Celery Nutrition
Celery Nutrition - Two Words That Go Well Together
Though we often get our celery nutrition from the stalks on a vegetable tray, there are many uses for this biennial vegetable. For many years, celery was cultivated primarily for medicinal purposes. Eventually the stalks, roots and leaves found their way into the kitchen, mostly for seasoning purposes. It's only been during the past 200 years or so that people began to eat the raw stalks.
When we talk about celery nutrition, we're talking about abundant amounts of vitamins C, K and B6. A number of minerals, and other trace elements our bodies require, will also be found in a stalk of celery. Celery is high in fiber, and is a source of protein and carbohydrates as well. About the only downside to the plant is that it is one of the vegetables in which pesticide residues are more commonly found. Some shoppers prefer to purchase organically grown celery for that reason. Celery also contains sodium, though not in high levels. Still, people on a low sodium diet might consider restricting the amount of celery they eat, though they should by no means consider avoiding the vegetable entirely. Celery is also higher in sugar than some vegetables. Again, this normally should not be of concern, as the amount of sugar in a cup of celery is minuscule compared to that found in a cup of many of the children's breakfast cereals. Eating celery certainly isn't going to give you cavities.
Besides being rich in certain vitamins, a serving (cup) of celery provides between 5% and 10% of our daily requirements for manganese, molybdenum, folate and potassium. A serving of celery also rates high in providing meaningful amounts of iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and niacin (vitamin B3). At 19 calories per serving, with about 5% of those calories from fat, celery is obviously an excellent component of any diet with weight management in mind. It has been claimed that celery hinders the growth of cancer cells, and is a useful food in any program directed towards the lowering of blood pressure. While these claims have not been scientifically proven, there is reason to believe that there is at least some truth to them.
One of the more unusual celery nutrition facts is that, unlike the vast majority of vegetables, celery does not lose its nutritional value when cooked. Celery soup therefore could be expected to be nearly as nutritious as raw celery stalks. The leaves of the plant are of even higher nutritional value than are the stalks, and shredded leaves added to a soup or salad, or as a condiment, will make a healthy addition to any meal. The same argument can be made for the seldom utilized celery seeds or roots. Three cheers for celery!