Celery, a crunchy and versatile vegetable, has gained popularity as a health food and a key ingredient in various diets, particularly the celery-only diet. This article delves into the potential risks and benefits associated with consuming only celery for a period of time, examining the scientific evidence and expert opinions surrounding this dietary trend.
What is the Celery-Only Diet?
The celery diet is a juice cleanse where an individual consumes only celery juice for several days to a week. Proponents of this diet claim it aids in weight loss, improves gut bacteria, and detoxifies the body. However, it's crucial to examine these claims critically, considering both the potential advantages and disadvantages.
Nutritional Profile of Celery
Celery is undeniably a nutritional powerhouse, offering various health benefits. It is a low-calorie food, with two chopped raw celery sticks (approximately 16 calories) providing a crunchy addition to any dish. A one-cup serving of cooked celery contains around 27 calories. Celery juice, with a recommended serving of 16 ounces (475 ml) on an empty stomach, is super concentrated in Vitamin K, delivering up to 74% of your recommended daily intake in a single serving. However, vitamin K is fat-soluble, meaning you need to consume it with fat to absorb it properly.
Celery is also a good source of fiber, with a 4-inch stalk (around 4 grams) providing about 0.1 g of fiber. It also contains antioxidants, including apigenin, luteolin, selinene, limonene, kaempferol, and p-coumaric acid, which help prevent cellular damage caused by free radicals. Additionally, celery provides small amounts of vitamin K, folate, vitamin A, potassium, and vitamin C.
Potential Benefits of Celery Consumption
Celery offers several potential health benefits that could contribute to a weight loss journey and overall well-being:
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- Weight Loss: Celery is a low-calorie food that may promote weight loss by boosting metabolism, increasing fat burn, and prolonging satiety. Eating more celery can be an excellent way to start a weight loss journey. Celery juice can be a suitable replacement for high-calorie drinks. Celery is a rich source of dietary fiber, which promotes fat loss by curbing appetite, keeping gut bacteria healthy, and slowing down digestion. Eating celery can increase metabolism for weight loss because chewing triggers the release of digestive enzymes that impact your metabolic rate.
- Appetite Suppression: Celery is rich in dietary fiber, which acts as a natural appetite suppressant, helping you feel full for longer.
- Skin Health: The high water content of celery counters loss of skin elasticity, while vitamins A, C, and K improve overall skin quality.
- Blood Sugar Regulation: Celery has a low glycemic index, helping stabilize blood sugar levels, prolong the feeling of fullness, and prevent blood sugar spikes that may lead to diabetes.
- Blood Pressure Management: Celery is high in phthalides, a phytochemical that reduces blood pressure by relaxing artery walls to aid blood flow.
- Heart Health: Potassium, calcium, and vitamin K in celery support heart health and prevent cardiovascular diseases by helping the formation of red blood cells and blood clotting.
- Liver and Kidney Protection: Celery improves kidney health and combats fatty liver by helping the body flush out toxins and reduce fat buildup.
- Male Fertility: Studies indicate a positive impact of antioxidant-rich foods, like celery, on sperm count and motility.
- Eye Health: Vitamins A, C, and E in celery help prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that can result in blurred vision.
- Anti-Inflammatory Properties: Celery contains a plant compound called apigenin, which plays a role as an anti-inflammatory agent. Celery also contains flavonoids, phytonutrients, and polyphenols, which provide antioxidant benefits and may prevent inflammation.
Risks and Drawbacks of a Celery-Only Diet
Despite the potential benefits of celery, a celery-only diet carries significant risks:
- Nutritional Deficiencies: Because celery contains almost no fat, any nutritional benefits of the plant would not take effect since the body needs fat to process nutrients into usable energy. The extremely low caloric value of celery puts the body into a caloric deficit, which causes weight loss.
- Lack of Scientific Evidence for Detoxification: There is no scientific evidence to prove celery is detoxifying.
- Kidney Damage: In a study that found the gut bacteria of participants to be improved following a juice cleanse, they also found that people following this diet are at risk for kidney damage or failure due to the high levels of oxalate, an organic acid found in plants, which is a nephrotoxin that attacks the cells in the kidneys.
- Pesticide Contamination: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have found up to 57 different types of pesticides on celery, including imidacloprid (IMI), acetamiprid (ACE), thiamethoxam (THM), and difenoconazole (DIF). These pesticides may negatively affect the nervous system or hormones, irritate the eyes and skin, or cause cancer.
- Fiber Deficiency: While celery does contain fiber, juicing removes much of it, which is an extremely important nutrient for maintaining good general health. Whole celery is a great source of insoluble fiber, which acts as a bulking agent in the gut.
- Allergic Reactions: Celery can trigger a severe allergic reaction in some people. Symptoms may include hives, swelling, and difficulty breathing.
- Medication Interactions: Taking celery might decrease how well the body gets rid of lithium. Celery root extract might decrease how quickly the body breaks down venlafaxine. Taking celery seed along with levothyroxine might reduce the effects of levothyroxine. Celery root might slow blood clotting. Celery seed extract might lower blood pressure.
Expert Opinions and Recommendations
Registered dietitian Amber Sommer, RDN, LD, states that celery is a low-calorie vegetable that provides much-needed nutrients, water, and some fiber. However, experts caution against relying solely on celery for weight loss or overall health. Jenna Hilton, a practicing PA specializing in Family and Internal Medicine, believes in a multi-factorial approach, considering internal factors that accelerate aging and disease development. She emphasizes the importance of a whole-food diet and a regular workout plan for effective weight loss. Bohlman says when it comes to wellness fads to proceed with caution. “The fact that Anthony William states he has no medical training is a red flag. She adds, “If you’re trying to lose weight, a long-term solution can’t be found in one food.
Practical Ways to Incorporate Celery into Your Diet
While a celery-only diet is not recommended, incorporating celery into a balanced diet can be a healthy choice. Here are some practical ways to enjoy celery:
- Add celery to soups, casseroles, and stuffing.
- Blend celery into smoothies.
- Boil, puree, or mash celery root in place of potatoes.
- Include celery sticks in veggie trays and serve with dips.
- Mix celery into grain dishes and salads, including chicken salad, tuna salad, tofu salad, and egg salad.
- Stuff the channels in celery sticks with peanut or other nut butters and dot with raisins.
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