Oranges against orange peel

Do you know that 1973 was really not a good year for women?

That was the year the New York cosmetician Nicole Ronsard coined the term cellulite. She unflatteringly described the dents on the thighs and buttocks as a »Combination of fat, water and toxic degradation products«.

And then the American Vogue added insult to injury by assessing the actually completely harmless connective tissue weakness as something disfiguring and morbid. This is quite mean because about 80 percent of all women have cellulite!

Since then, we have bowed to the imprisoned doctrine of beauty, and we are confronting the hated »orange peel skin.« We cream, oil, wrap, swallow vitamins, even treat our skin with a stimulating current – and spend about 5 billion euros annually on these more or less effective treatments worldwide. But the only thing that really shrinks here is not the dents, but our bank account.

Still, the causes for the connective tissue weakness were not clarified. Presumably it is inherited and the amount of the oestrogen level probably also plays a role.

But there is hope: the earlier the woman treats the cellulite, the greater the chances of success. And we can do this for smooth skin, too: in addition to hot-cold showers and regular exercise (the best is endurance sport plus strength training), which stimulates the metabolism and promotes circulation and a balanced diet with lots of fruit and lots of vegetables all help as dimple-killers.

Fantastic! Finally, we can eat oranges, watermelons, mangos, bananas, kiwis, avocados, peppers, broccoli, carrots, lettuce and courgettes. And without remorse! Nuts, potatoes, spinach and tomatoes are considered particularly skin-tightening because of the potassium content. In addition, beauty experts recommend whole-grain products and legumes. We always knew it: fruit and vegetables are not only super delicious and super healthy but they also make us super beautiful. So, bring on bikini season!