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Tuesday 24 April 2018

Celery - Some Healthy Benefits of Adding it to Your Diet


Five Healthy Benefits of Adding Celery to Your Diet

At just 10 calories a stalk, celery’s claim to fame may be that it’s long been considered a low-calorie "diet food."
But crispy, crunchy celery actually has a number of health benefits that may surprise you. Here are five reasons you should consider adding celery to your diet, plus a few recipes to make it easy.

1. Celery is a great source of important antioxidants.
Antioxidants protect cells, blood vessels, and organs from oxidative damage.
Celery contains vitamin C, beta carotene, and flavonoids, but there are at least 12 additional kinds of antioxidant nutrients found in a single stalk. It’s also a wonderful source of phytonutrients, which have been shown to reduce instances of inflammation in the digestive tract, cells, blood vessels, and organs.

2. Celery reduces inflammation.
Chronic inflammation has been linked to many illnesses, including arthritis and osteoporosis. Celery and celery seeds have approximately 25 anti-inflammatory compounds that can offer protection against inflammation in the body.

3. Celery supports digestion.
While its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients offer protection to the entire digestive tract, celery may offer special benefits to the stomach.
Pectin-based polysaccharides in celery, including a compound known as apiuman, have been shown to decrease instances of stomach ulcers, improve the lining of the stomach, and modulate stomach secretions in animal studies. And then there’s the high water content of celery — almost 95% — plus generous amounts of soluble and insoluble fibre. All of those support a healthy digestive tract and keep you regular. One cup of celery sticks has 5 grams of dietary fibre.

4. Celery is rich in vitamins and minerals with a low glycemic index.

You’ll enjoy vitamins A, K, and C, plus minerals like potassium and folate when you eat celery. It’s also low in sodium. Plus, it’s low on the glycemic index, meaning it has a slow, steady effect on your blood sugar.

5. Celery has an alkalizing effect.

With minerals like magnesium, iron, and sodium, celery can have a neutralizing effect on acidic foods — not to mention the fact that these minerals are necessary for essential bodily functions.

Tips for Buying and Storing Celery

Sturdy stalks. Look for celery that has sturdy, upright stalks. They should snap easily when you pull them, not bend.
Crisp leaves. Leaves should be crisp and fresh, ranging in colour from pale to bright green. Avoid celery with yellow or brown patches.
Wait to chop. Chop celery just before cooking or serving to maintain nutrients. Even celery that has been chopped and stored for just a few hours will lose nutrients.
Steam it. Steamed celery will retain flavour and almost all of its nutrients.
Eat in five to seven days. Eat fresh celery within five to seven days to enjoy its maximum nutritional benefits.
Eat the leaves. Don’t discard the leaves — that’s where celery has the most calcium, potassium, and vitamin C. But because they don’t store well, consume celery leaves within a day or two of purchase.

In addition to its many health benefits, celery is a versatile veggie. You can eat it raw or cooked, and it makes a great addition to smoothies, stir-fries, soups, and juices.
Words above from article here

Looking for celery recipe suggestions here are a few:

Italian Style Braised Celery With Onion, Pancetta and Tomatoes
more details here


Poached Breast of Chicken with Celery
more details here


Celery Soup
more details here


Did you know ...ten facts about celery

1. From classical times to the Middle Ages, celery was used as a medicinal plant to treat toothache, insomnia, gout, rheumatism, anxiety and arthritis.

2. Celery was first used as a food during the 16th century in Italy.

3. Celery was first mentioned in English in 1664 by the diarist John Evelyn, who spelt it sellery.

4. Celery is mentioned in Homer’s Iliad, where the horses of Myrmidon grazed on wild celery.

5. In 1996 fans of Gillingham football club were threatened with a life ban if they brought sticks of celery into the ground...

6. ...This was the result of fans singing a rude song about celery while waving sticks of it.

7. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed celery as a nerve soother.

8. The ancient Romans considered celery an aphrodisiac. They may have been right: it contains the pheromone androsterone, released by men’s sweat glands to attract females.

9. The town of Celery-Ville, Ohio, was founded by early 19th century celery farmers.

10. There is a celery museum in Portage, Michigan, called the Celery Flats Interpretive Centre.

You will find a variety of articles and recipes within this blog. It is important to note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

... but hope you may enjoy some celery soon, thanks for reading.

All the best Jan

36 comments:

Jo said...

Though I don't mind celery it's something I don't often buy. I think I need to pop it on the shopping list with all those healthy benefits.

Elephant's Child said...

I never knew it was so beneficial. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I add celery to many recipes, but was not aware of its many benefits.

Anonymous said...

Interesting to know about the health benefits of celery. I use them for most of my dishes...

Iris Flavia said...

