Celery, really?

Some people give celery a bad rap and believe it doesn’t offer many health benefits.  That is far from the truth.  Celery offers more than you may think.  When we think of celery, we often think of the long stalks but the leaves and seeds are also edible and nutritious.  

Celery makes a great snack or salad topper because it is very low in calories.  Celery is a very good source of vitamin K and a good source of folate, vitamin A, potassium, molybdenum, fiber, vitamin C, manganese, calcium, vitamin B2, tryptophan, magnesium, and vitamin B5.  Celery has active compounds called phthalides, which can help relax the muscles around arteries, allow those vessels to dilate which gives more space inside the arteries so that blood can flow at a lower pressure. 

Phthalides also reduce stress hormones, which cause blood vessels to constrict.  Did you know there is sodium in celery?  About two stalks or one cup of celery contains approximately 100 milligrams of sodium.  Unless you are eating a whole bunch of celery, you really don’t have to worry about the sodium intake.  The sodium and potassium content of celery regulates fluid balance which can be used as a diuretic and stimulate urine production.

To store celery, place it in a sealed container or wrap it in a plastic bag or damp cloth and keep cold in the refrigerator.  I store mine in a bowl of water in the refrigerator to keep it crisp.  Celery can wilt quickly especially if kept at room temperature.   If your celery is starting to wilt, place it in water to crisp back up.

Some ways to enjoy celery:

Add chopped celery to tuna or chicken salad, fill celery stalks with natural peanut butter or light cream cheese, use celery leaves in salads, braise chopped celery, radicchio and onions and serve topped with walnuts and your favorite soft cheese, add celery to your favorite juicing combos, add celery leaves and sliced celery stalks to soups, stews, casseroles, and healthy stir fries, and dip sliced stalks in hummus, vegetable dip or salad dressings for a quick and easy snack.

For some tasty celery recipes, check out this link http://www.celeryrecipes.org/