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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Celery, Nutrition Information And Facts

The health benefits of celery are more than just lowering blood pressure. They also contain at least eight families of anti-cancer compounds to combat cancer

Celery is from the same family with parsley and fennel, the Umbelliferae family. It can grow to the height of up to 16 inches. The white celery is grown shaded from direct sunlight, thus has less chlorophyll, compared to its greener counterparts.

The ribs of celery are crunchy and are often used to make soup or salad. It has a salty taste, so celery juice is a good mix with the sweeter fruit juices. Depending on variety, some may taste very salty.

Nutritional Benefits

Celery leaves has high content of vitamin A, whilst the stems are an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C with rich supplies of potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and plenty essential amino acids.

Nutrients in the fiber are released during juicing, aiding bowel movements. The natural organic sodium (salt) in celery is very safe for consumption, in fact is essential for the body. Even individuals who are salt-sensitive can safely take the sodium in celery, unlike table salt (iodised sodium) which is harmful for those with high blood pressure.
While many foods lose nutrients during cooking, most of the compounds in celery hold up well during cooking.

Health Benefits

Celery has always been associated with lowering of blood pressure. When combined with other juices, it provides different formula that help other conditions.

Recent studies have shown that celery might also be effective in combating cancer.

Some of the health benefits of celery juice:

Acidity:
The important minerals in this magical juice effectively balance the body's blood pH, neutralizing acidity.

Athletes:
Celery juice acts as the perfect post-workout tonic as it replaces lost electrolytes and rehydrates the body with its rich minerals.

Cancer:

Celery is known to contain at least eight families of anti-cancer compounds. Among them are the acetylenics that have been shown to stop the growth of tumor cells. Phenolic acids which block the action of prostaglandins that encourage the growth of tumor cells. And coumarins which help prevent free radicals from damaging cells.

Cholesterol:
This humble pale juice has been shown to effectively and significantly lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Colon and stomach cancer:

The phytochemical coumarins prevent the formation and development of the colon and stomach cancers.

Constipation:

The natural laxative effect of celery helps to relieve constipation. It also helps relax nerves that have been overworked by man-made laxatives.

Cooling:
During dry and hot weather, drink a glass of celery juice two or three times a day, between meals. It wonderfully helps to normalize body temperature.

Diuretic:
The potassium and sodium in celery juice helps to regulate body fluid and stimulate urine production, making it an important help to rid the body of excess fluid.

Inflammation:
The polyacetylene in celery is an amazing relief for all inflammation like rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, asthma and bronchitis.

Kidney function:

Celery promotes healthy and normal kidney function by aiding elimination of toxins from the body. While eliminating toxins, it also prevents formation of kidney stones.

Lower blood pressure:

Drinking celery juice every day for a week significantly helps lower blood pressure. A compound called phtalides help relax the muscle around arteries, dilating the vessels and allowing blood to flow normally. To be effective, drink the juice for one week, stop for three weeks, and start over.

Nervous system:
The organic alkaline minerals in celery juice has a calming effect on the nervous system, making it a wonderful drink for insomniacs.

Weight loss:
Drink celery juice frequently throughout the day. It helps curb your cravings for sweets and rich food.

Urinary stones, breaking of:
The diuretic effect of celery juice also aids the breaking and elimination of urinary and gall bladder stones.

You can expect many more healing benefits from celery juice as you consume its natural sodium. Read how our body lacks and have been deprived of, natural salt.

Consumption Tips
Choose green celery where possible for its chlorophyll. Ensure that the ribs are still firm, not limp. To store in the fridge, wrap celery in a sealed container or wrap in a plastic bag or a damp cloth.
Do not leave it at room temperature for too long as it tends to wilt quickly. If your celery has wilted, sprinkle it with a little water and put it in the refrigerator for a few hours. It will regain its crispness.

Caution
Celery is such a succulent plant that it produces its own "pesticide" to protect itself from fungi. This protective layer is called psoralens which although protects the celery, may not go down so well with some people.

If you begin having skin problems after eating celery, it might mean that you have some sensitivity to psoralens.

Some people with low blood pressure had complained that celery makes their blood pressure even lower. I personally didn't encounter that problem so I believe it is also your overall make-up. But, you might want to avoid celery if you have low blood pressure. Listen to your body when you take celery.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Malunggay

I love eating malunggay leaves and its fruits not only because of its nutritional benefits but it also taste so good to me. I love to mix the leaves when cooking beans and the fruits when cooking pinakbet. It's a good thing we have a lot of malunggay plants in our yard so we don't have to buy it. I know some benefits of malunggay but I read more of its benefits from an FB friend so I just want to share it here. The more will I eat malunggay now. Yummy!

Here are the health benefits of Malunggay:

1. Malunggay leaves helps strengthens the immune system.

2. Malunggay can help restores skin condition, controls blood pressure, relieves headaches and migraines.

3. Malunggay tea can help strengthen the eye muscles.

4. Malunggay tea can help heal inflammation of the joints and tendons.

5. Malunggay tea can prevent intestinal worms.

6. Malunggay can help increase semen count.

7. Malunggay help normalize blood sugar level therefore preventing diabetes.

8. Malunggay has anti-cancer compounds (phytochemicals) that help stop the growth of cancer cells.

9. Malunggay helps relax and promotes good night sleep.

10. Malunggay tea is used to treat fever and asthma.

11. Malunggay help heals ulcers.

12. Malunggay is high in calcium (four times the calcium in milk), therefore lactating mothers are advised to consume malunggay leaves to produce more milk for their babies. The young malunggay leaves are also boiled and taken as tea.

13. Malunggay contains three times the potassium in bananas.

14. Malunggay contain four times the vitamin A in carrots. An ounce of malunggay has the same Vitamin C content as seven oranges.

 15. Malunggay leaves contain two times the protein in milk.

16. Malunggay seed is used to clean dirty or polluted water. Malunggay is a very diverse plant in terms of its medicinal characteristics. It is universally known as Moringga. It is a rich source of vitamins, amino acids, and various nutrients which provides the needed energy to the body.

Its pods are edible. malunggay is mostly grown in the backyard. You can ask for them from a neighbor and they are given for free. They are cooked together with eggplant, ampalaya, tomatoes, and sitaw in a dish called pinakbet.

Its leaves are also incorporated in various dishes such as tinola, monggo and other kinds of meat dishes. They are used mostly by postpartum mothers in order to produce breast milk for the baby. These leaves are added to soups which the mother drinks in large amount. Nowadays, malunggay leaves are already available in capsule form and can be bought as over the counter drugs for breastfeeding women.