Are you looking for more unique and interesting vegetables to add to your regular dinner spread? Are you searching for a healthier source of carbohydrates?
Celery root has many health benefits, and it may surprise you to know that this vegetable is not the same as the celery you dip into peanut butter or simmer in your homemade chicken noodle soup. It’s a root vegetable, which puts it into the same category as turnips, parsnips, and water chestnuts.
What Is Celeriac, and How Is It Used in Cooking?
Celery root is also called “knob celery”, due to its knobby, ball-like roots, or “celeriac.” It has a mild, pleasant taste that can lend itself to many dishes, and it’s often used as a potato substitute. When learning how to cook celery root, feel free to use faux-potato recipes such as mashed celeriac with savory seasonings such as salt, pepper, and cheese, or simply enjoy the cooked vegetable after sautéing, boiling, or pureeing it.
What Are the Reasons Celery Root May Improve Your Health?
While celery root may at first seem like an odd mealtime addition, once you learn how to cook it, you may end up preferring the mild celery root flavor to other, starchier foods.
The following are just a few of many celery root health benefits:
Root vegetables are filling. One cup of celery root contains only 65.5 calories but has 2.81 grams of fiber (USA). Fiber is essential for intestinal health, blood sugar control, and lowering bad cholesterol. Meanwhile, fibrous foods that are low in sugar, such as celery root, can help you feel full so you aren’t tempted to keep snacking.
Celery root contains “good” carbs. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about carbs. Some sources of this macronutrient, like whole grains and fruits, can be healthy, while others, like refined sugars and white rice, can spike your blood sugar and leave you feeling hungry sooner than you would like.
If you wish to get some of your carbs from sources that aren’t bread, pasta, and crackers, consider trying celery root: There are 14 grams of carbohydrate per cup of this vegetable. People’s carbohydrate needs vary, of course, but if you’re an adult, you likely need around 225–325 grams of carbohydrates per day.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Celery Root for Your Health?
Unlike soy or wheat, celery root isn’t known to be a common cause of food allergies, and it can probably be safely enjoyed by the majority of healthy people.
Learn more about the pros and cons of incorporating celery root into your diet:
Pros. Celery root is a highly versatile vegetable that can be used in numerous recipes, seasoned in various ways, and incorporated into virtually any healthy diet plan. It’s relatively easy to find this vegetable in the grocery store. It’s also inexpensive, and it contains several vital nutrients.
Cons. Starting a high-fiber diet, even if you’re doing it to become healthier, can be tough on your stomach and cause extra gas at first. If you’re not used to eating high-fiber foods, start with a small amount of celeriac before choosing to serve it as a side dish at dinner or substituting it for mashed potatoes. Starchy celery root may also have too many carbohydrates for people with blood sugar issues to enjoy as a large part of their diets.
What Nutrients Are in Celery Root?
In addition to being a good source of fiber, celery root contains many other essential vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy diet.
When you eat a 1-cup serving of celery root, you’re consuming the following nutrients:
Vitamin C. This antioxidant vitamin is necessary for maintaining a healthy immune system, as it helps to destroy free radicals, harmful compounds that form as a response to normal bodily processes, radiation, and pollution.
Vitamin C can also aid in the absorption of iron from food or supplements.
Celery root nutrition includes about 12.5 milligrams of vitamin C per serving, which is a solid amount of the 75 milligrams (for women) or 90 milligrams (for men) that you should ideally be getting from your diet every day.
Vitamin K. Celery root is a great source of this nutrient. Vitamin K helps form blood clots, which is important if you ever get injured. If you take blood thinners, though, you may want to talk to your doctor about eating celery root if you enjoy it or plan to use a lot of it in your new dietary plan.
You’ll need around 90 micrograms of K a day if you are a woman and 120 if you are a man. Celery root provides a whopping 64 micrograms per one-cup serving.
Magnesium. This mineral is often marketed as a cure for stress due to its ability to lower blood pressure and help your nervous system work correctly. While it’s often not necessary to take magnesium supplements, you may be concerned that you aren’t getting enough in your diet. Vegetables such as celeriac can help fill this gap with 31.2 milligrams of magnesium per serving.
How Many Calories Are in Celery Root?
If you’re in search of low-calorie yet filling foods, you’ve chosen the right vegetable. Celery root only packs about 65.5 calories per cup, which is less than half the amount found in a glass of whole milk.
Perhaps you’re starting a new, healthier way of eating and you don’t want to rely on processed or unhealthy food. If so, celery root is a great option that can be incorporated into most dietary plans without a problem. Try it today to discover a low-fat, high-fiber alternative to potatoes.