Celery is a vegetable that is unique in its content of nutrients, all parts of which — the root vegetable, the stem, and the greens — are consumed by man.
In addition to its nutritional value and health benefits, the root vegetable has a remarkable property - its regular consumption helps to lose weight.
Composition and calorie celery
Vegetable contains a large amount of a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, in addition, it contains essential oils, purines, carotenoids, choline. The energy value of celery - 15.8 kcal per 100 g
Content of useful substances (in 100 g): | Vitamins (100 g): | Minerals (mg / 100 g): |
protein - 0.87 g; | And - 23 mkg; | Ca — 38.5; |
carbohydrates - 2.78 g; | B1 - 0,018 mg; | Fe — 0.18; |
sugar - 1.28 g; | B2 - 0.058 mg; | Mg — 12; |
fiber - 1.57 g; | B3 - 0.317 mg; | P - 23; |
fats - 0.15 g; | B5 - 0.238 mg; | K - 256; |
water - 94.57 g | B6 - 0.068 mg; | Na - 77; |
- | B9 - 36 micrograms; | Zn - 0.17. |
- | choline - 5.78 mg; | - |
- | C - 3.3 mg; | - |
- | E - 0.27 mg; | - |
- | K - 29.02 mcg. | - |
Did you know? There is a very simple and effective way to determine the quality and freshness of celery stalk: break off a piece of it - a light crunch is a sign that the vegetable is fresh. If the petiole breaks silently, the quality and freshness of the product leaves much to be desired, do not buy it.
The benefits of leaf, root, stalked celery
All parts of the vegetable are to some extent useful in different cases.
First, tell about the most common beneficial properties of celery:
- stimulates blood circulation in the pelvic region, which contributes to increased sexual desire and potency in men, in addition, in the composition of the vegetable is androsterone - the male sex hormone;
- possesses a pronounced antiseptic effect;
- lowers blood pressure;
- promotes the secretion of gastric juice and improves its quality;
- It has a moderate laxative effect on the digestive tract, and a diuretic effect on the urinary system. In addition, it helps to remove sand and small stones from the kidneys;
- due to the complete set of vitamins of group B, indispensable for normal functioning of the nervous system;
- contains enzymes that stimulate digestion;
- has a beneficial effect on the brain and physical activity;
- fiber, which is rich in all parts of the plant, cleanses the intestines;
- Vegetable contains a lot of sodium (4 times less calcium), which is very useful for people whose diet includes a large amount of carbohydrates. In the event that, for any reason, it is necessary to minimize the use of table salt in food, it can be replaced with celery;
- removes toxins, due to the high content of vitamins A, C and E, is an excellent antioxidant, prevents the formation of tumors;
- boosts immunity, allows you to effectively deal with colds, viral and bacterial infections;
- helps with heartburn, normalizes the condition of the intestinal microflora;
- due to the high content of vitamin K, the vegetable has a good effect on blood clotting;
- has a sedative effect, helps with sleep problems.
Important! Regular use of freshly squeezed juices of celery, cabbage and carrots (1: 1: 1) helps to remove excess urea from the body, which is the cause of gout.
It should be said about the benefits of individual parts of the vegetable.
Let's start with the root:
- The bulk of the essential oils is concentrated in the celery root. It is these substances that normalize the activity of the central nervous system, so this part of the plant is recommended to be used by people suffering from sleep disorders, a feeling of constant fatigue and other problems associated with the nervous system.
- Root is used in the treatment of arthritis, arthrosis, lumbago, gastric and intestinal ulcers, gastritis with a low calorie content.
- Celery is the closest relative of carrots, and it also contains a fairly large number of carotenoids (mainly zeaxanthin and lutein), which have a positive effect on the organs of vision.
- The juice of the root (the root, not the stem) is used for preventive care of hair and scalp. With it you can effectively deal with dandruff, seborrhea, or simply strengthen the hair.
- Root helps to normalize sugar for people with diabetes.