That sounds too good to not give it a try.
But I just failed very big with green asparagus! Oh, my...

Tom said...

...plus it tastes good.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Love celery Jan, even just on it's own or with a dip.. yum! Going back now to see recipes missed while away ✨

Christine said...

I should eat more celery, the recipes look delicious.

happyone said...

I do like celery and use it a lot and nice to know it has all those benefits too.
For a snack I like to put peanut butter down the center of it. Yummy

Chris Lally said...

Wow! What a great post, Jan. Hubby and I have started juicing an entire celery head every morning. We will start using it in more meals thanks to these great recipes.

Valerie-Jael said...

Hmm, yummy celery! Hugs, Valerie

Martha said...

I typically only use celery as an addition to recipes. I should try it in other ways. That soup really looks delicious!

Bill said...

I think I would like to try the celery soup, it looks so delicious. I love celery and we have a celery plant that is always in the kitchen window. My wife cuts off a piece and puts it in to water and before you know it, it begins to spout some leaves. We are always picking from it.

Lisa said...

A friend of mine insisted I would enjoy eating celery if I teamed it with soft cheese.
How wrong she was!
The smell puts me off.
Lisa x

William Kendall said...

It's been quite a long times since I've had any celery.

Mary Kirkland said...

I love celery. Roasted celery is so good.

Lisabella Russo said...

Thanks for the information on celery! I will try to pick some up soon at the market...

Out on the prairie said...

A fav to use in everything and great snack

Bob Bushell said...

I love the beauty of the Celery, the taste is yummy, thanks Jan.

Small City Scenes said...

I like Celery and we buy and use a lot of the stuff. Do you peel the strings off?
MB

Sandi said...

Good info! I didn't realize celery had so much going for it.

Lowcarb team member said...

Small City Scenes said:
I like Celery and we buy and use a lot of the stuff. Do you peel the strings off?

Hello, and thanks for your comment and question. Yes, I peel the strings off.

These Tips for Preparing Celery are quite helpful:
To clean celery, cut off the base and leaves, then wash the leaves and stalks under running water. Cut the stalks into pieces of desired length. If the outside of the celery stalk has fibrous strings, remove them by making a thin cut into one end of the stalk and peeling away the fibers. Be sure to use the leaves—they contain the most vitamin C, calcium, and potassium—but use them within a day or two as they do not store very well.
Celery should not be kept at room temperature for more than several hours. That's because warm temperatures will encourage its high water content to evaporate, causing the celery to have have a tendency to wilt too quickly. If you have celery that has wilted, sprinkle it with a little water and place it in the refrigerator for several hours to help it regain some of its crispness.
Read more about celery here www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=14

See How to Remove Tough Strings from celery here
https://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Tough-Strings-from-Celery

All the best Jan

Karen said...

I am glad to find out about the benefits of celery. I would like the inflammatory quality. Hope it helps with arthritis pain. Thanks for your helpful posts

Margaret D said...

Interesting read on celery.
Use it a lot down here in my cooking and raw.

Conniecrafter said...

Wow I totally learned a lot about celery I didn't know, I will have to try eating the leaves maybe in a salad, I have always just put it in the compost bin. My Aunt and Uncle lived in Portage Michigan, I never knew they had a celery museum there. Thanks for sharing

peppylady (Dora) said...

crunch crunch we grow it in our garden.
Coffee is on

Debbie said...

WoW!! so much great information!! good to know...as i had no idea, we eat a lot of raw celery!!! i always use the leaves in soup!!

i store celery in aluminum wrap and it seems to last forever!!

Haddock said...

That is a valuable tip - Chop celery just before cooking or serving

Linda said...

Good info! I added a bit of celery to my salad today. I'm glad to know it has potassium and folate. They are important.

baili said...

wow so much knowledge about celery my friend!

in my native village the seeds of celery were given to women who ere expecting ,mom did same either and i still remember how i put them out of my stomach with vomiting and mom was so annoyed gave me regularly util the labour day

she said that preganent women cannot stay strong and healthy without taking celery

Phil Slade said...

We are not keen on eating plain celery - it's a strong taste. But we use a few cut pieces in bolognaise, chilli or steak pies, or soups to add flavour. We freeze it from fresh cut into bite size pieces and there's no need to blanch it.

Phil Slade said...

Great story about Gillingham. Made me laugh.

carol l mckenna said...

Love celery and great recipe suggestions!

Happy Week to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Carol Blackburn said...

A favorite snack because of the crunch and also for it diuretic properties. Thanks.

Magic Love Crow said...

I love celery! I never knew about the chopping! Thank you!

Debby Ray said...

I do like crunching on some celery...especially if it's spread with peanut butter or pimento cheese!