The Benefits Of Adding Celery To Your Diet

Hi everyone, Selamat Hari Raya! I hope you are all doing well and are enjoying the festive season with friends and family. Although the festive holidays are a great time to enjoy delicious food, we should also keep our health in mind, which leads me to today’s topic – the health benefits of celery.

Not many people consume large portions of celery regularly, but the health benefits of this vegetable means that more people should!

Celery is a very rich source of antioxidants, containing phytonutrients such as flavonols, phenolic acids, phytosterols and more. It also contains the more recognised antioxidants such as vitamin C, and all of them help to protect the body against oxidation which can be harmful to organs, cells and blood vessels.

Celery is full of antioxidants and other nutrients (pic from healthengz.com)

It also has a very high amount of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin K and vitamin A, as well as potassium and folate. In addition, it also has plenty of dietary fibre despite celery being made up of mostly water.

Celery also contains small amounts of calcium, vitamin B6, phosphorus and magnesium, all of which are required by the body in order to maintain its health.

This is where celery shines through. For example, it is a very useful food to help with weight loss as it has a low number of calories, but a high number of nutrients. This makes celery an ideal snack to satisfy those hunger pangs as it will not affect you too much, especially if you are on a diet! It also aids your digestion as the high amount of fibre helps for the easy passing of stool.

It is a great food for losing weight and aiding digestion (pic from blindstaggers.com)

Studies have also shown that simply consuming two stalks of celery a day can reduce your bad cholesterol level by up to 7 points. In addition, eating one large stalk will satisfy 10% fo your daily need for vitamin A which is a key component that helps to prevent the deterioration of your vision due to age.

It is also thought that celery can offer cardiovascular support due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Critical problems in the bloodstream often revolve around oxidation and inflammation, and can cause many types of heart diseases. Most studies involving animals have shown a positive response, and scientists are eager to further explore the positive connections between flavonoids found in celery and the lower chances of cardiovascular inflammation.

Unlike other vegetables, celery does not lose its nutrients when cooked! (pic from ihealthu.com)

Furthermore, celery is thought to reduce the chances of developing cancer. It contains a flavonoid called luteolin, which researchers believe to possess properties that can help the body prevent cancer.

In addition, celery have plenty of anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, which scientists are extremely interested in. This is because many forms of cancer develop due to chronic oxidative stress and excessive inflammation. However, there is currently no concrete scientific proof of this, but it still doesn’t hurt to consume celery due to its other health benefits!

Perhaps it might be time to start stocking up on celery? It certainly won’t hurt!

Until next time, stay healthy!