Does Celery Break A Fast?

Celery is a super low calorie veggie that may break your fast in excess. This may depend on your purpose of fasting, but you might be able to get away with having this veggie.

Read on to find out why an allowance might be made to allow celery while fasting.

Are There Calories in Celery?

Yes, celery is a low calorie food but it still contains calories nevertheless. Per stalk, 7.5-8″ long, 6 calories and just over 1g carbohydrate are present. This is a very small number when you think about many other foods.

Would this be enough to break a fast? Exactly speaking, the answer is yes. But again, interpretation and your reason for fasting will determine the answer to this to a large degree.

For autophagy or other health reasons, people usually do a longer fast which can be easily broken by the consumption of calories from any source, including celery. However, for weight loss purposes, a shorter fast may be more beneficial and in this case, eating celery may not have an impact on your results.

Celery is a good source of fiber which can help to regulate digestion and promote regularity, making it a healthy food choice regardless of whether you are fasting or not.

Will Celery Juice Break My Fast?

Celery juice is actually the worst option when it comes to breaking a fast as it is very easy to consume a lot of calories from this without realizing it.

One cup of celery juice can contain up to 96 calories which is a significant amount when you are trying to restrict your calorie intake.

It is also worth noting that juicing removes the fiber from fruits and vegetables which is one of the key health benefits. This means that you are likely to experience hunger pangs and cravings more quickly when you drink celery juice as opposed to eating the whole vegetable.

Will Eating Celery Spike Insulin?

Celery is a low glycemic food which means that it is unlikely to cause a spike in blood sugar levels.

This is because it contains very little carbohydrate and the fiber content slows down the digestion of any sugars that are present.

For this reason, celery is often included in the list of foods that are safe to eat during a fast. The juice is off-limits in this regard, however, as there is plenty of calories that will spike blood glucose and insulin.

If this is the case, it is best to avoid celery or any other low glycemic foods during a fast.

Final Words

While celery finds itself in a kind of grey area about whether the very low calorie count will classify as breaking a fast, always remember that in many cases there is no hard and fast set of rules.

For autophagy, you need absolute avoidance of anything that has nutritive value, but for a weight loss fast you can definitely have a stalk of celery to curb hunger pangs when they act up.

Above all else, moderation is key – don’t go overboard and avoid the juice at all costs.