Now I know what you are thinking… what could possibly be entertaining about such a drab little plant? The truth is most people don’t really have impassioned opinions on celery (apium graveolens). In fact, I dare say that most people don’t give the plant much thought at all other than to view it on the same level as a garnish or condiment. It’s not as flashy or cool looking as some of the other vegetables out there… and there’s really nothing to it other than that widely known fact about it being a negative calorie food…… right? Au contraire!! I know it’s hard to believe that celery serves a purpose other than lounging in your Bloody Mary or hiding in your mothers chicken noodle soup but stick with me people!

Modern day celery was cultivated from wild celery from the Mediterranean regions of Northern Africa and Southern Europe. Celery’s medicinal use can be traced as far back as Ancient Greece (its mentioned in 9th century BC in Homers epic Odyssey.) It’s a biennial plant that belongs to the Umbelliferae (try saying that three times fast) family which also includes carrots, fennel, parsley and dill. According to Hippocrates (the father of medicine), celery calms the nerves and can reduce blood pressure. Scientists today know that this is because it contains active compounds called Pthalides which relax the muscles of the arteries that regulate blood pressure and allows these vessels to dilate. When researchers injected 3-n-butyl phthalide derived from celery into laboratory animals, the animals’ blood pressure dropped 12 to 14 percent!! The Chinese have been using it in this regard for ages.

Because of its high water content, it’s great for the kidneys and aids in eliminating waste through urine (it’s a natural diuretic and mild laxative… which is why you always see dieters chomping on it). The entire plant (leaves, seeds, stalks and root) is edible.  In my cooked omni days I used to make an incredibly decadent celeriac root puree with lots of heavy cream. Right about now you’re thinking none of this is very interesting and certainly won’t be making you eat grass anytime soon, right?

But what if I told you that celery also contains phytochemical compounds called coumarins that studies have shown to be effective in cancer prevention and enhancing the activities of white blood cells? There are also studies that show celery is very effective in relieving migraines. In Japan, people who are afflicted with Rheumatoid Arthritis are often prescribed celery as it clears the Uric Acid from painful joints. Its high vitamin C content and anti-inflammatory properties make it the perfect aid in helping those with these types of severe inflammatory conditions (including asthma and osteoarthritis). In addition to all of that, this unassuming plant is antifungal, antispasmodic, carminitive, deobstruent, emmenagogic (which is why if you are pregnant you shouldn’t eat massive amounts of celery) and antiseptic.

Rhonda this is for you!

History and Lore

Rice has fed more people, for a longer period of time than any other crop on the face of the earth. It can be traced back to 2500 BC where it was documented as not only a food source but also a product of tradition and lore. While its beginnings took place in China, rice was very quickly cultivated and adopted around the world. From an agricultural standpoint rice is one of the most versatile food crops as it can be grown in arid desert conditions (such as Saudi Arabia) to the wet lands of Asia… a common snapshot most of us are familiar with:

Because it thrives in such a wide spectrum of climates and environmental land zones, it is arguable the most eaten food on the planet. A whooping 3 billion people consume rice on an everyday basis. In Burma, for instance, it is estimated that a person consumes 500 lbs of rice a year. The average American consumes only a modest 25 lbs a year… however 4 lbs of that number is attributed to the rice used in brewing beer. No surprise there!

Rice provides 21% of the calorie intake on the planet. To give you an idea of the immensity of that figure, corn provides only a mere 6%. We hardly even consider the humble bag of rice at the grocery store when we pick it up and throw it in our carts. The truth is that rice industry provides jobs, directly and indirectly, for 2 billion people.

It is sometimes hard for us in the Western world to understand how much rice has contributed to many cultures around the world. It has worked its way even into common language. The Chinese word for “rice” is the same word used for food. In Thailand when you call your family together for a meal the phrase used is translated as “eat rice”.

Rice has long been an ancient symbol of fertility. Hell, we still throw it at newlyweds today to encourage prosperity and many children (this is one of many reasons why Brent and I choose to not tempt fate and gave our guests small bottles of soap solution instead.)

Manufacturing and Nutrition

While the process in the western world involves complex technology including lasers and computerized methods to prepare soil, sow seeds and reap a crop, the simple hand planted methods used in the east have predominantly remained the same. Despite the fact that rice naturally contains thiamine*, niacin and iron (among other nutrients) the majority of the rice consumed (and produced) in the US has been enriched. This is because the natural nutrients are stripped in the manufacturing process… which involves polishing the grains to produce common white rice. The grains are enriched by coating them with a mixture of nutrients. This is why it is advisable to not pre-rinse white rice or cook it in too much water if you choose to eat white rice at all. The problem (as is mostly the case when we screw with nature) is enriching the rice doesn’t replace all the nutrients.

*Beriberi is a disease caused by a deficiency of thiamine (B1) that affects, among other things, the muscles, heart and digestive systems of its victims. It’s mainly found in South East Asia, where white rice is predominantly used. In the 1900′s scientists discovered rice bran (the outer cover that is removed during the milling process to create white rice) contained a property that prevented the disease. Thiamine was identified formally in 1920.

As can be seen from the chart below, brown rice overall provides much more nutrients and dietary fiber than white rice. While brown rice is clearly the more superior option, enriched white rice contains a considerable amount more folate or water soluble vitamin B9 (anywhere from 120 to 200 mcg in fact), which is an essential vitamin in your diet, particularly if you are of the fairer sex. Folate helps the body produce and maintain new cells as it is needed to make DNA and RNA the building blocks of cells. But you certainly don’t need to gorge yourself on white rice to get folate. Some of the best sources of folate in fact are dark leafy vegetables like spinach, citrus fruits and beans and legumes. So while those couple pieces of vegetable sushi you had at lunch wont kill you should try not to make white rice a staple in your diet.

Hopefully, if you’ve reached this point, you have not been bored completely to tears. I wrote this post mainly because I had been asked quite a number of times in the past few months about the differences between brown and white rice. My take on rice is that if you do eat it, try to limit or cut out entirely white rice and stick to brown and/or wild rice which both give you much more nutritional bang than white. Since adopting a raw foods diet, rice in general, is not something I consume (and Brent is more of a pasta guy anyway.) However, you can sprout wild rice quite successfully and use it to create a number of interesting dishes