Heart & Circulation
Celery
A crunchy, water-rich vegetable that's also a natural source of dietary nitrates, similar to beets in their effect on blood flow.
Detox
Gut Health
Heart Health
Serving
1 cup, chopped (101g)
Calories Per Serving
16
Key nutrients
Dietary nitrates, vitamin K, potassium, water content
Nutrient density
135
Why it’s worth eating
Celery is low in calories, rich in vitamin K, and offers antioxidants and hydration. It supports digestion and may lower blood pressure. Enjoy as a crunchy snack or in salads and soups.
What you may notice
Exercise endurance
Hydration
Markers worth tracking
Resting blood pressure
Vitamin K and INR status
How to eat it
Eat raw to preserve the nitrate content best, cooking and especially boiling reduces it.
Pairs well with
Vitamin C foods, helps convert celery's nitrates into nitric oxide more efficiently
Nut butter, a classic pairing that adds protein and healthy fat to an otherwise very low-calorie food
Storage
Refrigerate wrapped tightly in foil (helps it stay crisp longer than a plastic bag) for 1-2 weeks.
The numbers, per 1 cup, chopped (101g)
25%
Vitamin K
2%
Vitamin A
3%
Vitamin C
3%
Calcium
1%
Iron
3%
Magnesium
6%
Potassium
0%
Vitamin B12
0%
Vitamin D
Fiber
1.6g
Celery, raw (FDC 169988)
Evidence
D
HONEST FLAG plus a notable pharmacology distinction. Any benefits of celery juice are simply those of a low-calorie vegetable juice. The celery-derived stroke drug is NOT achievable by eating celery.
Study dose vs. serving
PHARMACEUTICAL GAP: NBP is a synthesised drug at pharmaceutical doses. Celery stalks do not deliver therapeutic NBP.
dl-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP), originally identified in Chinese celery seed then synthesised, was approved by the China Food and Drug Administration in 2002 for acute ischemic stroke (brand Enbipu).
Use caution if
You have a celery allergy, recognized as a major allergen in parts of the world, especially Europe
You take blood pressure medication, celery's nitrate content can have a mild additive blood-pressure-lowering effect
Details
Type
Fruits & Veg
Season
Cool-season crop, peak late summer to autumn, available year-round
Forms
Fresh, juice, celery seed/extract, celery salt
Price
Budget
Bioactive
Apigenin (flavone) and phthalides including 3-n-butylphthalide and sedanolide
Heat stable
Partial
Watch
EU MAJOR ALLERGEN: celery is one of the 14 named allergens requiring mandatory declaration under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II. Also contains FURANOCOUMARINS - celery harvesters and handlers are a classically documented phytophotodermatitis population. PSEUDOSCIENCE FLAG: the celery juice protocol promoted by Anthony William ("Medical Medium," no medical training), invoking "sodium cluster salts," has no clinical support and should be named and rejected.
Reliability
2 / 5
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