In the Middle Ages, celery was attributed to magical properties. Modern dietetics confirms its unique nutritional value by including a vegetable in the famous “Mediterranean diet”. One of the varieties of this popular culture is schnitt celery (leaf, tear-off). Consider the properties due to which it gained wide popularity.

Did you know? The widely publicized “negative calorie content” (the theory that the body spends more calories on processing a product than received with it) is questioned by reputable scientists, since any product other than water provides the body with a certain amount of energy. This also applies to celery, whose calorific value is greater than zero, even taking into account the thermogenic effect (for processing a vegetable, the body burns 10-15% of the calories obtained).

Calorie content and chemical composition

The vitamin composition of shnitt celery is an order of magnitude higher than the root. In addition, the leaves are even less high-calorie than the roots. The table below shows the indicators of vitamin-mineral composition and energy value of 100 g of the product.

Effect on the body

The effect of celery on the human body is due to its chemical composition.

Benefit

• This vegetable has a rather specific taste and smell, but the benefits of its use are undeniable:
• promotes control of body weight due to the content of coarse fibers and the absence of fat;
• removes low density lipoproteins from the body (harmful cholesterol), preventing the development of cardiovascular diseases;
• calms the nervous system, a natural antidepressant;
• aphrodisiac, a positive effect on potency;
• has a diuretic effect, helping to fight hypertension;
• Being an antioxidant, it helps fight premature skin aging, which is why it is often included in the diet of women.

Important! If the green has turned yellow, moreover, it rots - this is evidence that there are no useful substances left in it. The sheet should be resilient, softness indicates its immaturity.

Harm

• When eating leaf celery, the following nuances should be taken into account:
• this vegetable belongs to fairly strong allergens;
• it can negatively affect the condition of patients with epilepsy;
• fresh has a laxative effect, therefore, people with problem intestines are recommended to use leaves after heat treatment;
• hypotonics need to use celery with caution so as not to cause an even greater decrease in pressure;
• during lactation, a vegetable may add an unpleasant aftertaste to breast milk.

Contraindications

Schnitt celery is contraindicated in:

• suffering from circulatory disorders (thrombosis, varicose veins, vasculitis);
• people with high acidity;
• with exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases (gastritis, colitis);
• with severe violations of the liver and kidneys;
• with bites of poisonous insects and poisoning (may increase intoxication)

Consumption rate per day

Despite all the benefits of shnitte-celery, when using it, you should follow the measure. The consumption rate of a vegetable is not more than 150 g per day. People prone to kidney stones are not recommended to exceed the norm of 80 g per day, otherwise they may experience renal colic.

Important! Celery, like parsley, is contraindicated for pregnant women, as it contains an antispasmodic agent, apiol, which enhances uterine contractions.

Cooking Application

Leaf celery is used:

• in salads;
• in vegetable stews;
• as a spice during preservation (it goes especially well with canned tomatoes and tomato juice);
• fresh and dried as a seasoning for soups (especially fish);
• for decorating dishes.

Features of the selection and storage of celery leaf

Schnitt-celery is most beneficial and pleases with its taste in the summer, starting in June. Vegetables purchased in the supermarket in the winter are significantly different from the summer for the worse. Regardless of the season, when buying celery, you need to ensure that the leaves are not yellow. When crushing them with fingers, juice and a characteristic aroma should be felt.

Important! Drying is the more preferred way to store celery leaf: it contains a large amount of moisture, which badly affects defrosting, in addition, more vitamins are stored in dried herbs.

Fresh schnitt celery cannot boast such a long shelf life as its root congener. It is advisable to eat leaves within a few days after purchase to get the maximum nutrients. Greens should not be stored in a bag to avoid decay, it is better to wrap the bunch in a paper towel. Slightly sagging leaves can be “resuscitated” by placing them in cold water.

There are the following ways to keep greens for a longer period:

1. Dry in the oven for half an hour at a temperature of 200 ° C, pre-rinsing. However, heat treatment is optional, and the greens will dry perfectly and just being hung in bunches in a dark cool place or laid out on a baking sheet covered with paper on top. Dried celery is stored in a sealed glass jar or canvas bag.
2. Freeze, grind, put in ice tins and fill with water.
3. Pour salt and store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.
4. Make a distillation - put with the root in a pot of earth.

Leaf celery has a lot of useful properties that make it popular among those who want to get a slender figure, and among those who want to preserve youth and beauty as long as possible.