I come to you from my couch for the first time since last Wednesday (we've done something every night since last Wednesday... this couch feels like HEAVEN!) with a green tea in hand hoping to see a thunder storm tonight :). I love watching thunder storms... watching the lightening hit the CN Tower. It's so neat. Fingers crossed!
Hello there :)
I realized today that I haven't done a "Food For Thought" in a really long time. I'm not sure why. I haven't posted much of a recipe in a while either. That changes real soon! I'm going to be making some delicious pesto chicken this evening for my dinner and I will post the recipe probably tomorrow night. I also haven't really updated you on my school for a while. I am currently doing a series of case studies... 14 in total, and I'm having people fill out Lifestyle Assessment Forms so that I can complete these on my vacation (which is coming on Thursday!!! Eeeeee!!!!). I'm excited to get these over with, although I won't be submitting them until school is back in the fall. Le sigh. Good thing I have a TON of work to keep me busy during the summer months.Random side note - are you as excited for Arrested Development to come back on the 26th as I am? AHH I will be watching all of the episodes in one day while I'm off. Just sayin...
Anyways.. I was thinking about Food For Thought today and the first thing that kind of "popped" into my mind was celery. Weird, I know. Celery is a "hit or miss" for most people, either you love it or you don't. I know some people really enjoy celery raw but hate it cooked, or vice versa. I love celery any sort of way. Seriously. I've always loved it... HOWEVER.. I only love the really light coloured celery that isn't stringy and doesn't get stuck in your teeth. I know you know what I mean. Lately I've really been loving celery juice. I use it as my base in my green juices, I just add some kale for color (and vitamins and minerals of course!) and an apple or two for sweetness.
Pretty right?
So obviously, today's Food For Thought is going to be about celery!First off - we need to debunk the myth that celery is just full of water... it's not! It's full of vitamins A, B, C and K as well as potassium, magnesium and calcium! Most importantly however, it's most important for providing us with phytonutrients, which helps us keep healthy hearts and may play a role in preventing cancer! Nothing wrong about that, huh! So besides that - why should you introduce (or re-introduce, or put as a starting role) celery into your diet?
1. Preserving Brain Health. Celery contains a compound called L-3-N Butylphtalide and a recent study showed that this compound may play a role in preventing the accumulation of brain plaques that can cause Alzheimers.
2. Preventing Urinary Tract Infections. I'm no stranger to these (TMI?). I've gotten them since I was a young kid which I'm convinced was caused by spending a day sitting and dancing on a cold arena floor back home, and once you have one you become prone to them.. but that's not the point... anything I can do to help prevent these from happening, I'm going to do!! (I haven't had one in a long time, fingers crossed). Thanks to all of the water in celery and it's diuretic properties, it's been used for a very long time in places such as Trinidad and Tobago to help treat UTIs.
3. Repels Mosquitoes Naturally. Haha random.. however this is true! This has been tested and all results have come out the same. The oil extracted from celery repels all species of mosquitoes when used topically on the skin, with no side effects. What? That's so cool!
4. Keep Your Blood Pressure Down. There are compounds in celery called phthalides, and they have a two-fold effect on lowering blood pressure. They relax the smooth muscle surrounding the arterial walls which cuts the work that your heart does to pump blood through the body.
5. Boosts Your Man's Fertility. In combination with Vitamin E, celery oil can boost sperm count and motility. Celery contains aldosterone, a metabolic product of testosterone and the Vitamin E reduces oxidation which creates the best environment for the sperm to mature.
(source)
Neat huh? I love learning all of the neat and quirky benefits that different foods give us. Mosquito repellent? Haha - hilarious! I had no idea!
Q: Are you a fan of the celery?
Q: What is something that you put celery in that's your favourite?
PS - A HUGE thank you to Under Armour and Under Armour Women and their campaign for What's Beautiful 3.0. Today I received some AMAZING products from them in the mail - it was like Christmas when I got the mail!
#IWILL be using these a ton... I'm already wearing one of the headbands and have tried everything on as well. The shoes are a great fit and the tank is SO comfortable. Under Armour really does have amazing products and I can't help but want to kill it in the gym when I have it on. Thanks again guys - this is so generous of you and I'm so appreciative.
