Bella Adams
The spicy aroma of celery allows it to be widely used in cooking. Celery is added to appetizers, salads, and meat dishes, and it is used to make healthy juice. All parts of celery, both the roots and the stem with leaves, are suitable for eating. But in addition to its beneficial properties, this vegetable can also have a harmful effect on the human body.
Celery: benefits and harms, what will prevail?
Nutritional value of celery
Celery roots and leaves contain valuable amino acids: carotene, asparagine, nicotinic acid, tyrosine, essential oils, and trace elements. All parts of celery are healthy and nutritious. As mentioned above, the plant is rich in vitamins, such as B vitamins, provitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin E, and ascorbic acid.
Celery contains only 18 kcal per 100 grams of the product. It contains 0.9 g of protein, 0.1 g of fat, and 2.1 g of carbohydrates. The calorie content of the plant is very low, which makes it popular as a menu component for those who are losing weight.
100 grams of celery contains:
- Potassium – 320 mg.
- Phosphorus – 80 mg.
- Calcium – 68 mg.
- Magnesium – 9 mg.
- Manganese – 0.15 mg.
- Zinc – 0.31 mg.
- Iron – 0.53 mg.
- Vitamin E – 0.36 mg.
- Vitamin B9 – 8 mg.
- Vitamin B6 – 0.16 mg.
- Vitamin PP – 0.7 mg.
- Vitamin K – 9 mg.
- Vitamin C – 8 mg.
Useful properties of celery
Celery is able to slow down the aging process, as it contains a unique set of vitamins, acids, and minerals that ensure the stability of body cells. Celery has calming properties – celery greens are used to treat nervous disorders resulting from overwork. The essential oil in celery roots and stems stimulates the secretion of gastric juice.
Celery is included in the menu of patients with diabetes mellitus. It improves water-salt metabolism, so it is especially recommended for the elderly.
Celery is useful for people suffering from arthritis, rheumatism, and gout. Its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce swelling and pain around the joints. Celery stalks contain a diuretic substance that helps remove uric acid crystals that form around the joints.
Celery has antiallergic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and laxative properties. Celery is known for its mild laxative properties and its ability to improve the overall tone of the body and enhance physical and mental performance.
Celery greens have an amazing ability to enhance sexual function and increase sexual desire.
The oil obtained from celery stalks, greens, and seeds is a real aphrodisiac that acts mainly on men.
Harmful properties of celery
Celery itself and its juice can have a negative impact on the human body. This plant is contraindicated for people with kidney stones. Repeated observations by doctors have shown that after excessive consumption of celery, patients began to actively move stones, which often led to surgery. At the same time, regular consumption of celery greens and roots in minimal amounts, on the contrary, will help to gradually cleanse the kidneys. Eating celery by patients with epilepsy can lead to an exacerbation of the disease.
People suffering from varicose veins and thrombophlebitis should also eat this product with caution. In case of enterocolitis and colitis, celery should not be eaten due to its high content of essential oils.
Despite the beneficial effect of this plant on the female body, it should not be consumed in case of uterine bleeding, heavy menstruation, as well as while waiting for a baby and breastfeeding. Spicy herbs can cause excessive gas formation in a woman’s body, which can increase the tone of the uterus. The diuretic effect can cause a decrease in the amount of amniotic fluid. In a breastfed baby, celery can also cause increased gas production. In addition, celery gives the milk a specific flavor, which may cause the baby to refuse the breast. Nevertheless, celery root is a product of choice for the first foods of the baby, as it contains the necessary macro- and micro-nutrients and is easily digested.
