How to Use Celery to Alleviate Constipation
Celery is a very fresh vegetable that’s rich in fiber and water. People include it in many different dishes, and more recently, in shakes and juices.
Many people believe that it helps to stimulate the appetite, improve digestion and alleviate constipation naturally. Additionally, many people consider it to be a complementary source of hydration, when eaten fresh (alone, or with a little bit of hummus), as a snack during the summer.
In this article, we tell you more about the health benefits of celery and how can use it alleviate constipation and regulate your digestive function.
Celery to alleviate constipation
The experts at the Spanish Foundation for Nutrition ( Fundación Española de la Nutrición (FEN) ) claim that celery is a source of fiber, protein, potassium, and flavonoids. It’s a low-energy food, but very refreshing when you consume it with water. In addition, the experts comment that:
“It also contains flavonids, among which we can mention myricetin, quercetin, and kaempfero (flavonols), and luteolin and apigenin (flavones). Alternatively, celery seed oil contains a volatile oil (apiol), and phthalides. These are naturally ocurring substances that have effects on the gastric mucosa.”
When you eat it fresh and regularly, in a balanced diet, it can improve your intestinal transit and therefore is good for evacuating your bowels. For that reason, many people believe it’s useful to alleviate constipation.
1. Celery juice
Due to the high fiber content in celery juice, it’s an excellent remedy to alleviate constipation. However, because of its strong taste, we recommend you add some fruits like apple, pear, or pineapple. You can also make celery juice in a savory recipe like gazpacho, using tomato, cucumber, pepper, and garlic.
Celery has a diuretic effect, due to its water content, which helps eliminate toxins. This makes it a good choice if you want to lose weight healthily.
We recommend you drink it occasionally to avoid straining your kidney function.
2. Celery and vegetable broth
Celery perfectly blends with all kinds of vegetables: potatoes, leeks, onion, garlic, carrots, cabbage, zucchini, squash, etc.
These delicious and light broths help you lose weight through their satiating properties. They’re also an excellent side-dish for a healthy dinner. However, if you want an option with more consistency, you can blend some of the vegetables with the broth in order to make it creamier or make a soup.
Cconsuming celery in broth or as a creamy soup can both help to alleviate constipation.
3. Smoothie for constipation
Below, we share an effective celery-based smoothie that can alleviate constipation naturally:
Ingredients
- 1 apple
- 1 celery stalk
- 3 prunes
- 1 cup of water (1/2 pint)
- ½ cup of ground almonds (1 1/5 oz.)
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds (1/2 oz.)
Instructions
- The evening before, soak the chia seeds and the prunes in the cup of water.
- Add all ingredients to the blender, including the chia seeds and prunes without the pips, and water.
- Wash the apple and cut it into chunks, without peeling it.
- Remove the apple seeds and use the rest.
- Blend it all until you get a smooth texture.
- If it’s too thick you can add more water.
How to consume
- Specialists believe that the best time to drink this celery smoothie to regulate your intestinal function is in the morning before breakfast.
- Half an hour after, you can eat breakfast as normal to ensure that it has a cleaning effect on the intestines.
- You can drink this smoothie for several days until your intestinal transit is regular. If your diet is usually lacking in fiber, the first few days you may notice that your constipation worsens, but this is just part of the adaption process.
- During the day, we recommend you drink a lot of water to help your body to digest the fiber. If you do the opposite, you could make your intestinal blockage worse.
Final considerations
On its own, no celery-based remedy to alleviate constipation can cure the problem. However, it can help if you pair it with good life habits.
Additionally, it’s important to highlight that no homemade remedy can substitute medically prescribed treatment. If your constipation persists in spite of following a balanced diet that’s rich in fiber, you must consult your doctor at once to rule out any serious health problems.