A majority of women have cellulite, that bumpy, lumpy, cottage cheese-looking fat that appears on the thighs, buttocks and stomach of nearly 90% of women. Most men are not plagued with cellulite and never have to worry about it.

Cellulite occurs when pockets of fat push through the connective tissue underneath the skin. As women age, the connective tissue becomes brittle and makes it easier for the fat to push through. That is the reason that although you probably never had to worry about cellulite when you were younger, you may be finding it more of a problem as you get older.

Hormone changes, stress, weight gain, pregnancy and a sedentary lifestyle are all causes of cellulite. Genetics come into play in deciding which women get cellulite. Studies indicate that small structural differences in two genes that control blood flow and metabolism have a great impact on cellulite. Scientists are beginning to understand how cellulite develops and in turn they have discovered some exciting methods for fighting it.
Some of these methods include liposuction, tissue manipulation, ultrasound, carbon dioxide therapy, cold therapy and drugs that target local fat metabolism.

Diet, exercise and weight loss are still the best arsenal to fight cellulite. When you reduce body fat, you automatically reduce cellulite. The less fat that you have on your body, the less cellulite you will have as well. The good news is you can fight cellulite with a healthy diet.

Avoid simple carbohydrates that trigger the release of insulin and encourage your body to store fat. Complex carbs, such as whole grains and pasta, fruits, vegetables, lean meats and olive oil are great examples of a healthy diet that discourages the formation of cellulite. These foods digest easily without an excess amount of fat storage and give you the vitamins and nutrients your body needs. Strive for foods that are low in sugar and sodium too.

Eat smaller portions but eat more often. I have found that eating 5 to 6 meals a day as opposed to 3 large meals, is a much more effective way to lose weight. Eating more frequently means you never feel overly hungry and therefore naturally eat less at each meal. The best part is that you won’t feel cheated or deprived because there are so many foods that you can eat.

Food is the answer to fighting cellulite. Along with daily exercise, your diet is the foundation to a fit and healthy body. Controlling your weight will help, but starving yourself is not the answer to losing weight. Eating a variety of healthy, nutritious foods that work for your body and not against it is the ideal way to control your weight and reduce cellulite.

Imagine foods without the garnishment of herbs and spices. It would lend a rather boring palette to say the least. Always held in high esteem and worth their weight in gold so to speak, herbs and spices have been flavoring the foods of kings and peasants for centuries.

Adding flavor is only one of the many benefits that herbs and spices give to us. Most are full of nutrients and special properties that boost the effectiveness of the nutrients in the foods that we garnish with them.

Below is an alphabetical walk through a few of the wonderful herbs and spices that can easily be found in local grocery or health food stores. To retain the taste and benefits, keep your herbs and spices in a cool location in sealed containers.

Anise
This beautiful, star-shaped herb has many reported health benefits. It has been known to help in the treatment of gastrointestinal difficulties, respiratory illnesses and hormonal imbalances. Drinking anise tea is good for symptoms such as indigestion, heartburn and bloating. Sprinkle a few in your salad to aid in digestion.

Reduce suffering from respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis, the common cold or asthma with anise oil. As a mater of fact, many cough syrups contain anise oil in their ingredients. A natural expectorant, anise has been widely used for centuries to help loosen the mucus in the lungs.

Basil
Chock full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, basil has a scent that stirs the appetite of humans while repelling pesky, life-threatening insects like mosquitoes. It is one of the healthiest herbs with just a couple of leaves containing nearly 25% of your daily requirement of vitamin K. Basil is a great source of magnesium, too.

Cinnamon
This delightful spice is a wonderful sweetener and helps to reduce blood sugar. It also reduces LDL, the bad cholesterol. Cinnamon has also been shown to reduce pain associated with arthritis. There is even a possibility that it may reduce the growth of cancer cells. A natural preservative, cinnamon contains fiber, calcium, iron and manganese.

Dill
Widely used in dishes like fish, chicken, vegetables, dips and sauces, dill has some medicinal benefits that have been relied on for thousands of years. Effective as a pain reliever, it also helps to relieve indigestin and intestinal tract spasms.

