Eight Reasons to Eat Celery

If you’re like me, you’ve always heard that celery is good for you. This underrated veggie is rich in nutrients and provides many health benefits. As I learned more about the health benefits of celery, I realised that there are several reasons to add this crunchy vegetable to your diet on a regular basis. Here are 8 reasons to eat celery, along with some tips on how to make it taste better!

Protect Your Teeth

Chewing celery helps prevent tooth decay. Researchers at King’s College London found that chewing a piece of celery for two minutes after consuming sugary foods can prevent damage from acids in your mouth. Because it takes a few minutes for enzymes in your saliva to remineralize teeth after an acid attack, you should chew celery stick as soon as possible after eating a sugary food. Also, be sure to rinse and floss afterword.

Soothe Your Stomach

If you’re constantly battling upset stomachs or feeling nauseous, celery might be a lifesaver. Not only is it gentle on an upset stomach, but it also contains essential nutrients that can calm and soothe your digestion. It’s also a natural antacid, helping to neutralize acid in your stomach without upsetting or damaging your body further. Chewing a few pieces of celery might make all of the difference for when you need relief from indigestion.

Lower Your Blood Pressure

When you eat celery, your body absorbs its nutrients (particularly sodium, magnesium and vitamins K and C) very quickly. Because of these properties, celery acts as a natural diuretic. Over time, eating celery might lower your blood pressure by helping flush sodium out of your system. This process can also lead to better kidney health over time.

While it’s not a cure-all, research shows that eating more fiber-rich fruits and vegetables can help lower your blood pressure. In fact, studies suggest that adding just five servings of fruits and veggies daily could reduce your risk of hypertension by up to 8 percent. Try snacking on celery for one week: It’s high in water content (95 percent) which makes it filling, plus it provides 1 gram of fiber per stalky serving. And if you don’t like chewing raw celery straight out of the fridge, cook it—it increases its water content even more! The result is a crunchy addition to salads or soups.

Slow Down Aging

A diet rich in antioxidants, like vitamin C and glutathione found in celery, can help slow down aging and protect against chronic diseases. Antioxidants are powerful disease-fighting agents that have been proven to reduce oxidative stress throughout your body, resulting in more youthful looking skin. If you’re looking for ways to look younger, it’s always a good idea to start with your diet—especially if you want to age gracefully.

Strengthen Your Immune System

Research has shown that certain phytonutrients found in celery may work as an antioxidant, which helps fend off diseases. Furthermore, studies have shown that eating more antioxidants—like those in celery—may be a key component of preventing and fighting tumor growth. If you’re looking for an easy way to boost your health, including more antioxidants in your diet is a great place to start.

Since celery is filled with disease-fighting antioxidants, it’s a good choice if you want to bolster your immune system. A 2012 study in Food and Chemical Toxicology found that rats fed dried celery had a significant increase in one particular antioxidant called glutathione. Also, because celery is full of water, it helps you stay hydrated without consuming calories or sugar.

Promote Sleep

There are specific compounds in celery that help promote sleep. While you might want to try taking concentrated extracts of those compounds, a simpler way is simply eating more raw celery. The powerful phytochemicals in celery (like apigenin and luteolin) have been shown to help people fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and even sleep more soundly. This is especially true when combined with healthy foods like garlic, turmeric, and oregano. For maximum effect: eat celery before going to bed—not at dinner time! You should wait a few hours after dinner before eating anything else if you’re trying to fall asleep fast.

Nourish Your Skin And Hair

Vitamin K in celery helps our bodies form proteins that nourish and maintain healthy skin. Vitamin C in celery also acts as an antioxidant, reducing stress on skin and hair. Eating celery is a great way to support your natural beauty from within. The vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin K and vitamin B6 help fight signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles. As an added bonus, celery is thought to have potent anti-bacterial properties that may even be useful for treating acne! Pairing a cup of green tea with a half cup of celery is also believed to reduce inflammation throughout your body.

Balance The Body

There are several ways celery can help balance the body. Perhaps most simply, celery helps maintain proper fluid balance. The body’s cells need water just like any other living thing, and as an essential part of the body, each cell needs a certain amount of water to stay healthy. We know that celery is a highly alkaline food and can help neutralise acidity in the body. We also know, celery juice has been found to have powerful anti-inflammatory effects, as well as has a calming effect on the stomach.