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8 Benefits of Eating Celery (and How to Hide It in Foods if You Hate the Taste)

The world’s healthiest foods aren’t always the most delicious and there are a lot of people who hate the taste of celery, the good news is there are plenty of ways of disguising this vegetable in your food so that you can’t really taste it. If you don’t want to chew a stalk of celery then it’s a great addition to cold-pressed juices, but can also be added to salads, stir-fries, and even soups.

But what are the health benefits of celery? For starters, it’s very low in calories (one cup of chopped celery is reportedly around 16 calories) and therefore a great snack when you’re feeling a bit peckish during the day. According to Organic Facts, celery can also help with weight loss, and drinking a glass of celery juice before meals can fill you up and prevent you from overeating.

According to reports, eating celery regularly could reduce the bad, artery-clogging cholesterol. It's also linked to the stimulation of bile juices which help to regulate cholesterol levels.

It promotes liver health, according to Dr. Axe, researchers found that rats that were fed a diet of chicory, barley, and celery, experienced a “reduction in the amount of dangerous fat buildup within the liver.” Researchers are reported to have also noticed an improved liver enzyme functioning as well as blood lipid levels, and this suggests that those people suffering from liver disease could benefit from a diet consisting of celery, chicory, and barley.

Celery and celery seeds reportedly contain 20 anti-inflammatory compounds, including apigenin, which can help protect against inflammation and ease joint pains, asthma, and even offer acne relief.

It can help aid the fluid balance in the body as it contains sodium and potassium. In addition, celery has diuretic and cleansing properties and the seeds help to remove uric acid, therefore, preventing urinary tract infections.

According to Dr. Axe, the celery seed extracts have antihypertensive properties and one of the benefits of this is that it can be used to help treat or prevent high blood pressure. These seeds appear to be able to control chronically elevated blood pressure levels.

Organic Facts also commented on this benefit, revealing that celery contains phthalides that can lower the stress hormone (so it can also help give you a sense of calm) found in the blood, which helps blood vessels to expand and therefore reduces pressure.

Celery is packed with vitamins. In addition to being a great snack, celery is also filled with vitamins including Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin A and Vitamin B6.

According to Care2, the high fiber and water content found in celery promotes digestion and would be particularly beneficial for those who struggle to pass stool.


[Image via Shutterstock]

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