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Celery is not only a good source of
insoluble fiber but it also contains a great amount of essential
nutrients which include calcium, potassium and Vitamin C.
In Asia, this member of the parsley
family has been used for generations as a remedy for high blood
pressure or hypertension, dizziness and headache. Phthalide, a
compound found in celery was found to be able to relax the muscles of
the arteries that regulate blood pressure, allowing the vessels to
dilate. It also lowers the blood levels of stress hormones. This is
helpful because stress hormones raise blood pressure by causing blood
vessel s to constirict.
If you are suffering from high blood
pressure and would like to give the celery a try. there are a few
strategies recommended by folk practitioners in Asia. In your daily
cooking, cook celery together with vinegar to lower blood pressure and
relieve headache due to high blood pressure. Mixed honey with fresh
celery juice to relieve dizziness, headache and shoulder pain due to
hypertension.
Although celery does contain sodium,
which is bad for hypertension, the quantity of sodium (25 mg in 1
stalk) is too small to cause any harm as long as we don't start to eat
celery by the pound.
Celery also contains compounds called
acetylenics and phenolic acids which researchers believe might help
prevent cancer cells from spreading. These compounds have been shown
to stop the growth of tumor cells and block the action of hormone
substances that encourage the growth of tumor cells.
So start crunching your celery today. It
is aromatic and is certainly a healthful snack. It contains a lot of
nutrients and unlike many other food, most of the compounds will hold
up well during cooking. |