Celery is one of the most low-calories veggies, so nutritionists recommend it as a weight loss food that can easily be included in your diet.
It is crispy in taste and has many incredible health benefits. Moreover, celery is loaded with micronutrients, especially potassium.
However, if you’re dealing with kidney issues, you should ask your doctor how much potassium you should take.
Here, we’ll help you figure out the nutrition value of celery so that you can learn how much potassium it has and whether it should be consumed every day.
A single serving of celery contains 200 mg of potassium, meaning it is a high-potassium vegetable (1). Due to this, if you are following a certain diet that does not allow you to consume too much potassium, you might have to steer clear of celery.
However, if you have been told to add potassium-rich foods to your everyday diet, celery is a wonderful option.
It contains several other nutrients that allow you to stay healthy, making it an extremely well-rounded vegetable.
There is around 263 mg of potassium in one cup of finely cut celery (2). This means that celery is a very high potassium vegetable that should be avoided by individuals on a kidney-friendly, low potassium diet.
If you consume too much potassium, your kidneys might not be able to flush it out, leading to serious health problems.
You might experience frequent and painful urination, increasing pain in your lower abdomen area (3). Hence, it is essential to pay attention to dietary guidelines and consult your doctor before making drastic changes to your diet.
If you do not have any issues, adding celery to your diet is a wonderful idea. Alongside the minerals, it also contains 90 percent water, which means you can use it to increase your hydration levels.
Celery is a great vegetable that is rich in flavonoids, phytonutrients, and antioxidants (4). It contains vitamin A, C, calcium, potassium, and folate. Here are some of its benefits:
The extract of celery is known to boost sexual performance while increasing the sperm count in the body (5,6).
This could be because celery has minerals that protect against the harmful effects of free radicals. These free radicals can affect fertility (7).
Apart from increasing sperm count, celery can help improve your sex life. This vegetable contains androsterone and androstanol that can help increase sexual arousal in females (8).
The antioxidants in celery help lower the risk of cancer (9). There are two anti-cancer compounds present in it – luteolin and apigenin (10).
These two compounds may help to kill cancer cells in the body while also getting rid of free radicals that cause cancer.
There are bioactive polyacetylenes present in celery that can prevent cancer cells from forming in the body (11). It also helps protect the body from breast and pancreatic cancers (12).
Celery is loaded with phytochemicals called phthalides. These compounds help relax the artery muscles while increasing blood flow in the body.
Based on Chinese medicine, the extract of celery leaves helps lower blood pressure (13). It is loaded with nitrates that also soothe the blood vessel muscles, allowing them to relax and let blood reach parts of the body with ease (14).
The antioxidants present in celery have anti-viral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties, making this vegetable great for consumption (15).
Moreover, this vegetable also contains pain-reducing qualities which strengthen the immune system (16). It can also protect against stomach problems that occur as a result of taking too many NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (17).
Since celery contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, it helps protect the digestive tract. There are natural fibers in the vegetable that are essential to keep the digestive tract functioning properly.
What happens is that the bacteria in the big intestine ferment the soluble fiber found in celery. This process of fermentation allows for good digestive health.
As mentioned earlier, celery doesn’t contain many calories, which makes it a great vegetable to incorporate into your daily diet if you’re planning to lose weight (18). The reason behind this is that when you consume celery, the fiber content present in it allows your stomach to remain full for a longer duration of time.
This insoluble content of fiber increases feelings of satisfaction and hence, allows you to lose weight. The water content in celery can also help maintain lipid metabolism.
There is no denying that celery is a food that contains a high level of potassium.
This means that individuals who suffer from kidney issues, potassium sensitivity, or any other illnesses should limit their intake of potassium, especially from celery.
However, it is highly unlikely to overdose on potassium just by consuming celery. This is because the nutrient content in celery makes it a filling vegetable.
You will find 1.6 grams of fiber in one cup of chopped celery. This large number can easily fill most people up, regardless of how hungry they are. Hence, most people cannot consume too much of this vegetable in a single sitting.
Healthy individuals should remember that dieticians recommend the consumption of fruits and vegetables that are high in potassium for a healthy heart and gut.
Since potassium is an important mineral, you should contain foods that are loaded with it so that you can reach your daily recommended amount of potassium.
If you are healthy, your kidneys can get rid of extra potassium in the body so you mustn’t worry about the adverse effects of consuming this vegetable. Of course, you should always consult your doctor.
There is approximately 614 mg of potassium in a single cup of celery juice (19). Because of this number, we would not recommend those with kidney problems or potassium sensitivity to consume celery juice.
A large number of green vegetables and leafy greens have a high content of potassium.
Due to this, their juices have a higher potassium content since it is more concentrated. After all, when you make juice, you have to throw in more vegetables, and it is easy to lose track.
Eating those vegetables raw is a whole other story because, let’s admit it, how many celery sticks do you think you can chew on at any given time?
That being said, if you are trying to increase your intake of potassium, celery juice is a great way to do this. One cup of celery juice makes up 13 percent of the total potassium intake you need in a day.
Also known as celeriac, there is approximately 468 mg of potassium in one cup of celery root (20). In old times, few knew that they could consume the root of celery but as time goes on, more and more people are finding its benefits.
Celery root is loaded with essential micronutrients, such as manganese, vitamin B6, phosphorus, and vitamin K.
If you are on a low potassium diet, we would recommend that you limit your consumption of this vegetable, but if your kidneys are okay, adding celery roots to your diet could be extremely beneficial for you.
If you are convinced that you need to add celery to your diet, here are some tips you should keep in mind that will help you choose and store this vegetable in the best way possible.
After all, you do not want to go through the hard work of buying celery, only for it to go back within a few days.
When you are shopping or cooking celery next, here is what you need to keep in mind:
When choosing celery, you need to pay close attention to its color. Fresh celery will be pale in color and will usually range from having a white top to a bright green top.
If you find that the celery is patchy, has brown spots, or yellow leaves, you need to look for fresher options.
Moreover, celery needs to be crisp when you touch it. If you find that the celery you pick up is drooping or wilting, it is best to look for more options.
The celery stalks should also be crisp so that when you snap them, there is a satisfying sound. If the stalks bend, you need to know that the product is not fresh.
When eating celery, timing is everything. After all, you do not want any nutrients to go to waste. Hence, we recommend that you do not chop celery too soon and only consume it when necessary.
Food waste is not an option, as celery loses its flavor if kept outside for too long. Moreover, use your celery within a week; otherwise, you will have to throw it out.
A fantastic way to consume your celery is by steaming it for a couple of minutes. Make sure not to over steam it; otherwise, it can lose its nutrients.
Celery is great for hydration, is loaded with nutrients, and can help reduce your blood sugars. It is the best vegetable out there with several health benefits.
If you want to increase your potassium intake during the day, celery is definitely the vegetable you need to add to your diet.
Remember, you can add whatever flavor you want to make sure you love it!
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