Celery is a nutritious vegetable that can be eaten in salads, soups, as a snack, or in a casserole. Celery is only as healthy, however, as the food it is eaten with. Including celery in a nutritious, balanced diet and exercising is the key to successful weight loss.
Significance
Celery is a vegetable with high water content that can be used to fill out meals. It contains no saturated fat or trans fats, so it is a healthy ingredient to add to soups and salads.
Function
Celery provides a good source of vitamin A, vitamin K and folate. One cup of chopped celery contains 18 calories and 2 calories from fat.
Considerations
Eating celery is nutritious, but eating it with full-fat ranch dressing or dip is not. Eating celery as a snack with a dab of low-fat peanut butter or balsamic vinaigrette is more nutritious than eating it with a high-fat dip or dressing.
Misconceptions
Celery is believed to have negative calories, because it takes more calories to eat than it contains. This is a myth, according to Dr. Timothy Harlan, although celery does contain very few calories.
Warning
The celery diet is a fad diet that involves eating mostly celery in order to lose weight quickly. This diet is not approved by the FDA and is not a healthy weight-loss option.
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