10 Health Benefits of Celery
Celery is an almost essential ingredient in stir fry dishes and salads. Some soups, broths, and stews incorporate this crisp vegetable. Even celery greens are added to some dishes in order to add a new dimension of flavor!
There are many myths about celery, foremost among them that ingesting celery gives the body fewer calories than it takes to chew celery. The real nutrition of celery lies in the stalk itself, not just in actually chewing the stalk.
Early experiments by scientists show that celery has several compounds that could help ease a wide variety of ailments. So don’t knock celery for having too much water, or for just being crisp. Here are a few reasons why you should eat celery, and how it can help you keep healthy.
Health Benefits of Celery
1. It can boost your immune system – Celery might taste light it has only water, but it actually has high amounts of vitamin C. This antioxidant vitamin isn’t taken lightly: higher amounts of vitamin C can boost your immune system. That’s why taking oranges or lemons when you’re sick can help you recover faster. In the absence of these citrus fruits, try some celery.
2. It can hasten wound healing – The high amounts of vitamin C in celery allow your body to regenerate new cells faster. This can hasten the wound healing process, giving your body a chance to keep out bacterial, fungal, or viral invaders all while your tissues are being rebuilt.
3. Celery helps to regulate blood pressure – Celery contains essential minerals as well as phthalides. Phthalides, in particular sedanolides in celery, help increase the flexibility of blood vessels, allowing them greater leeway to pump blood. The combination of these compounds helps to regulate blood pressure.
Moreover, if you already have high blood pressure to begin with, you can take celery to get your daily dose of sodium. The body easily absorbs and uses the sodium present in celery, keeping the sodium out of your circulatory system.
4. It can help lower cholesterol – The phthalides in celery also increase the production of bile, allowing for better digestion of fats. This can lower the amount of cholesterol in your bloodstream by making your body’s fat metabolism machinery more efficient and faster.
5. It can help prevent cancer – Celery contains coumarins. Although research is still in its infancy, coumarins have been found to prevent cancer, making celery a promising green for health buffs. Of course, cancer prevention comes with a lot of lifestyle changes, and can still depend on genetics.
6. It can help in removing toxins from the body – The combination and balance of minerals in celery makes it a diuretic vegetable. it increases the flow of water out of the body, allowing the body to get rid of toxins through urine. This removal of toxins doesn’t just clean up your digestive and excretory systems; it also makes the rest of your organisms function more efficiently.
7. It can reduce inflammation – Research is still ongoing, but celery is thought to have promising anti-inflammatory properties. This can help treat inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
8. It can aid in weight loss – Literally, celery doesn’t help you shed pounds, but it can control your appetite. It is high in fiber, making you feel more full than you are. This can help you get rid of other cravings that might be harmful to your body, and that might make you gain weight.
9. It can help ease constipation – Constipation doesn’t just allow toxins to accumulate in your colon; it can also be uncomfortable and take the productivity out of your day. Celery has high amounts of fiber that can help you pass bowels easily, pushing out toxins, cleaning out your colon, and making you feel healthier.
This ability of celery to clean out your colon could also lower your risk of developing colon cancer. Celery actually has several compounds that early lab tests show can contribute to cancer prevention.
10. It might slow the spread of cancer – The research in this respect is still ongoing, but it appears that celery might have compounds that slow down the growth of tumors. These compounds, acetylenics, have been shown in lab tests to stop the growth of tumors, although the question remains as to how much celery one should eat, and if simply eating celery will allow the body to absorb acetylenics.
You can have celery as a snack. Add peanut butter to it and crunch away for some crispy, light afternoon fare. Or pack it up with carrots and cheese for a high vitamin, high protein snack. Blend it with a variety of fruits and vegetables for a smoothie that will perk you up and boost your immune system.
Look for recipes that add celery to a hearty dish, such as stews and stir fries. These dishes will have extra vitamins and can be more nutritious with the addition of celery, among many other vegetables.
