Celery is a fantastic vegetable providing both fiber and natural water content. Celery is about 95% water, very alkaline and can be easily eaten anywhere, anytime as a handy weight loss snack.
Being both alkaline and of high water content, celery is perfect for smokers who have decided to quit and want to make sure their blood and body chemistry stays on the alkaline side. Those people removing the habit will often release enough toxins into the blood that it starts to become acidic and celery is a great way to balance that out. If you’ve just quit, keep celery handy and snack on it often.
3 Weight Loss Tips Using Celery
Celery can be eaten combined with almost anything. Here are 3 of my personal favorite celery snacks
1. Celery Stalks and Hummus – While I’m preparing a meal, I often snack on celery and hummus. Hummus is a dip made with Chick Peas (Garbonzo beans, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and often cayenne pepper. Darlene will be posting a Hummus recipe soon. Taken with you to work, Hummus can be eaten with celery, carrots, sliced peppers or any other raw vegetable or whole grain crisp bread crackers like Ryvita crackers (www.ryvita.com). Opt out of the wheat crackers and choose whole grain rye instead. High in fiber, low in calories and great with Hummus. I like the sesame rye crackers which contain only whole grain rye, sesame seeds, salt and that’s it.
2. Celery Stalks and Almond Butter – I often have this before bed as I simply love almond butter. Almond butter is a staple in our home and has been for years. The value of raw almonds is undeniable and is a staple of vegetarians and vegans alike. Lots of protein, vitamins and minerals, the almond is one nut that can be turned into a scrumptious butter. Simply spread some Almond butter onto a few pieces of raw celery and eat. This is another great snack that can be taken to work, in the car while traveling or eaten before bed like I do. For many, the good fats in the almond butter help a person sleep.
3. Celery Stalks and Hard Boiled Eggs – The egg is my own personal daily staple for protein. I choose local farm raised eggs from chickens allowed to eat grass and bugs like they were meant to. Egg’s supply a large amount of complete, high-quality protein, and provide significant amounts of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. They are also one of the least expensive single-food sources of complete protein. One large chicken egg contains approximately 7 grams of protein. Boil a dozen eggs and then take 3 with you to work to eat during a break with a little sea salt and black pepper. Add in a few celery stalks and you’ve got a nutritious snack, low in calories and fat, and which provides a 21 grams of protein.
You’ve heard that celery is a negative calorie food I’m sure. This means that it takes more energy to digest celery than celery provides. Celery is 95% water and is made up of cellulose. Cellulose can’t be broken down, resulting in the reverse energy load (my term, I just made that up). Thought to be a myth by many looking for an easy weight loss snack, Snopes was brought into it ….
The calories in food are a measure of energy content. For something we eat to be a source of “negative calories,” it must provide fewer of these units of energy than we expend in consuming it. Yet everything contains calories, so at first this concept appears impossible. Therefore, the hunt is on for ingestibles whose energy content is not released into our bodies because we humans lack the ability to break them down - it doesn’t matter how many calories these goodies have, provided we can’t extract them. Cellulose in plants is one such substance: although it contains a goodly amount of carbohydrates, they are packaged in a form we cannot digest, so we fail to absorb their calories. (source)
Celery was also strongly endorsed in the Cayce readings (Edgar Cayce) for its nutritional value and specific use as a nerve building food or medicine. Celery is rich in phosphorus, silicon, iron, and calcium. As part of a balanced diet, celery can help improve alkalinity which helps ward off infectious tendencies.
Because celery is of high water content, it’s great for before, during or after a meal when you want some water but don’t want to dilute your digestive juices.
Celery is a great all around snack for dieters or anyone simply wanting to increase their natural water intake or lower their alkalinity such as new non smokers or anyone with acidocis. These 3 weight loss tips are provided to give you some good food choices and healthy snack ideas for eating on the go at work or traveling.
Articel by : www.formerfatguyblog.com
