Stalking a diet

Mentalfloss.com says, “the bottom line is that any kind of negative-calorie snacking, celery or otherwise, is purely wishful thinking. But celery stalks are still worth a chew: They're obviously better for your caloric balance sheet than, say, a candy bar or a Slim Jim. Just don’t expect them to be green, fibrous magic bullets for your diet.”

“While celery is a very low-calorie food, it likely doesn’t provide you with negative calories,” according to FitDay, an online diet journal.

“The Mayo Clinic suggests that while it’s theoretically possible for negative-calorie foods to exist, there are no reputable scientific studies that prove certain foods cause ‘negative calorie’ effects. In fact, protein is the macronutrient that causes your body to burn the most calories, according to a review published in 2008 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.”

“Myth or Fact: Celery Has Negative Calories,” by Erin Coleman, Fitday.

Most experts summarily reject the idea of a negative-calorie food. While a negative-calorie food is theoretically possible, “in actuality, there are no negative-calorie foods,” says Tim Garvey, chairman of the department of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Or, as nutritionist Marion Nestle put it in a one-line email to the BBC: “Total myth. Nothing else to be said.”

Don’t throw away your celery, though. It’s a good source of fiber, vitamin K, vitamin A, potassium, and folate. People who eat fiber-rich diets generally have healthier weights and a decreased risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

The problem is that man cannot live on celery alone and “it’s more of a gateway to cream cheese or peanut butter,” says nutritionist David Grotto, the author of “The Best Things You Can Eat.”

“Who, What, Why: Can foods have negative calories?” by Kate Dailey, BBC News Magazine, BBC News Services, March 15, 2013.

“Does Eating Celery Really Result in Negative Calories?” by Matt Soniak, Mental Floss, October 4, 2012.