- High iron content contributes to blood formation, it is useful for anemia, it normalizes the balance of salt and water, which helps to relieve swelling. This circumstance is very useful for recovery after stroke and heart attack, as well as for women during pregnancy (if there are no contraindications).
Now let's take a closer look at the properties of the green part of the vegetable:
- The ground part of the vegetable (petiole and greens), due to the high concentration of vitamins and minerals, is an excellent means to maintain the shape and replenish the forces of physically active people.
- Celery celery is especially useful for athletes because of its dietary qualities and low calorie content. Various low-calorie smoothies and cocktails based on it are an integral part of sports nutrition.
- Eating green vegetables is effective for constipation. The effect of this natural laxative is mild enough, it contributes to the normalization of the functions of the stomach and intestinal peristalsis.
- Greens have a healing effect: a compress of finely ground grapes and leaves, applied to a cut wound, promotes its rapid healing.
- Eating vegetables increases longevity. Moreover, people who use celery for a long time, do not just live to a great age, but also retain common sense and good memory.
100 grams of celery leaves contain:
Celery and weight loss
Celery is probably the most dietary vegetable: In addition to the minimum caloric content, its structure, rich in fiber, causes the gastrointestinal tract to expend some effort on its own digestion. The mechanism of weight loss is quite simple: the body spends on digesting coarse fiber, which is rich in vegetables, more energy than is contained in the vegetable itself, as a result you lose weight.
Did you know? The great poet of ancient Greece, Homer, mentions celery twice in his immortal works: according to the Iliad, the Myrmidon pastures their horses in the celery meadows. In the Odyssey, it is said that the cave of the nymph Calypso was surrounded by fields dotted with root vegetables.
In addition, the nutrients in the composition stimulate the processes of digestion, eliminate toxins, normalize stools and have a diuretic effect. That is, the question of whether people really lose weight by eating celery is not even worth it.
If you regularly use a root vegetable and its greens in cooking, you are almost guaranteed to lose a few pounds. And you will not need to sit on exhausting diets, starve yourself.
It will be enough to bring your diet back to normal, introduce root and stalked celery into it and observe several necessary conditions:
- the last evening meal should be at least 2 hours before bedtime;
- go on a fractional food: you can eat often, but little by little, do not impose yourself large portions;
- eliminate from the diet or, if you can not eliminate completely, minimize the use of fast food;
- lead an active lifestyle, move more, this is especially true for people who spend a lot of time at work sitting at the table, driving a car;
- Try to eat less carbohydrates with proteins;
- Try to eliminate as much as possible from the diet white bread made from top-grade flour, replacing it with a product from a mixture of rye flour and wheat 1st grade, or even better - eat whole-grain bread.
Find out in more detail what the therapeutic blend of lemon, honey and celery is for.
In the event that you decide to choose celery monodiet for weight loss, you should consult your doctor before starting. First of all, it concerns people with kidney problems, because the vegetable has a diuretic effect.
You should not be embarrassed by the fact that a root-based mono-diet will be monotonous. Do not forget that all parts of the vegetable are eaten, therefore, having shown imagination, you can create a rather diverse menu.
In addition, there are many thematic sites where you can find a lot of recipes for cooking various root vegetables. In order to more clearly demonstrate how varied the diet of a celery-based diet can be, we give an approximate day menu.
If it interests you, on the Web you can easily find recipes for cooking one or another dish:
- Celery soup. A wonderful first dish, in addition to excellent taste, has a lot of useful properties, nourishing and at the same time preventing weight gain.
- Root pate. It can be used as a separate main dish or as a spread for the toasts. Only instead of white bread, use bread, rye bread or whole grain bread.
- Salad of chicken breast and celery stalk. It has a wonderful original taste, in no way inferior to "harmful" salads with mayonnaise and other non-dietary products. The salad is really delicious, quite suitable for a festive table, while really useful.
- Oat patties with root vegetables. The original dish has a rather pleasant, although not quite ordinary taste. Few any other dish can be compared in effectiveness for losing weight with such meatballs.
