Maree’s musings

CELERY CALORIES

A couple of my recent columns heralded the avocado and the humble sardine, so I’m hoping you aren’t getting the impression I’m obsessed with food. Far from it. Let’s be honest, though, in times of stress, the desire to eat skyrockets. Food is what we turn to. Our bodies know what’s needed and scream out for sweet, high energy stuff which will solve the fight or flight response that stress brings. We find ourselves scrabbling around in the fridge or cupboards looking for that something special. The time-honoured cuppa? Ice-cream? Chocolate! You’ll have favourites, but almost certainly celery is not one. Of course, in happier times, we do eat the stuff. But why? There may be reasons to stop. Or not. Read on …

I’ve previously believed it takes more energy to digest celery than you get from it, but discovered that’s not true. In 2012 scientists found that although the process burned more than 85% of the energy celery contained, there was some left over: a massive two (two!) calories from 100gm of the stuff.  So why bother? Well, it does have ‘satiety’ value. Gnawing your way through a few stalks reduces your desire to eat nice things. A plus, then.

What about a ‘celery allergy’? The chances are remote, I thought. Not true. Many vegetables produce reactions, and celery is particularly problematic. However, allergies can be prevented by early exposure. This involves cajoling toddlers into the delights of chomping on celery sticks. Littlies prefer mashed up mushy food to get their tiny fists into, so perhaps a celery pesto or a smoothie? These involve using a nutribullet rather than spending hours with the pestle and mortar to little avail. And then there’s the time and energy required to clean those fearsome blades afterwards. (Maybe that’s where those calories go to.)

I’m doubtful if celery has ever been a top food choice. Nowadays, almost everybody’s on Facebook. Postings are littered with bragpix of flower arranging, pets doing amazing stuff or just looking goofy, the dinner you’ve just rustled up. But celery? You’d be hard pressed to attract any likes with that.

At the risk of sounding morbid .. there’s that question which sometimes pops up; especially with friends at the local café when indulging in proper food. “If this was your last meal on earth .. etc.” Celery? I don’t think so.

On the plus side, celery is good for the brain! So is maths. That 100gm contains only three grams of actual food, so at $4.50/kg, say, one gram will set you back 1.5cents. And another thing. About half of this is fibre – the stringy bits that get caught in your teeth, can’t be digested, and ends up you-know-where. My head is hurting at this point, so I hope you can see where I’m going with this. Basically, if you tried to live on celery alone, even with that razor-sharp brain, I reckon, penniless, you’d starve to death.

So. Celery – a good choice? After writing this, I still have no idea. I’ll leave it up to you.