Is There a "Magic Bullet" Cure for Cellulite?

I recently did a short piece for Fabulous Magazine, an insert in The Sun Times (UK). , which is a widely circulated insert to a daily newspaper. It’s called  “Eat Your Cellulite Away. It was in the printed copy, but also their website, and I was told it was the third most read articles they’ve ever done. This says to me that cellulite is still a big concern for many of us!

Here is the article:

That also got me thinking even more about this topic, because even though I covered cellulite pretty extensively in The Beauty Detox Foods, I still get LOTS of questions about it.

First though, remember that most all of us women have some cellulite, so don’t be too self-critical or worry about it too much!!! 

But if you are interested in learning more about it, I wanted to use this post to answer some key questions about cellulite and how you can beat it for good!

“What Is Cellulite Exactly?”

Cellulite is fat that pushes through the skin’s collagen to form wrinkles and bumps. You may not be able to magically get rid of all cellulite with a few special foods, but if you keep your body toned and lower in fat overall, you may be able to reduce the visibility and amount of cellulite in your body.

“Why Does It ‘Stand Out’ So Much?”

Ugh! The worst part about cellulite is that it looks so different from normal skin. That’s because, when fat starts to poke up through the collagen in the skin, the collagen may lack optimal connective tissue structure to support a smooth, undimpled shape. Sure, genetics may play a role here, but so can the foods you eat: those that contain nutrients to support collagen or foods that weaken collagen by causing inflammation may cause the breakdown of collagen and elastin and make skin age faster. You can make your collagen more resilient by eating many of the collagen-strengthening and anti-inflammatory nutrients I covered in that article above, and even more extensively in The Beauty Detox Foods. 

“What Causes Cellulite?”

Well, we briefly touched upon genetics and nutrients in your diet.

Because acidic toxins and wastes tend to be stored in your fat cells, reducing toxins in your body helps your body rid itself of stored fat, and can therefore help with cellulite. The body stores these toxins and wastes in fat cells to keep the toxins intact and away from the vital organs. When your body’s pH becomes more alkaline (see Chapter 2 of The Beauty Detox Foods or one of the many posts I’ve written here on the blog), your body tends to allow these toxins to be expelled from your body, and your fat cells may shrink, making cellulite less visible.

“HELP! How Can I Get Rid of It Forever?”

One of the simplest ways to defeat cellulite is to make your body more alkaline. How do you do that? Simple: by consuming more alkaline-forming foods! That’s especially true for fresh greens and other vegetables and fruit. You also want to absolutely avoid smoking and polluted environments as much as possible, and using natural cleaning and body care products. Getting rid particularly acid-forming foods, such as sodas, artificial sweeteners and preservatives, dairy, and excessively consuming animal products, will also help balance your body’s pH.

“Can Working Out Help Me Eliminate Cellulite?”

Yes, partially, but not completely. Because cellulite is a form of fat, anytime you reduce overall body fat you are essentially reducing cellulite. However, exercise and working out often does not uproot and remove the toxins that cause cellulite in the first place. That’s why I’m of the opinion that, while regular exercise is important for general health and will help, you must remember that your level of visible aging and the way your body looks is more strongly affected by the food you eat, more so than the exercise you do.

“Do Heavy Metals Contribute to It?”

Good question. And in a word, yes! Yes, heavy metals are serious toxins and they are so harmful to us that the body often surrounds them with as fat as possible — in order to protect more vital organs from damage. That’s a big reason why I recommend both cilantro, sea vegetables and even superfoods like chlorella as remedies against cellulite.

It targets high cellulite-concern areas, as well as digestive organs with the infrared heaters, which may help promote increased detoxification. You can be sure when I get home I’m going to be using mine a LOT, after this massive, 5 month journey around the world!

It targets high cellulite-concern areas, as well as digestive organs with the infrared heaters, which may help promote increased detoxification. You can be sure when I get home I’m going to be using mine a LOT, after this massive, 5 month journey around the world!

“Do You Have an Anti-Cellulite Protocol?”

Well, not an official protocol, but we’ve covered a lot here so far — so let me summarize the steps:

1) Eliminate junk foods, additives, sugars, and pretty much anything process. Also eliminate cooked oils, dairy and excessive animal protein. These are the first priority.

2) Consume foods that can specifically help you detoxify and rebuild. Some I covered in the article that I cited above, many others in The Beauty Detox Foods. Cilantro is a great start, which has been shown in some research to help chelate heavy metals.

3) Make a conscious effort to become more alkaline. This means lemon water in the morning, a Glowing Green Smoothie each day, and adding more fresh fruits and vegetables (especially the dark green ones) to your daily diet.

4) Exercise more, especially forms that help with cleansing, such as yoga. Of course, cardio and anything that slims and tones you is awesome, but the bonus benefit of doing yoga is that you stimulate key glands (including thyroid and adrenal), your lymphatic and circulatory systems in a way that can dramatically aid cleansing, detoxification and fat loss.

5) Use an infrared sauna to help sweat out cellulite-causing toxins through the skin. I’m partial to this half sauna because it’s just something you pay for once and can use for life to help beat cellulite. It’s a serious investment for sure ($1800), but it’s also super relaxing and pretty small, and less expensive than other saunas but being of the highest quality (and from a manufacturer that only cuts down trees that are dead, no living trees are harmed from the beautiful cedar wood that is used).

Now You’re Ready to Beat Cellulite For Good!

In the title of this post, I asked, “Is There a ‘Magic Bullet’ Cure for Cellulite?” — and I guess the answer to that would be ‘no’…given that there is no magic bullet. It really does take a full lifestyle overhaul.

I’m sure there are plenty of hyped-up topical treatments for curing cellulite that promise to eliminate it in days or weeks, but I’d be very skeptical, especially if you’re hoping to get results without doing the five steps I listed above.

If you’d like to see more talk more about this on video, I did a very well-received segment on Dr. Oz about cellulite-fighting foods that can be viewed here.

Talk soon and stay tuned for an exciting new 10-Day Challenge announcement tomorrow!

With Love,

Kimberly