Celery Nutrition Facts

Celery Nutrition Facts: Calories in Celery are Negligible!

1 medium stalk (7.5-8") provides approximately:

cartoon celery
  • 6 calories
  • 1.4 grams carbohydrate
  • 0.3 grams protein
  • 0.1 grams total fat ( 0.1 grams saturated fat)
  • 0.6 grams fiber

Nutrition Facts Celery

Celery is:

  • an excellent source of vitamin C
  • a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, folate, molybdenum, manganese, and vitamin B6
  • a good source of calcium, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, magnesium, vitamin A, phosphorus and iron

Celery Calorie Myth

It's often said that celery has "negative calories" - that is, the amount of calories in celery is less than the number of calories used to digest it.

While this isn't exactly true, it is true (as shown above), that 1 stalk has a negligible number of calories.

Including celery in your diet is smart, not because it has "negative calories," but because it adds bulk and fiber and can fill you up in place of more caloric foods.

Celery Nutrition Facts

You should buy organic celery.

That's because like apples, carrots, and strawberries, they're on the "dirty dozen" list.

That's a list of the top 12 fruits and vegetables that have the highest concentration of pesticide residues.

Washing and rinsing may reduce levels of pesticides, but it will never eliminate them entirely.

Celery Nutrition Facts

Although celery has a reputation for being "salty," one stalk contains only ~ 35 milligrams of sodium.

According to the American Heart Association, you should aim to eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. (Some people — African Americans, middle-aged and older adults, and people with high blood pressure — need less than 1,500 mg per day.)

You'd have to eat an awful lot of celery for it to contribute a significant amount of sodium to your diet.

Snack on a whole cup and you get: ~ 20 celery calories, 104 mg sodium, and 2 grams of fiber. Not bad!

Celery Nutrition Tips

Be sure to use the leaves. That's the part that has the most vitamin C, calcium and potassium. Use them within a day or two as they lose life after that!

Because of it's high water content, celery shouldn't be left at room temperature for too long or it will wilt. If you have celery that's wilted, sprinkle it with a little water and place it in the refrigerator for a few hours to restore crispness.

Simple Serving Suggestions

  • Add chopped celery to tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, or salmon salad.
  • Use the celery leaves in salads, stir fries and soups.
  • Make an easy white bean salad: white beans + chopped celery + grapes + green onions + lowfat Dijon mustard dressing
  • LOTS of celery recipes here.
  • Try carrot/celery/ginger juice.
  • Stuff stalks with:
    • natural peanut butter
    • almond butter
    • pumpkin seed butter
    • hummus
    • lowfat cream cheese
    • nonfat yogurt mixed with diced cucumbers

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