Celery is part of a Vast Conspiracy

Yep. I really think it is.

Celery. A boring green stick of watery nothingness. As a young girl trying to lose weight, that’s how I thought of it. And other than it’s EXTREMELY low in calories and high in fibre, nobody is told of its other awesome benefits.

Unfortunately, my friend Karen will now stop reading, because she does not eat it 🙁

But for the rest of us: do you actually know that celery is full of anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals etc. etc.?

So WHY is no one talking about celery????

Could it be it’s some sort of vast conspiracy by those who don’t want its price to go up when everyone finds out that it’s…gasp… nearly a SUPERfood? After all: look how blueberry prices skyrocketed when scientists mentioned their many health benefits in 1999. Before then, it was just a small round fruit that rolled around on your plate. Much like a sour squishy pea.

But then we found out that blueberry was a S U P E R fruit and we all wanted it! And due to its popularity, now it’s a highly priced delicacy to be savoured like exquisite champagne.

The SCLS (Secret Celery Lovers Society..only a few members worldwide..and I am actually not one of them) probably doesn’t want this price hike to happen to their favourite food.

Therefore let’s look at its truly impressive health benefits; and then I will share this story how a friend of mine put on weight by including lots of celery in her diet.

You simply must read my post so you can avoid the same fate 😉

I’ll start with the fact that it is still not an expensive item to add to your healthy selection of foods. At 16 calories per cup of chopped celery, it is also VERY low in calories. So my other friend, let’s call her Isabel, purchased a huge bunch and decided that it was going to be her go-to snack during the afternoon. It was either that or a chocolate bar. I suggested the celery and won.

When she read in the Annals Of Internal Medicine how celery’s high fibre content genuinely  benefits weight loss, Isabel happily munched on it in between meals. Already in 1992, a study from the University Of Chicago Medical Centre also discovered celery to be a surprising weapon in the fight against hypertension.

In addition there’s a study that shows celery is a low acid vegetable containing a chemical called phthalide that reduced bad cholesterol levels by 7 percent and blood pressure by 14 percent. So now she knew she was on to a good thing.

Celery seeds and in a lesser way, celery itself is a natural diuretic and it is also rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants (anti-cancer!) It contains anti-inflammatory properties and high amounts of Vitamin K, a compound assisting healthy blood clotting and transportation of calcium in the body.

So far so good.

But then Isabel read something really silly: that celery has ‘negative effect calories’.

Groan.

Can you believe this?

The seriously incorrect info she read was that ‘one uses up more calories to metabolise it than the celery contains’.

Eye rolling.

And here’s where she started to lose the plot. You see, she really did not like celery that much. (does anyone?) As a stick here and there, well, yeah, she was ok with it. But when she decided to increase her consumption to more than those measly two sticks a day…..she needed to make it tastier.

Unfortunately Isabel read another stupid internet comment: ‘fat does not make you fat’.

HUH?? (One of my pet hate statements out there in info land. Remember: small amounts are good for you. Even important. But lots of fat DOES make you fat)

Armed with all this *clever* information, Isabel decided to create very tasty snack for herself: she filled the celery sticks with big blobs of cashew nut or almond butter. Yummo. Pure Heaven. This way she was able to eat more celery for the fibre and its healthy giving ingredients and enjoy the delicious creaminess of the nut butters, which after all contained good fats, protein and fibre.

However, when your goal is losing body fat…a teaspoon or two per day is enough. But the Nut Butter Mountains that Isabel enjoyed were just way too much for her frame.

And that’s how my friend put on weight eating celery!

After a little while we cottoned on to this crazy thing she was doing and stopped her fattening up process. So now it’s only 2 teaspoons of nut butter per day and the rest of the celery sticks are eaten totally naked.

Um, the celery sticks are naked.

Not Isabel.

Lesson learned: all food in moderation please! Even if it’s known to be good for you, such as nut butters.

Until next time, yours in health,