Despite several treatments and a number of attempts made to tackle the appearance of dimpled skin, you might have noticed that the results are varying and never really permanent. However, no matter how stubborn cellulite seems, it can still be tackled with the most basic things that are practical and lighter on the pocket- like, lifestyle changes, adopting healthier dietary habits, regular physical activity (other than your daily routine!).
What is Cellulite?
Cellulite consists of fat cells that are surrounded by connective tissue that does the work of keeping the fat in place. This layer of fat insulated, cushions and provides structural support to the skin along with regulating body temperature. Cellulite occurs there is excessive fat accumulation and it starts to push against the connective tissue binding the fat down.
Why Protein is important?
Every body tissue that gives you shape is made of protein. The skin, hair, muscles, nails, ligaments, even bones to some extent are made of important proteins like elastin and collagen; while collagen helps maintain firmness and provide structure to the skin, elastin provides the elasticity to the tissues.
Due to the constant protein synthesis going on in the body, these proteins breakdown and are replaced with new synthesized protein by the myocytes (muscle cells), fibroblasts (skin cells, connective tissue cells) and osteoblasts (bone cells).
The protein degradation that happens could be due to a number of reasons. Some of the factors could be:
- Normal tissue wear and tear due to aging
- Immune reaction (sickness, injury, etc.)
- Increased intake of simple sugar (high carb diet)
- Increased fat cell accumulation- this leads to the breakdown of collagen structures as fat globules break collagen to make space for more fat. This is what causes skin to appear bumpy.
To help with the protein synthesis, which can happen efficiently only in a positive nitrogen balance state, you need to ensure that you are getting the right amount of complete proteins. This means, you need to focus on getting more of protein in your plate especially since Indian staples are carb based, protein tends to get overlooked.
Here are some great sources of protein that you can work with for your meals:
- Lean meat (chicken, fish)
- Dairy products
- Eggs
- Legumes and Pulses
- Whey protein
Recommended amount of protein for those with a sedentary lifestyle is 0.8-1 gm. of protein/ kg of body wt. / day and 1.2-1.5 gm. of protein/ kg of body wt. /day for those who engage in moderate to high intensity workouts.
Whey protein, Skin firmness and Cellulite
Suggested Read: The ABCs about BCAAs: All That You Need To Know About Essential Aminos
It is no news that Whey coming from milk is an animal source of protein and therefore it is classified as class-1 protein. Being one of the proteins having the highest bioavailability and a complete amino acid profile, whey has one of the highest protein quality scores.
As per the eating habits and lifestyle of Indians, most do not have enough amount of protein and therefore lack firm skin, even after being in their ideal body weight range. With a low protein diet, the body uses up the protein present in the muscle stores and fails to replace them, thus leaving you with a loose skin. For this reason, it is suggested that an additional 20-30 gm. of good quality protein like whey be taken post workouts. This ensures that muscle stores refuel, and the skin also derives its elasticity and better structure from the necessary amino acids, thus improving overall fat burning ability and leaving less space for fat accumulation.
Conclusion
A high quality whey protein is recommended as an ideal-muscle building and skin firming supplement, especially after workouts. It goes without saying that whey protein powder cannot be the sole savior and you need to make those necessary lifestyle changes, avoid crash dieting, get moving- workout regularly and adopt a healthy, balanced diet for best results.
Add OZIVA Protein & Herbs Shake to Your Diet if your diet is lacking in proteins.
If you want a detailed nutrition consultation, drop us a mail at nutrition@oziva.in or call us on 9769298556 and our experts will help you with your fitness goal
Last modified: June 23, 2017
