Celery is a crispy and crunchy veggie that most people following fad diets know about. While it’s not a superfood or a magical tool for weight loss, celery has lots of impressive health benefits, both when eaten raw and cooked.
But if you suffer from acid reflux, you might wonder whether celery is a safe food for you.
So, is celery acidic or alkaline? Should you add it to your low-acid diet?
Is celery acidic or alkaline?
Just like most vegetables, celery has alkaline-forming properties. This means that eating it won’t cause any unpleasant acid reflux or GERD symptoms. In fact, making celery a regular part of your diet can improve your symptoms and make your heartburn less severe.
In addition, celery is a great source of several powerful nutrients that contribute to your overall health.
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What is the pH level of celery?
Raw celery has a pH level of around 5.70-6.00. This is a pH level that’s leaning towards neutral, but celery is actually very alkaline-forming.
It’s very soothing for your stomach and esophagus as well, which means that it can help you deal with acid reflux symptoms.
Raw celery can be a great part of any diet, whether it’s low-carb or vegan, making it very versatile.
Some people prefer to eat cooked celery, which has a pH level of 5.37-5.92. It’s slightly lower than raw celery, but it’s still very alkaline.
Eating cooked celery also increases the amount of fiber you’ll take in, as you’re more likely to eat more.
Cooked celery works great as a side dish or even as part of sauces and soups to add texture and nutrients to them.
Is celery good for you?
While being very low in calories, celery contains many vital nutrients. For example, a single serving of celery provides you with a great dose of folate.
Also called vitamin B9, this important micronutrient helps in red blood cells formation and contributes to healthy cell growth and function.
Folate is also incredibly crucial during the early stages of pregnancy, as it prevents birth defects of the spine and brain.
While folate supplements are OK, it’s best to get this vitamin from natural sources, and this includes celery.
Like all veggies, celery is high in antioxidants and active plant compounds. These help flush free radicals out of your body, which prevents oxidative stress and damage to your cells.
This puts you at a lower risk of various health issues, such as heart disease and cancer.
Antioxidants found in celery also help protect your blood vessels, cells, and organs from inflammation.
This further lowers your risk of inflammation-related health conditions and diseases.
Adding celery to your diet also helps you load up on potassium. This is an important mineral for the proper functioning of all your cells.
It also regulates heartbeat and ensures that your muscles and nerves work properly.
Potassium works closely with sodium to control your electrolyte levels and keep your blood pressure in check.
Many people don’t get enough potassium these days. So it’s a good idea to add high-potassium foods to your diet.
Additionally, for people who struggle with water retention, increasing your potassium intake can also be beneficial.
Some studies also show that a celery seed extract improves both cognition and memory. This lowers your risk of many cognitive issues, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Taking this extract may even help treat these conditions when they already develop, slowing down their progress.
While you would need to consume a lot of celery to get enough of this compound, it’s a great benefit that might motivate you to include more celery in your diet in all its forms.
Can you eat celery on acid reflux?
Celery is alkaline-forming, whether it’s raw, cooked, or juiced. As a result, it can be a great part of a low-acid, GERD-friendly diet.
Eating celery may even make your heartburn and other symptoms less frequent due to all the beneficial nutrients it contains.
Raw and cooked celery is also a great source of fiber, which helps soak up excess stomach acid. This prevents it from rising up your esophagus, irritating it and leading to heartburn.
Celery is also mostly water, which means that eating it can help dilute stomach acids. This lowers the risk of acid reflux symptoms and improves your digestion.
So, as you can see, celery can help you deal with acid reflux and GERD in various ways.
Is celery juice acidic?
Celery juice has a pH level ranging between 5.70-6.00, just like raw celery. This delicious, low-calorie beverage can help you deal with acid reflux symptoms, including heartburn.
It’s just as alkaline-forming as raw and cooked celery, so it can be drunk on a low-acid diet.
Celery juice is also a great source of several important nutrients, such as vitamin B6, folate, riboflavin, vitamin K, and potassium.
Is celery soup acidic?
Canned celery soup has a pH level of around 6.20. Most celery soups are alkaline-forming, especially those made with fresh celery and herbs.
But if you buy canned varieties that might have added preservatives, flavorings, and salt, you might experience some acid reflux symptoms after eating them.
So, to ensure that your celery soup isn’t acidic, stick to making it yourself and don’t use too much salt or creamers.
What’s more, making your celery soup without cream but with fresh celery and bone broth can improve the health of your digestive system even more.
Keeping your digestive tract healthy helps prevent acid reflux by reducing inflammation and irritation in your stomach and esophagus.
Eating soups based on bone broth has also been proven to reduce migraine risk and reduce the likelihood of stress-induced headaches, which can be incredibly beneficial for many people.
Conclusion
Celery is a low-calorie and alkaline-forming veggie that should be a part of everyone’s diet.
It’s crispy, easy to prepare, and readily available everywhere, so you have no excuse for not adding it to your meals.
With its alkaline-forming properties and beneficial minerals and vitamins, celery can help you stay healthy and prevent many health issues, regardless of what type of diet you follow.
Don't know what to drink? We made a list of more than 20 most and least acidic juices and 20+ alcoholic drinks ranked by acidity levels.