Elderflower
Elderflower is a flavoring for beverages and foods and is used in the manufacturing of perfumes and lotions. Used in many medicines and is used to treat swollen sinuses, cold, influenza, swine flu, bronchitis, diabetes and constipation. It is also used as a diuretic and to stop bleeding. Elderflower is also used as a mouthwash for coughs, colds and laryngitis. People have used it for skin and joint pain and inflammation.

Fennel
A refreshing taste, fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet. Like many spices, fennel contains a unique combination of phytonutrients, including rutin, quercitin and kaempferol glycosides—strong antioxidants that help fight disease. Fennel contains Vitamin C, fiber, folate and potassium. Add some to salads, vegetables, meats and Italian dishes for a boost of flavor with a ton of healthy benefits.

Your diet is the main catalyst in weight loss, but it isn’t just about counting calories. Studies have shown that reducing inflammation may be the solution to help you reach your desired weight. A major problem that has been found to be responsible for many health problems, inflammation has recently been attributed to obesity, too. Certain foods that contain inflammatory properties may actually interfere with your body’s ability to lose weight as it normally would.

Government studies have shown that people with chronic inflammation are at a high risk for certain health problems, including heart disease and cancer. Inflammation may also be linked to autoimmune diseases that affect mostly women, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and thyroid deficiency.

In several studies, it has been proven that a diet rich in certain foods helps to reduce inflammation, reset your chemistry and allow you to lose weight. The list contains many of the super foods that pack lots of vitamins, nutrients and aid in indigestion. These foods act as natural forms of ibuprofen, to reduce or stop inflammation.

If you are concerned with your weight and want to reduce inflammation, the below list of foods are some you might want to consider adding to your diet. I have listed a variety of foods, separated by food groups.

Eat a handful of nuts for snack or toss seeds or nuts on a salad or whole grain dish. Nuts and seeds are loaded with protein and nutrients. Choose any of the following to help reduce inflammation. These should be eaten raw and unsalted.

Nuts and Seeds: Flaxseeds, Almonds, Walnuts, and Sesame seeds

Fruit: Apples, Pomegranates, Blueberries, Cherries, Cranberries, Grapes, Grapefruit, and Oranges

Whole Grains: Barley, Oatmeal, Brown Rice, Quinoa, Rye, and Wheat

Beverages: (unsweetened) Blueberry juice, Cherry juice, Green tea, Pomegranate juice, Vegetable juice, Grape juice, and Red wine

Vegetables: Arugula, Bell peppers, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Leeks, Onions, Romaine lettuce, Scallions, Shiitake mushrooms, Spinach, and Tomatoes

Herbs and Spices: Basil, Black pepper, Cardamom, Chives, Cilantro, Cinnamon, Cloves, Garlic, Ginger, Parsley, and Turmeric

Fish: Flounder, Salmon, Sole, Tilapia, Sardines, and Tuna

Dairy: Egg whites, Yogurt (Yogurt should be plain and nonfat)

Other: Olive Oil, Cocoa

Eat lots of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables as often as possible. Make regular trips to your nearby produce or farmer’s market, so you can get a variety of fruits and vegetables as they come into season.

Avoid processed foods and high-density carbohydrates. They are high in calories, sodium, sugar and preservatives. Limit your intake of alcohol and carbonated sweetened Beverages, such as soft drinks.

Make healthy eating a part of your life and you will see positive results. Add exercise to the menu to burn calories and fat and keep your body strong. Your heart needs cardiovascular exercise to stay in tip top shape. By staying active and eating a healthy diet, you can avoid the onset of many illnesses that are a result of inflammation. Make the decision today to take control of your life, your diet and your health.

1. Believe in yourself. Believe you have the power to make the changes necessary to lose weight. Believe that this time, you will succeed.

2. State aloud your desire to lose weight. Daily affirmations begin with a truthful revelation and bring forth your true desire. Keep out negativity and feelings of defeat by reaffirming your resolve and your commitment to fulfill your desire to lose weight.

3. Form a plan of what you need to do to lose weight. Making a mental plan is the beginning of realizing your goal to lose weight. It turns a desire into the foundation for a life-changing event.

4. Make a commitment in writing. When you write down your commitment, it sends a definite message to your brain that a contract has been established and that this is serious business. Now you have partnered with your brain, an effective ally when you want to lose weight.

5. Keep a women’s fitness journal. It has been proven time and again that people who maintain a journal of everything they eat and drink lose far more weight than those who do not. Record your exercise workouts too, it’s a great way to stay challenged.

