I used to view celery as sort of a crunchy nuisance or a soup ingredient that I wasn’t sure was 100% needed.  I had no idea that celery was a powerful healer and an awesome addition to every day!

When my friend informed me that she cured an illness drinking large glasses of celery juice along with some supplements (recommended to her by the Medical Medium) I was intrigued.  He says that celery juice is a purifying and enriching:   “Fresh celery juice is one of the most powerful and healing juices one can drink. Just 16 oz of fresh celery juice a day can transform your health and digestion in as little as one week.”

From there, my fascination with celery unfolded into a new love of using it everywhere I can! 

As it turns out, there are a load of health benefits of celery that have been well-studied.

Lowering High Cholesterol:

conducted a study over the course of eight weeks to test the effects of celery extract on cholesterol levels. The researchers fed rats a high fat diet and were divided into 2 groups; half were supplemented with celery extract, while others were not. “The group supplementing with celery extract experienced a beneficial reduction in serum total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations.” (more HERE)

Lowers Inflammation:

We all have heard by know that body inflammation is a big problem.  According to Dr. Axe, “Celery contains antioxidants and polysaccharides that are known to act as anti-inflammatories, especially flavonoid and polyphenol antioxidants. These support overall health, especially as someone ages, by fighting free-radical damage (or oxidative stress) that can lead to inflammation. Inflammation is often a contributing cause of chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, arthritis and many more.

Inflammation can cause many chronic illnesses including cancer, heart disease and arthritis.

Helps Prevent High Blood Pressure:

The phytochemical (active compounds found in plants) phthalides found in celery, release the tension in the walls of your arteries and allow your blood to flow easier in your heart and decreases blood pressure.

Dr. Ken Shafer of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, suggests eating 4 stalks of celery each day to help regulate your blood pressure.

Preventing Ulcers:

Celery contains ethanol extract that prevents or reverses the formation of stomach ulcers. The extract of celery can restore the amount of gastric mucus in your stomach, which helps to protect it’s lining. This helps prevent tears and holes from being created in your digestive system.

The colon, stomach and intestines all benefit from eating celery, because it is rich in flavonoids, tannins, volatile oils and alkaloids that help modulate and balance the gastric acid and protective mucus produced. (more on this HERE)

Protects the Health of Your Liver:

Celery is full of iron and vitamins A, B and C.   It helps detox the liver and kidneys. HERE it was reported: “Researchers from Taiwan have found that when treated with celery extract, liver cells produced more of a specific liver enzyme which helps flush toxins and other contaminants from the body.”

Pretty amazing for some celery, right?!

Experiment and see what feels right for you, and always consult your doctor before a big shift in your routines, especially if you’re taking prescription medicines.

How to mix more celery into the day can be as simple as eating a few stalks.

If you want to enhance those celery sticks, there are so many ways to add celery to your days!

Pickled celery with sweet peppers.

• 1 bunch of celery, cleaned, and dried.
• 5 small sweet peppers, vertically halved
• 4 sprigs of fresh dill
• 2 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves of garlic (smashed)
• ½ teaspoon of dried chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 cup of apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1 cup of water
• ¼ cup of honey or ½ cup of sugar

 

Method:

Separate celery into stalks and cut them to fit in to the sterilized mason jar you will be using. (reserve any scraps you cut off, as you can use them to weigh down the vegetables.)

Pack your vegetables, dill, garlic, cloves, bay leaf, chili flakes, tightly into a mason jar.

Place vinegar, water and honey (or sugar) into a sauce pan over medium heat…add peppercorns. Cook until sugar or honey dissolves.

Pour liquid over vegetables in the mason jar. Wait an hour for the mixture to cool off and seal and place in the refrigerator.

You can add this pickled celery generously to salads and it’s delicious.

You can also have celery in your daily smoothie! 

Raw Blend has a great recipe for a Carrot, Celery, Orange, Ginger Smoothie.  You can find the recipe HERE.

Wishful chef also has an amazing Blueberry Celery Smoothie that you can make in a Vitamix or high powered blender.

Small shifts toward more balance, nutrition and vitality are always welcome shifts!  While I’m neither a doctor nor nutritionist, this is the kind of simple wellness- a few stalks of celery, a few handfuls of kale, a cup of berries- that I find has a lasting impact in every way.

xoxo Dana

 

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