Ever since we were little children, we were told to eat our fruits and vegetables. Some of us love the taste of fruit but we may turn up our nose when it comes to vegetables. After all, they aren’t quite as sweet as fruits but when we eat them, they can do amazing things for our body. The thing is, we need to get enough vegetables in our diet and we need to eat the proper vegetables. We might instantly think about spinach or kale but never forget about the power behind healthy green stalks of celery.
Celery is perhaps one of the forgotten vegetables that people tend to avoid because they think it is all water and doesn’t contain nutritional value. Admittedly, celery is 95% water but you should not devalue the nutritional power behind this simple vegetable. In addition, it’s easy to put more into your diet every day because it is one of the more versatile vegetables out there. Grind some up into your smoothie, juice it, or perhaps spread it with some hummus for a quick snack. You can even eat some celery sticks plain as a snack.
I’m sure that you would be interested in knowing what happens when you eat celery every day. Try it for yourself and enjoy these benefits:
When you eat celery, you are getting a lot of phytonutrients which are compounds found in certain types of plants. Phytonutrients are full of health benefits, including being a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. They are also good for your liver.
You can also crunch away on as much celery as you want daily without having to worry about gaining weight. Celery is low in calories so eating it can help you to stay full and lose weight. As long as you get plenty of nutrition and exercise along with the celery, it can work wonders.
There is also a lot of fiber in celery so it keeps you full for a longer amount of time. You might want to consider including foods that are high in fat and proteins along with celery to multiply that effect. Perhaps you could try some avocado, or maybe include celery in your chicken soup.
Fiber also assists with your digestion and if you have constipation, celery is a great thing to chew on. Even if you aren’t dealing with constipation, celery can keep you regular.
Since celery has a lot of water inside of it, it can help you to stay hydrated. You should generally aim for eight 8 ounce glasses of water daily but that is a lot to drink. If you struggle with drinking enough water, eat some extra celery to avoid dehydration.
If you need some more convincing, celery also can lower your blood pressure. According to a University of Chicago Medical Center study, a chemical found in celery can relax the muscles and therefore, can reduce blood pressure. The experiment has not yet been done on humans but it is an indication that it may help.
Many other conditions may also benefit from eating celery as well, such as gout, arthritis, muscle spasms, water retention, and the cold and flu according to one study.
One other benefit that many people ignore is luteolin, a flavonoid found in celery. According to a study found in Current Cancer Drug Targets, this flavonoid may actually have anticancer properties.
With so many good reasons to eat celery, there’s no reason for you to avoid crunching away on a celery stalk right now.