Celery may just be the blandest, least flavorful and vegetable ever – tasting like not much more than just really crunchy water, but it packs a surprising nutritional punch! According to the USDA, just one cup of chopped celery contains vitamins B6, C, E, and K, niacin, and riboflavin. As for minerals, it contains zinc, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, manganese and selenium. It is low in calories and fat, but has a decent amount of fiber and protein.
Celery is also packed with phytonutrients. One of them, luteolin, has shown progress in preventing certain cancer cells from replicating. Another, butylphthalide (what a mouthful!), has anti-inflammatory properties and shows promise for lowering cholesterol, protecting the digestive tract from inflammation, and in animal trials, showed potential for slowing the progress of dementia.
Celery is full of antioxidants. An antioxidant in layman's terms is a compound found in super foods that stop or rapidly slow down damage to your cells. Antioxidants clean up what are called “free radicals”. Free radicals are waste products in our cells that can cause damage. Damage of cells can lead to cancer, or on a lesser scale, signs of aging. So clearly celery packs quite a punch health wise for such an underutilized vegetable!