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Lower blood pressure, cholesterol and more with celery
There’s a myth about celery that’s been making the rounds for years in conversations about weight loss.
It seems that many people believe celery to be what’s called a ‘negative-calorie’ food, one that consumes more calories as the body processes it than the food itself contains.
The idea is that the act of eating celery doesn’t add calories, it actually burns calories.
There are a couple of things wrong with this thought.
True, all the work it takes to chew and digest the high fiber content of celery burns some calories, but it doesn’t amount to the calories you’ve eaten in that celery stick.
According to Tim Garvey, chair of the Department of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Alabama, “In actuality, there are no negative-calorie foods.”
Nutritionist David Grotto describes celery as “more of a gateway to cream cheese or peanut butter.”
The truth lies somewhere in between.
Celery won’t make you lose weight just by eating it, but it does hold at least 6 major health benefits that have been obscured because it’s been thought of as a “diet food” for so long.
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6 protective benefits of eating celery
1. Celery helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
Two recent studies found that celery seed extract had a role in lowering blood pressure.
When rats were given celery seed extract for seven weeks, they showed significant improvement in blood pressure compared to rats fed the same diet but without the celery seed extract.
The researchers believe that celery helps lower high blood pressure because it acts as a smooth muscle relaxant, helping blood vessels expand and contract and improving blood flow.
Earlier research identified a compound called 3nB which gives celery its unique smell. It is thought that 3nB helps lower blood pressure in two ways. It acts as a diuretic and could take the place of the ‘water pill’ many people with high blood pressure are taking.
It also acts as a vasodilator, as mentioned above, helping blood vessels to relax and expand and allow more even blood flow.
A 2013 study showed that just a small amount of 3nB lowered blood pressure by 12 to 14 percent and cholesterol by about seven percent in animal subjects.
But rather than just celery seed extract, eating the whole food is better, according to Dr. Kenneth Shafer in the department of cardiovascular medicine at Cleveland Clinic. Whole celery is low in salt and possesses other nutrients known to help regulate blood pressure including fiber, magnesium and potassium. “To get the benefit, you should eat roughly four stalks — one cup, chopped — of celery daily,” suggests Dr. Shafer.
2. Celery controls inflammation. Celery contains at least a dozen phenolic phytonutrients that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These include:
- Quercetin, which also reduces stroke risk
- Caffeic acid and coumaric acid are also found in coffee and red wine. Besides being anti-inflammatory, they are also cancer-fighting compounds.
- Luteolin, which reduces inflammation, protects the brain and kills viruses.
3. Celery boosts the immune system and fights infection. A cup of chopped raw celery contains about 5 percent of the daily recommended intake of Vitamin C, the vitamin we turn to at the first sign of a cold.
Celery seeds have actually been used for centuries for their antibacterial effects. In 2009, a report in the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology showed that celery seed extract was able to significantly purify and reduce the growth of the bacteria H pylori, a bacterium that can live in the stomach for many years and lead to stomach cancer.
4. Celery can help control migraines. Many people with chronic migraine headaches have reported relief from drinking celery juice. Just the fact that it controls fluid levels and blood pressure help explain how it could also relieve headaches and migraines.
5. Celery prevents urinary tract infection. The diuretic action of celery seeds helps stimulate urination and keep the bladder clear of bacteria. Really good news, since the bacteria that causes most UTIs is becoming resistant to antibiotic therapy.
6. Celery protects liver health. When researchers at the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Helwan University in Egypt fed rats celery, the rats experienced a reduction in the amount of fat buildup in their livers. The researchers noticed that liver enzyme function and blood lipid levels improved as well.
How to buy and store celery
Look for celery stalks that are firm and not too “rubbery.” Leaves should be bright green.
Celery is often on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list for the fruits and vegetables most often contaminated with pesticides. More than 95 percent of samples were contaminated with up to 13 different chemicals. Even if you’re buying organic, wash thoroughly in a vinegar-water solution, then rinse with water.
When washing your celery, wait until it is dry before storing so it doesn’t rot. It should last in the refrigerator for five to seven days at most. And don’t waste those celery leaves! They’re high in nutritional value and can be used in soups and stews.
How to add celery to your diet
Raw is best, since celery’s nutrients are easily lost through over-cooking. Steaming or sautéing in a stir-fry is the best choice for cooking.
Add celery to a green salad, or to egg or tuna salad. Celery sticks with hummus and olives and Buffalo hot wing celery sticks are two great healthy celery dips to get you snacking!
Although it’s uncommon, an allergy to celery can be life-threatening, much like a peanut allergy. Even cooked celery isn’t safe in this case, so if you have any food allergies, it’s probably best to avoid celery entirely.
Editor’s note: While you’re doing all the right things to protect your brain as you age, make sure you don’t make the mistake 38 million Americans do every day — by taking a drug that robs them of an essential brain nutrient! Click here to discover the truth about the Cholesterol Super-Brain!
Sources:
- A novel compound from celery seed with a bactericidal effect against Helicobacter pylori — The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology
- Antihypertensive Effect of Celery Seed on Rat Blood Pressure in Chronic Administration — Journal of Medicinal Food
- Effects of aqueous celery (Apium graveolens) extract on lipid parameters of rats fed a high fat diet — Planta Medica
- Just Four Stalks Of Celery A Day Can Reduce High Blood Pressure And More — The Alternative Daily
- A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Antihypertensive Effect of a Celery Extract in Mild to Moderate Hypertensive Patients — Natural Medicine Journal
By Joyce Hollman
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