6. Plan your meals in advance. Don’t go through the day not knowing what you plan to eat next. This opens you up to all sorts of temptations and makes it almost impossible to follow an effective diet plan. Plan your day’s or week’s meals with a variety of foods. This way you can be sure to get plenty of vitamins and nutrients without overeating, binging or starving.

7. Align your grocery list with your plan to lose weight. When making out your grocery list, have your meal plan in hand. Choose foods that can be eaten throughout the week so that you get the best value for your dollar and still stay on a healthy diet.

8. Eat an apple and drink a glass of water before heading out to the grocery store. It’s hard to make sensible choices when your stomach is hungry. Best to feed it a healthy snack that will keep you satisfied for a longer period of time. This way you can go to the store and still have time to prepare some lunch when you return. It’s a much better alternative to tearing open a bag of chips or devouring a fast-food burger on the way home.

9. Prepare meals in advance. Especially if you have a busy schedule and like to take foods on the go. You can have some pre-cut carrots, a fruit smoothie or some other healthy snack, pre-packaged and ready to go. Anything you can do, to stay in control of the food that you eat will help you lose weight faster and keep it off.

10. Plan dining out events so that nothing interferes with your diet plan. Most restaurants will cater to your needs like asking for sauces on the side, or asking for an entrée without the cheese. Many restaurants have low calorie meals or meals that come in smaller portions. How you decide to handle eating out is entirely up to you. You may decide to throw caution to the wind on the few times that you dine out. Of course, this is fine. But if eating out at restaurants is a more common occurrence in your lifestyle, make your food selections and portion sizes carefully if you really want to lose weight.

The secret to not only losing weight but staying skinny is to eat. Eating regularly is the basis for all successful diets. As a matter of fact the whole definition of diet is a way of life and nothing speaks of life more than what we eat. A diet that will sustain you for life is one that is centered on food—that’s why you can learn to get skinny without giving up the foods you love.

I’ve selected some special favorites that have some extremely good attributes when it comes to helping you lose weight and cut down on saturated fat. Reducing the amount of saturated fats and choosing nutrient rich foods that help you to feel fuller longer will make a big difference in the amount of calories that you consume.

Greek Yogurt
Great as a snack, Greek yogurt is protein rich, an 8-ounce cup containing the equivalent of 3 ounces of chicken breast. It’s low in saturated fat and has the ability to keep you fuller for a longer period of time. Greek yogurt is a comfort food that can be as enjoyable to the body and soul as a cup of ice cream. Be sure to check the sugar content as not all yogurts are made the same.

Raspberries
Red raspberries are delicious for breakfast with a handful of nuts and a dollop of yogurt. However, you can enjoy them just about any time and they contain an important compound known as raspberry ketone that helps your body burn fat faster. Raspberry ketone is the primary aroma compound of red raspberries. This compound regulates adiponectin, a protein used by the body to regulate metabolism. Raspberry ketone causes the fat within your cells to get broken up more effectively, helping your body burn fat faster.

Green Tea
Drinking green tea can help prevent the storage of excess fat, improve your appetite-regulating hormones, lower food cravings and improve the way your body metabolizes food. Recent studies indicate that guzzling green tea can help you feel full between meals. Full of a phytonutrient called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), green tea increases the hormone responsible for making you feel satiated.

Watermelon
This cool tasting fruit is wonderful on a hot summer day but it’s also a super food when it comes to losing weight. A recent study showed that women who ate water-rich foods lost 33% more weight in the first 6 months than women on a low-fat diet. Watermelon also contains vitamins A and C, as well as the “mother of all antioxidants,” glutathione, which is known to help strengthen the immune system.

If none of these foods appeal to you, there are many other fresh foods that can help you stay skinny. You can eat the foods you love as long as you don’t over consume the amount of food needed to sustain your desired weight. The secret is to choose healthy foods that you love to eat and begin to integrate them into your diet.

Remember to eat more often if you want to stay skinny. Eating 5 meals a day instead of 3 meals a day can actually help you lose weight. Rather than consuming all of your calories in 3 meals, you will spread them out over the 5 meals. This way you can better control your hunger and food cravings. Also, make a habit of snacking on fruit or veggies rather than chips or candy. Small steps, little changes day by day will keep you skinny for life without having to give up the foods you love.