Celery

his is part one in a new Food of the Month series on "produce outcasts." In the coming months this newsletter will have a succession of articles that feature a healthy produce item that is often maligned or overlooked for various reasons. This month we will begin with celery, a distinctive vegetable that is often dismissed as nutrient poor.

Most people think that celery is about as nutritious as iceberg lettuce, which is not saying much. I have to admit that I thought it was, too, until I had a delicious celery root soup and decided to do a little research…

It turns out that like iceberg, celery does have a high water content, but that just means that it's very low in calories. Surprisingly, it's nutritious, too. Celery is an excellent source of vitamin K, which is important for blood clotting and calcium absorption. It's also a good source of vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps boost the immune system. Folate and potassium are present, as well. Folate acts as an anti-inflammatory to protect against heart attacks and it helps prevent birth defects. Potassium, as you may know, is an essential part of a blood pressure-lowering diet. There are also two unusual phytonutrients in celery: quercetin and apigenin. Quercetin has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy properties and it helps promote brain and prostate health. Apigenin may help inhibit tumor growth, especially those in the prostate. As for the calories, there are only six per rib-a nutritional bargain!

You many not be familiar with celery root (also called celeriac). It is the root of the celery but it is grown solely for the use of the root. It is about the size of a large potato and it is gnarled, hairy and ugly in appearance. It does have some wonderful flavor to offer, though. It tastes like a combination of celery and parsley.

Celery and celery root are always in season and they are usually grown locally in California. When shopping for celery, choose tight bunches of light green glossy ribs with healthy-looking leaves. Look for roots that are free of soft spots and bruises. When you bring your celery and celeriac home, store them in plastic bags in the crisper drawer for up to two weeks. If the celery seems wilted towards the end of its storage life, separate the ribs and submerge them briefly in ice water to help perk them up. Wash the items just before you're ready to eat or cook with them. Celery root must be scrubbed and peeled. Both items can be eaten raw or cooked. When eaten raw, the inner ribs of the celery tend to be more tender, but you can always peel the outer ribs with a vegetable peeler if they are too stringy. Raw celery makes a great crunchy snack, especially when paired with a little almond butter (which has a healthier fat profile than peanut butter). You can also dip it into cottage cheese or some seasoned unsweetened yogurt. Raw celeriac can be shaved or julienned for salads. My favorite use for celery and its root is in soups, where it sautés beautifully with onions, leeks and carrots as a base. This month, try my recipe for Celeriac Potato Leek Soup.

Milk and Tea Don't Mix

ou may have heard by now that tea is healthy for you. Black, green and white teas, in particular, are rich in antioxidants that are good for your heart and may protect against cancer. Tea also helps to improve blood vessel relaxation and contraction, lower cholesterol, restore arterial function after a heart attack, make the blood less "sticky" to help prevent heart attacks and strokes, and neutralize cancer-causing free radicals. Tea's cardio-protective quality is largely due to its high levels of catechins, a type of polyphenol that is also found in wine.

However, the salutary effect of tea is lost if you add milk to it, as the British tend to do. Japanese populations who drink about six cups of green tea a day (without milk) enjoy very low rates of heart disease and cancer, while British populations, who also drink a lot of tea but typically add milk, have higher rates of heart disease and cancer. A recent study published in the European Heart Journal looks at the effect of adding milk to black tea and found that the addition of milk completely blunted the heart benefits of the tea. They suspect that the protein in the milk binds to the catechins and prevents them from working their magic on vessels and arteries.

Though this study only looked at black tea, which contains lower amounts of catechins than green tea, it would be safe to assume that the same result would occur from a green tea and milk combination. It is also unclear whether any type of protein (such as soy protein in soy milk) would bind to the catechins or if it's just milk protein that has the undesirable effect. If you drink tea or would like to start drinking it, I recommend a green or white tea (but hold the milk!).