Processed Meats & Cheeses
A standard serving of deli meat packs up to 790 milligrams of sodium—a third of the daily recommended intake. Now consider that most people pile their bread with far more meat than what’s considered to be “standard.” And processed cheese isn’t much better, which some varieties, like feta, carrying 400 milligrams of salt in a quarter-cup serving. What’s all this have to do with cellulite? “High sodium foods like deli meats, bacon and cheeses cause water retention,” explains Haase. “And that bloating and extra water weight can make cellulite more visible.”
Canned Soup
Canned soup may be a simple dinner solution when you’re in a pinch, but most are loaded with salt…which can lead water retention and dehydration, making dimpling appear more pronounced than it is.
Soda & Sweetened Beverages
Worst foods for cellulite soda
Has your cellulite gotten more aggressive with each passing birthday? It’s likely because your body is producing less collagen—the protein that supports the appearance of smooth, un-dimpled skin. Unfortunately, since this is a natural part of aging, there’s no way to reverse the effects. However, cutting back on sugar (a nutrient that’s been shown to accelerate collagen’s demise) can help. Though the sweet stuff is found in everything from bread to cereal, it’s most abundantly found in the sweetened beverages like processed juices, energy drinks, and soda.
Barbeque Sauce
Worst foods for cellulite barbeque sauce
When you slather your chicken with barbecue sauce, you probably know you’re adding some salt to your plate. But did you realize that you’re also taking in more than half your day’s sugar quota, too? That’s right: A measly two tablespoon serving of the Southern-inspired sauce packs up to 15 grams of the sweet stuff! What’s worse: Most of it is coming from high fructose corn syrup, an additive shown to increase appetite. And the bad news doesn’t stop there: Not only can loading up on sugar increase weight gain, and subsequently, the appearance of cellulite, it also spikes blood sugar levels, causing the body to release the fat storage hormone insulin, explains Haase.