Vegetables are often good for ketogenic diets but this is not always the case. Find out whether celery is keto-friendly and what other options you have.
Raw celery contains around 1.4 grams of net carbohydrates (total carbs minus fiber) per 100 grams.
Since this is very low, you can say that celery is typically keto-friendly.
One important thing to note is that even small amounts of carbohydrates can sometimes kick you out of ketosis if you already ate a lot of carbs.
Additionally, if you don’t like the taste of celery or simply want to switch things up, you can also consider one of the other low-carb vegetables available.
Total and net carbs in celery
To figure out whether a food option like celery is keto and in what amounts you want to take a look at their total and net carbs.
100 grams of raw celery contain the following amounts of carbs (1):
- Total carbs: 3 grams
- Of which fiber: 1.6 grams
- Net carbs: 1.4 grams
In theory, it is possible that even the 1.4 grams of net carbs in 100 grams of celery are enough to kick you out of ketosis.
That being said, because celery is so low in carbs, it will typically be keto-friendly.
One cup of raw celery is about 120 grams, and contains the following amounts of carbs:
- Total carbs: 3.6 grams
- Of which fiber: 1.9 grams
- Net carbs: 1.7 grams
As you can expect, eating bigger amounts of celery will also make it so you consume more carbohydrates.
That being said, even one cup of celery should easily fit into your ketogenic diet.
Other nutrition information celery
The number of carbohydrates in celery is definitely important on a keto diet but you also want to know about the other nutrients.
Fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals can also influence whether you stay in ketosis and more importantly how good celery will be for your general health.
100 grams of raw celery contain the following nutrients (1):
- Calories: 14
- Protein: 0.7 grams
- Carbs: 3 grams
- Part of the carbs that is fiber: 1.6 grams
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Vitamin K: 37% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Vitamin A: 9% of the DV
- Folate: 9% of the DV
- Potassium: 7% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 5% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
While celery is low in carbs, it is not the most impressive in terms of nutrients besides fiber.
That means you still want to implement other nutritious foods to make sure you are following a healthy ketogenic diet.
Why you can not always eat celery on keto
As briefly mentioned, there are situations where you can not eat low-carb foods like celery on keto. To understand why this is and to avoid getting kicked out of ketosis, you want to go over the keto basics.
You can describe any way of eating where you get and stay in ketosis as a ketogenic diet. Ketosis is a state where your body mainly burns fat as fuel (2).
To stay in this state you need to keep your carbohydrate intake low enough. Exactly what is low enough can vary due to differences in body weight, muscle mass, and workout habits.
This keto fact makes reality a bit more complicated. At the same time, there are still general guidelines that are not perfect but help you get an idea of how many grams of celery and carbs still fit in your keto diet.
A typical guideline is that you want to eat 55%-60% of your calories in fat, 30%-35% in protein, and 5%-10% in carbohydrates.
If you do the calculations, you will likely get that you can consume around 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates a day.
Keep in mind that these ranges typically don’t include the fiber in celery and other foods. Fiber is a category of carbs but your body deals with it in more keto-friendly ways.
Substitutes for celery on keto
Celery is one of the top options when it comes to low-carb vegetables. That being said, you may still want to change up what foods and nutrients you eat.
In that case, you can consider the substitutes below. The numbers next to them are the amounts of net carbohydrates per 100 grams (3, 4, 5):
- Chicory: 0.9 grams of net carbs
- Spinach: 1.4 grams of net carbs
- Green leaf lettuce: 1.5 grams of net carbs
Similar to celery, these vegetables still contain some amounts of carbohydrates. You will likely stay in ketosis while eating them but it can be worth double-checking your daily carb budget.
Why do you follow a keto diet?
Even though it is unlikely, there are situations where celery can kick you out of ketosis. Whether this is an issue and to what extent depends on your reasons for following a keto diet.
More specifically, there are people who need/want to stay in strict ketosis every minute of the day. If you are in this category, you can likely still eat celery but you likely want to pay extra attention to everything you eat.
On the other hand, celery can be good for weight loss and health. Even if it increases your carb intake too much to be considered keto-friendly.
One thing to note is that combining celery with peanut butter is a popular recipe option.
This version is not always good for keto, losing weight, and getting healthier depending on what peanut butter you choose and your portions.
Related posts:
- Is Carrot Juice Keto-Friendly? (& Substitutes)
- Are Onions Keto-Friendly? (& Substitutes)
- Are Cherry Tomatoes Keto-Friendly? (& Substitutes)
FAQ
Does celery break ketosis?
Whether celery breaks ketosis depends on your portions and the other foods you eat. That being said, since it is so low in carbs, celery will typically not break ketosis.
Is celery OK on a low-carb diet?
Raw celery only contains around 1.4 grams of net carbohydrates per 100 grams. In turn, celery is generally OK on a low-carb diet.
