The health benefits of celery are more than just an aid for losing weight or quitting smoking. Celery contains over 40 percent of the required daily amount of vitamin K and almost 15 percent of the necessary vitamin C for the day. However, celery has other benefits besides containing vitamins and minerals.

Besides being low in calories and a great substitute for higher calorie dishes, celery also lowers blood pressure. Celery contains phtalides that relax the muscles that surround the arteries. This allows the arteries to dilate and the blood to flow easily, which lowers the blood pressure. The most effective way to use celery for blood pressure is the use of celery juice. Drink it for a week, cease for three weeks and then begin the cycle over again.

Celery contain many different phytochemicals, one of them is coumarin. A study by Lee W. Wattenberg, Luke K.T. Lam and Alan V. Fladmoe of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Patholody at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, demonstrated that coumarin prevented abnormal cell proliferation of the stomach and breast in mice. Abnormal cell proliferation is the growth of abnormal cells that form a tumor, some are benign, and others are precancerous or cancerous.

Other constituents of celery, acetylenics, also stop the growth of tumors. The phenolic acids in celery block the prostaglandins from doing their job of stimulating tumors to grow. Combine that with the effects of coumarins, you have a cancer fighting vegetable. The coumarins also act as antioxidants to protect the cells.

Another health benefit of celery is the ability to lower cholesterol. Celery not only lowers overall cholesterol, it has the ability to lower the LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol.

Not only do the sodium and potassium content of celery juice help regulate the amount of bodily fluid and increase the production of urine, which makes it a powerful diuretic, it also aids the functioning of the kidneys. It's diuretic action helps eliminate the toxins from the body and by doing so, helps prevent kidney stones. That same action helps eliminate other stones in the urinary tract and gallbladder stones.

Inflammation from diseases such as osteoarthritis, gout and rheumatoid arthritis receive help from the polyacetylene contained in celery. Other diseases that bring inflammation to the tissue lining of the lungs and throat, such as asthma and bronchitis also benefit from the relief brought by celery.

Celery is an effective nerve tonic. If you have jingly nerves that keep you awake at night, consider a glass of celery juice to ease you into slumber. The calcium, an alkaline mineral, in celery helps calm your nerves and promote a good night's sleep.

If you're an athlete, throw out those expensive sports drinks. Put some cold celery into your and make your own after work out drink. Celery juice contains many different minerals, replaces the electrolytes and refreshingly rehydrates the body.

It seems the most nutritious foods contain the fewest calories and celery certainly is one of those. You'll do your body a favor by adding fresh celery or celery juice to your diet. You will find that the health benefit of celery has so few calories; you can eat as much as you want without worry of putting on extra weight.

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