I used to think of celery as a rather dull vegetable. But lately, I've cultivated a new appreciation for its flavor and function. I've heard that you actually burn more calories chewing celery than you consume by eating it, which is almost true. One large stalk contains just 10 calories, but 4 percent of your dietary fiber RDI. It is also very low in cholesterol but rather high in sodium, something to be aware of if you're watching your salt intake.
The thing I love most about celery is how satisfying it is to eat. The crunch factor means it takes a while to munch on, keeping your mouth occupied for a long snack break. Plus, the hearty, fibrous texture really keeps me full. And since it has diuretic properties and lots of fiber, it keeps all your systems moving right along.
Other healthy benefits include lots of vitamin A, C, and K (23 percent of your vitamin K RDI in one stalk!), as well as folate and potassium. It's pretty much available year-round but at its peak in the Summer. I can definitely taste the difference when it's good or just mediocre.
I love to eat it plain, but it's also great paired with avocado in a salad or mixed into a mayo-free tuna salad. And, of course, there's always the classic ants on a log. How do you like your celery?
Meltin Pot
Bourjois
Tomas Maier
with Hummus
1are you supposed to peel celery?
i love it with peanut butter!
2with peanut butter, there's no better way!
3Ants on a log are so yummy! Dried cranberries are also great in place of raisons.
4Definitely with peanut butter! Although I am definitely going to try it with the greek yogurt peanut butter dip (already love this with apples and bananas)! Thanks @fitsugar
5http://twinshealth.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/peanut-butter-greek-yogurt-h...
*raisins Blonde moment!
6I love celery! I'll eat it any time, any way it doesn't matter.
side note: it's also good for an upset or nervous stomach. If your stomach isn't feeling quite right try eating a stalk of celery, not sure what's in it that helps but it does.
7i keep a jug of washed celery in water in the fridge all the time, it's such a good quick snack and so refreshingly crispy! i prefer cheez whiz to peanut butter, but i usually have it plain (you get more crunch effect that way).
if you chop up some celery in a can of chick peas and add a bit of oil, vinegar and spices you get an amazing salad in about 20 seconds!
8and to anyone that doesn't like it because of the bitterness, try organic! i was hesitant to pay twice the price because i go through so much of it, but my roomie convinced me to make the switch and i was surprised to find out that the bitter quality is actually chemicals that the celery has sucked up from the water (remember watching the food colouring climb the celery stalk in school?)... the organic stuff has none of that taste, it's actually pretty sweet!
9With peanut butter. Or cream cheese. I know the cream cheese sounds wierd, but try it.
10I like it in big chopped chunks in this italian seafood salad I get durring the summer. So yummy.
Weffie, thanks for the tip, I always thought celery alone was bitter. I'll try the organic stuff next time.
11I love it with salsa! If you love chips and salsa, celery is the perfect healthy substitute -- it's salty and has that satisfying crunch. Plus, it holds salsa really well -- it has that natural Scoop shape (take that Frito-Lay).
12salads and soups. i love it, but i don't eat it raw that often.
13Peanut butter! No raisins, though, so no "ants on a log".
My dad's added it to our nightly vegetable medley, it added a nice kick to the mixture, celery has a sharp taste.
I recently started putting salsa on celery [I ran out of peanut butter]...it's a little more spicy, but pretty good.
14I love it with salsa, too. It IS just like a tortilla chip and dip...yummy! If you think it's too bitter, it's probably too old. Look for stalks that are kind of thin and light green.
15I adore celery, there are so many ways to enjoy it. My personal favorite is pairing celery with Sabra brand hummus, but it's great with peanut or almond butter. Also of course as a part of Mirepoix as a base for lots of dishes.
16I had no clue that celery was high in sodium!
17I used to dislike celery growing up but now I put it in my salad everyday. I like the crunch.
Haha, I very literally did this at uni: LEARNED to love celery.
I used to HATE celery. The taste was just repulsive to me; I couldn't eat anything that had been mixed or cooked with celery. But seduced by the oft-recited claim that it burns more calories to eat it than the celery itself would give you, I made myself eat it... I bought packs of celery hearts, and whenever I got hungry (which was... all the time) I would eat a stick of celery. Gradually I came to associate celery with alleviating hunger... either that or I just got used to it... and now I LOVE the stuff.
18So good in soups and salads. And with lowfat cheese spread as a snack.
19Celery with salsa? Really? Hmm..that doesn't sound very appetizing. I *am* however, a big fan of celery and peanut butter!
20cream cheese and peanut butter.
21I usually eat it with hummus. I had not heard of anyone eating it with salsa. This I will have to try!
22with peanut butter and raisins. yum! fizzy martini, i love your default picture!
23I love celery cut into wedges and put cream cheese in them. I've been eating it that way since I was a kid. However I had read a long time ago that celery is high in sodium so I rarely eat it anymore because of it. DARN!!!!
24Hey Fit......... I'm curious about this; "It is also very low in cholesterol." How does celery have *any* cholesterol?
25I always juice mine with apple and cucumber. It's extremely refreshing and cleansing! Do the benefits differ when it is consumed in different ways (ie juiced or eaten raw)?
26I despise the texture of celery, so I only enjoy it cooked in soup.
27I wish I could stomach celery, because when I crave something, I crave a crunch. There's just something about the flavor.... I don't like the aftertaste it leaves.... also can't stand how stringy it is. I have to go for carrots usually.
28(sorry, for some reason can't login at work)
29weffie, that's good to know! I usually can't stand celery because of that bitter aftertaste, but I do crave crunchy snacks.
And instead of penut butter I like Thai peanut sate dip. It's awesome on all veggies!
Last night, i was at a gathering she she filled celery with Laughing Cow Cheese and then topped it with Green Olives, they were delicious.
We always put celery on pizza. It is fantastic. We have converted many people to that idea.
30I cut mine up in tiny bite size pieces and eat it plain at work...less annoying than the loud biting/crunching on a stalk!
31like a lot of others - with peanut butter
32it's also really good to have celery and cucumber slices all with a bit of lemon juice squeezed over them. gives a nice, fresh ( and very low cal ) zest to both veggies. and yes, the previously mentioned hummus and Laughing Cow cheese are great too.
33Apparently I am a minority because I simply cannot stand celery. At all. Any form, any part of it, raw or cooked - I detest its taste and flavour. Always have, always will. I can smell it even if it's a small quantity in a spices mix.
34I have only met one more person that detested celery more than me, which actually said that her idea of hell included "forests of celery and rivers of milk".
I love celery!
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