Why I’ve chosen celery over chocolate

Up until a few weeks ago, chocolate was always my first choice when it came to snacks. But one day, after two or three hours of work, when snack time came I had no chocolate, no biscuits, nothing of the kind. I turned the fridge upside down looking for something fast, something energizing and tasty, hopefully with some chocolaty taste in it.

All I found was the usual food: Cheese, vegetables… And, at the bottom of the fridge drawer, a bunch of celery which I’d bought the day before and had forgotten about.So I broke a piece, washed it and ate it.

I had never eaten raw celery before so this was a new culinary experience.  It’s actually became one of my favorite fresh veggies.  It’s salty, refreshing and more like a fruit combined with a vegetable. But does it actually contain any healthy goodies to give me a stronger reason to keep eating it?
So I did some digging and I’ld like to share why celery has become one of my favourite fresh veggies.

Celery has a lot of nutritional benefits : Its leaves contain a high percentage of vitamin A, whilst the stems are rich in vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C with excellent supplies of potassium, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and plenty essential amino acids.

But what about its health benefits?

• Celery has always been associated with lowering of blood pressure, This is caused by a compound called phtalides, which helps relax the muscles around arteries, dilating the vessels and allowing blood to flow normally.
• Celery juice effectively balances the pH in your blood, resulting in neutralizing acidity. It also acts as a post-workout tonic, replacing lost electrolytes and rehydrates in the athletes’ body with its rich minerals.
• It also contains at least eight families of anti-cancer compounds, so it’s a very powerful weapon against this disease.
• Celery is highly effective in reducing the level of total cholesterol in our body. It’s also has a cooling effect, especially if consumed cold during dry and hot weather. It helps normalise the body temperature in the most natural way.
• It can also help relieve constipation, being a lot more effective than any man-made laxatives. The polyacetylene found  in celery is also an amazing relief for all inflammation like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, asthma and bronchitis.
• The organic alkaline minerals contained in the celery juice have an extremely calming effect on the nervous system, which turns this natural drink into the perfect cure for insomniacs.
• And yes, ladies, it does help with weight loss too. Celery juice helps curb your cravings for sweets and rich food.

Now you can see why I’ve chosen to replace chocolate with celery as my snack of choice.