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, broccoli, spring greens, cabbage.

Quercetin: onions, kale, broccoli, squash and courgettes

Gut health:

In order for us to absorb the nutrients from our food properly, it is important to have good gut health. Try out the following tips:

Reduce mucus-forming foods: Dairy, grains and banana’s all increase the amount of mucous the body produces. Excess mucous lines the digestive tract making it harder for the body to absorb nutrients.

Drink water: water makes up a large part of stomach acid which is essential for good digestion. Drink a glass of plan water 20 mins before eating.

Chew well: chewing is the first stage of digestion and signals to the stomach to prepare for food. Chew for 30-40 times or until your mouthful is liquid.

Probiotics: Good gut bacteria = a healthy gut = increased absorption. Taking two capsules of a probiotic supplement such as Biokult in the evening before you sleep can help support the immune system and fight off the infiltration of pollens into the blood stream.

Anti-Hayfever Salad:

Fennel & onion are packed full of quercetin

Jerusalem artichoke contains inulin which help support gut health.

Ingredients:

1 red onion

1 fennel bulb

2 jerusalem artichoke roots

Shave or thinly slice the vegetables  into a dish, drizzle with lemon juice, olive oil, and freshly ground pepper.

Add some smoked mackerel or or serve with steamed salmon for a larger meal.

image by MarilynJane and bokchoyboy