Celery is a vegetable plant that belongs to the Apiaceae family. It is popular for its crunchy stalks, which people often consume as a low calorie snack. However, it is not only a good low calorie food.
There are a number of health benefits why you might want to include this vegetable in your diet. In this article, we are going to discuss the top ten health benefits of celery you should know.
1 – Cancer Fighting Properties
Celery contains components, such as polyacetylenes and phthalides, which are anti-carcinogenic and also enhance the activity of white blood cells. Coumarins, a plant phytonutrient in celery, helps to prevent free radicals from damaging the cells. It also prevents the formation and development of stomach and colon cancers.
2 – Lowers Cholesterol
Buthyl phthalide, a chemical in celery, reduces bad cholesterol levels with as little as two stalks of celery a day. In addition, celery also helps in the increase of the secretion of bile, which helps in the removal of excess cholesterol from the body.
3 – Lowers Blood Pressure
The ability of celery to reduce high blood pressure has long been known by Chinese medicine. This is because it contains phthalides that relax blood vessels around the arteries, dilating them and allowing blood to flow smoothly. In addition, they also reduce stress hormones that cause constriction. Note that celery does not lower blood pressure that is already low.
4 – Improves Immune System
Celery contains high content of vitamin C, which greatly improves the immune system of the body. The activity of other antioxidants in celery stimulates vitamin C, making it more efficient and active. Eating celery regularly can reduce your risk of catching common cold and a variety of other diseases, because of its high content of vitamin C.
5 – Promotes Weight Loss
Weight management is another health benefit of celery. Drinking celery juice regularly before meals may help you shed off extra pounds, because it is very low in calories and very filling due to its fiber content. It can help you to reduce the tendency of over eating, assisting you to keep the weight down without feeling hungry all the time.
6 – Protects Liver Health
When researchers from the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Helwan University in Egypt fed rats celery, the rats experienced a reduction in the amount of harmful fat buildup in the liver. Precisely, when the researchers supplemented high cholesterol diets of rats with celery, they observed an improvement in blood the lipid levels and liver enzyme function. This suggests that a diet plan high in celery can be beneficial for people suffering from liver diseases.
7 – Prevents Urinary Tract Infections
Celery is beneficial for fighting infections within the reproductive organs and digestive tract, because it has the ability to stimulate urine production and reduce uric acid. In addition, it can also prevent urinary tract infections, bladder disorders, cyst on reproductive organs and kidney problems.
8 – Prevents Ulcers
Celery has the ability to reduce or prevent the formation of painful ulcers. In 2010, a study that was done and published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Biology showed that celery contains a special type of ethanol extract that is useful in protecting the lining of the digestive tract from ulcers. Celery nourishes the colon, stomach and intestines, because it contains chemical constituents, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins and volatile oils that improve the level of the protective mucus.
9 – Lowers Inflammation
Celery contains polysaccharides and antioxidants that act as anti-inflammatories, especially polyphenol and flavonoid antioxidants. These antioxidants support overall health as a person ages, by fighting free radical damage that can cause inflammation.
10 – Relief from Migraines
Celery contains coumarins that can provide relief from migraines. The mechanism is not completely understood, but research indicates that it suppresses Nitric Oxide release in the brain, which can cause migraines and headaches.
