Stalk Options - Celery

Stalk Options - Celery

There's a lot culinary life in celery than the diet crowd lets on. And research shows it can help prevent memory loss, blood pressure and may even inhibit cancer.

Nutrition Know-How

A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition shows that luteolin — a bioactive plant compound found in celery, carrots, peppers, olive oil, peppermint, rosemary and chamomile — reduces age-related inflammation in the brain and may help prevent memory loss.

Celery contains coumarins, compounds that help prevent free radicals from damaging cells. Coumarins also enhance the ability of certain white blood cells to eliminate harmful cells, including cancer cells.

One serving of raw celery — about two to three stalks, or a little more than 1 cup chopped — provides 44 percent of the daily suggested amount of vitamin K (good for blood and bones) and 14 percent of vitamin C(an immune-system booster).

Celery is a good source of potassium, calcium and magnesium, all associated with reduced blood pressure.

The acetylenics in celery have been shown to inhibit tumor growth.

Celery contains active compounds called phthalides, which contribute to celery’s distinctive aroma and help lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, improve circulation and aid detoxification.

Nutritional Value:

• One cup of celery contains 15% of your daily value (DV) for vitamin C, a vitamin that helps to support the immune system. Vitamin C-rich foods like celery may help reduce cold symptoms or severity of cold symptoms.
• One cup of celery also contains about 40% of your DV for vitamin K. Vitamin K is commonly known to aid in blood clotting. When the body is injured, vitamin K initiates the process of healing by slowing and stopping the bleeding. Vitamin K also helps the body absorb the beneficial mineral calcium.
• Celery’s potential for reducing high blood pressure has long been recognized by Chinese medicine practitioners. Celery contains active compounds called phthalides, which can help relax the muscles around arteries and allow those vessels to dilate. With more space inside the arteries, the blood can flow at a lower pressure. Phthalides also reduce stress hormones, one of whose effects is to cause blood vessels to constrict.
• Celery is a diuretic. It is rich in both potassium and sodium, the minerals most important for regulating fluid balance, stimulates urine production, thus helping to rid the body of excess fluid.
• Celery contains compounds called coumarins that help prevent free radicals from damaging cells, thus decreasing the mutations that increase the potential for cells to become cancerous. Coumarins also enhance the activity of certain white blood cells, immune defenders that target and eliminate potentially harmful cells, including cancer cells.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Celery, Raw 1.00 cup 19.20 calories Nutrient Amount DV (%) Nutrient Density Healthy Food Rating vitamin C 8.40 mg 14.0 13.1 excellent potassium 344.40 mg 9.8 9.2 very good folate 33.60 mcg 8.4 7.9 very good dietary fiber 2.04 g 8.2 7.7 very good molybdenum 6.00 mcg 8.0 7.5 very good manganese 0.12 mg 6.0 5.6 very good vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 0.10 mg 5.0 4.7 very good calcium 48.00 mg 4.8 4.5 good vitamin B1 (thiamin) 0.06 mg 4.0 3.8 good magnesium 13.20 mg 3.3 3.1 good vitamin A 160.80 IU 3.2 3.0 good tryptophan 0.01 g 3.1 2.9 good phosphorus 30.00 mg 3.0 2.8 good vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 0.05 mg 2.9 2.8 good iron 0.48 mg 2.7 2.5 good

Tips for preparing celery:

To clean celery, cut off the base and leaves, then wash the leaves and stalks under running water. Cut the stalks into pieces of desired length. If the outside of the celery stalk has fibrous strings, remove them by making a thin cut into one end of the stalk and peeling away the fibers. Be sure to use the leaves-they contain the most vitamin C, calcium and potassium-but use them within a day or two as they do not store very well.

Celery should not be kept at room temperature for too long since, because of its high water content, it has a tendency to wilt quickly. If you have celery that has wilted, sprinkle it with a little water and place it in the refrigerator for several hours where it will regain its crispness.

Kitchen Tricks

• Try adding chopped celery to dishes that may need a little boost of fresh flavor or texture. Both celery’s saltiness and crunch bring out the best in otherwise simple backgrounds, like tuna and egg salad sandwiches.

• To crisp up raw celery before serving, soak it in cold water.

• The outer stalks of a head of celery tend to be stronger flavored. Use these in soups, stuffings or sauces when you want more pungent flavors. The delicate inner stalks are great sautéed and added to milder dishes like rice pilaf, risotto, sauces, or soups like cream of celery or broccoli.

• Various cuts (diced, julienned, chiffonade, grated, puréed) bring out celery’s diverse qualities. Celery, thinly sliced, makes an excellent base for green and vegetable salads of all kinds.

• Don’t be afraid to experiment — or to begin using celery as a staple ingredient, like food guru Dorothy Kalins does. She writes: “Celery is my onion; a rough dice with carrots is the way my cooking starts. The aroma of celery softening in oil confirms for me a kind of primal connection.