- Tomato juice with lemon and celery. A true leader in overweight. In principle, you can eat your usual food (we are talking about more or less healthy food, not fast food), regularly drink such juice, alternating it with celery juice, and no diets are needed. Believe me, the result will surprise you: in a month you will no longer recognize your acquaintances, in a good way.
As you can see, we presented a fairly diverse menu that can be taken as a basis for developing your personal diet. And this is the menu that is used in the mono diet, that is, all of its dishes are composed of celery.
Important! When roasting, the calorie content of celery is doubled, and after heat treatment by steaming, the root crop becomes two times less caloric.
And you can simply improve your own diet, remove harmful products or their combinations from it and include the same freshly squeezed root vegetable juice or its combination with other juices.
In combination with fairly moderate exercise (evening jogs of 20-25 minutes), this will be enough to lose a few kilograms. Notice, while you practically do not change your culinary preferences.
How much to use
As you know, a lot is not always good. This statement is quite appropriate when it comes to how much celery can be eaten daily. In the absence of contraindications, a person with normal health a day without harm to the body can eat up to 140-160 grams of vegetables.
Moreover, eating vegetables should be taken in such a way that most (2/3 of the daily norm) will be eaten in the morning and afternoon. Due to the fact that the product has a slight stimulating effect, a large number of root vegetables eaten in the evening can deprive you of sleep. In the event that you eat stalked celery juice, you should not drink more than 100 ml per day.
How to properly and in what form to use
Celery is useful in any form, regardless of whether it is heat treated or not, including for weight loss.. Of course, fresh root vegetable and petioles contain more vitamins and minerals. On the other hand, thermally processed fiber irritates the walls of the stomach less, otherwise it preserves all the properties of the fresh product. Very effective mixture of various fresh juices.
Read more about the features of celery juice.
These juices go well with celery:
- carrot;
- beetroot;
- radish juice;
- tomato;
- apple;
- orange and others
Greens and seeds are an excellent seasoning, giving a spicy touch to any dish. And all these treasures belong to the same plant, all of them in varying degrees contribute to the overall improvement of the body, and in particular weight loss.
Possible contraindications to use
With moderate consumption of food, the product is normally tolerated by the body. However, in certain situations it can be harmful.
These situations include:
- idiosyncrasy, allergies;
- hypertension;
- breast-feeding;
- epilepsy;
- urinary stones;
- ulcer, gastritis with high acidity.
We advise you to familiarize yourself with the beneficial and harmful properties of celery for the human body.
If it is your situation that is indicated above or some of the listed diseases bother you, this does not mean that the vegetable is absolutely contraindicated to you. However, before taking it for food, be sure to consult with a specialist.
Useful recommendations for dieters
If you seriously decide to lose weight, you should clearly understand that the miracle means to reduce weight, harmless to health, does not exist. But the food, the consumption of which will help you achieve your goal, is, and one of these, perhaps the most effective - celery.
But losing weight is, above all, work and discipline. It is not so much about physical work (although it is very effective for weight loss), as about working on yourself and the eradication of bad habits.
A few recommendations below will help you cope with the task:
- prepare a few pieces of celery root and stalk, let them always be at hand. When you want to eat something - just chew a piece;
- try to add herbs or root vegetables to any dish, do not be afraid to experiment;
- if you do not have contraindications, sometimes you can eat a root vegetable above the specified norm. If you do not feel bad, then everything is fine. This recommendation is especially useful for those who are used to eat on nerves.
Important! A mixture of celery juice, carrots, orange or apple, may well replace the usual breakfast. At first, such an ersatz breakfast will not give a feeling of satiety, but this is only a consequence of the habit of filling the stomach with food. In fact, this mixture of fresh juice has a high nutritional value, and with its help you can finish off until lunch or at least until late breakfast.The benefits of celery have long been known and can not be doubted. The frequent presence of the root and its greens in your diet will not only help you lose weight, but will also improve the body as a whole.