The Negative-Calorie Celery Story Is Not True
Celery is a crisp stalked vegetable. The claim that eating it burns more energy than it provides does not survive arithmetic.
Celery is a marsh plant grown for its crisp stalks. The popular claim that it has negative calories does not hold: a stalk provides roughly six calories, and digestion consumes only a small fraction of the energy in food. Celery is genuinely very low in calories, which is a good enough fact without the exaggeration.
- A stalked vegetable. *A stick of celery.*
- Celeriac — the root variety. *Celeriac remoulade.*
- Celery salt — a seasoning. *Celery salt on the rim.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | celery | Chopped celery. |
| Related | celeriac | Roasted celeriac. |
| Compound | celery salt | A pinch of celery salt. |
| Species | Apium graveolens | Wild Apium graveolens. |
| Related | mirepoix | A classic mirepoix. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Celery, onion and carrot make a mirepoix.The French cooking base.
- Celery is a recognised allergen.It must be labelled in the EU and UK.
- Wild celery grows in salt marshes.The plant's original habitat.
Aromatic bases in cooking
- Mirepoix — French: onion, carrot, celery
- Soffritto — Italian: onion, carrot, celery
- Holy trinity — Cajun: onion, celery, green pepper
- Celeriac — the same species, grown for its root
- Celery salt — ground celery seed mixed with salt
From French *céleri*, from Italian dialect *seleri*, from Latin *selinon*, from Greek — the parsley family name.
Does celery have negative calories?
No. Digestion uses only a small share of the energy in food, so celery still provides a net gain, just a very small one.
Is celery an allergen?
Yes. It is one of the allergens that must be declared on food labels in the UK and EU.