When you go to a party and there’s a buffet laid out for all the guests, you probably pass the celery and immediately reach for the tasty sandwiches and chicken wings. I mean, who’s got time to chomp on a raw stalk when there’s plenty of fast food waiting for you to dig in?
Celery is one of those veggies that you either love or hate. While some people avoid including it into their diet, others tend to eat it only if it’s dipped in peanut butter or cooked all the way through.
And if you happen to belong to the second group, let us tell you that if you knew all the health benefits celery has, (and it has a ton of them), you wouldn’t underestimate this veggie. In fact, you’d include it in your everyday diet.
What is celery?
This stringy, crunchy, green vegetable has been cultivated since antiquity. It is believed to have originated in the Mediterranean area, but it’s now cultivated throughout the world.
When people started intensively cultivating celery in the 16th century in Northern Europe and Italy, it was still a primitive plant and was only used for medicinal purposes.
By the middle of the 17th century, celery was greatly refined and its leaves and stalks were used as food. And today it’s an important part of almost every cuisine globally.
Why is celery beneficial?
Although this vegetable is 95 percent water, it’s extremely beneficial to your overall health. Celery is rich in vitamins A, B, C, and K, and it also contains potassium, folate, and dietary fibers. However, its most essential attribute is its phytonutrients.
Phytonutrients are natural chemicals that keep plants healthy by protecting them from bugs, fungi, germs, diseases, and the sun, but they also have a beneficial influence on people. They have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help improve our immune system and detoxify our body. They also help prevent cancer and cardiovascular and liver diseases.
What can the consumption of celery do to your body in a week?
As we’ve already said, celery is mainly water, but it still can do wonders for your mental and physical health. If you don’t like eating it raw, you can steam it or bake it. Additionally, this veggie makes a great addition to soups, stir-fries, juices, and smoothies. So, whatever way you choose to consume celery, make sure you sneak it into your diet.
Eating celery every day for a weak can do wonders for your body and mind. And here are some of them:
1. It improves digestion.
Due to the fact that celery is rich in natural fibers, consuming it improves absorption and nutrient digestion and it also helps prevent constipation.
2. It keeps you hydrated.
Of course, it does. Remember? Celery is 95 percent water. So, consuming this stringy vegetable can greatly help prevent dehydration. So, if you’re an athlete or regularly go to the gym, you know what you should do.
3. Weight loss.
Because it’s mainly water, celery contains very few calories. So, if you’re the type of person who tends to count calories, forget about it – you can consume this veggie as much as you want. Celery is also high in fiber, which means that it’ll reduce your hunger and keep you satiated throughout the whole day.
4. It fights inflammation.
Due to its anti-inflammatory qualities, consuming celery helps reduce joint swelling and pain. Besides arthritis, this veggie is also very beneficial for treating rheumatism and gout.
5. It improves cholesterol.
Being rich in fiber, eating celery every day reduces your level of LDL cholesterol, also known as “bad cholesterol,” which clogs the arteries. One study has shown that consuming 4 stalks of this veggie per day can reduce LDL cholesterol by about 7 percent.
6. It prevents heartburn and acid reflux.
If you’re struggling with this problem, know that celery juice can calm down heartburn very quickly and also regulate the acidity in your stomach.
7. It normalizes blood pressure.
Celery contains phthalides (chemical compounds) that reduce stress hormones and relax the tissues of the artery walls. In this way, the blood is able to circulate properly, which reduces your blood pressure.
8. It keeps your eyes healthy.
Being rich in vitamin A, celery can help maintain the tissues in your eyes healthy and also give you brighter eyes.
9. It repels mosquitos.
If you’re fed up with scratching yourself every summer due to mosquito bites, despair no more because oil extract from celery is a wonderful mosquito repellant.
Riley Cooper is a professional writer who writes informative and creative articles on topics related to various fields of study. Written with love and enthusiasm, her articles inspire readers to broaden their knowledge of the world, think and get ready to act. If you have a general question or comment please fill out the form and we will get back to you as soon as possible https://curiousmindmagazine.com/contact-us/
