Does celery have negative calories?
NoParrot Fact Check · July 17, 2026
NoParrot Score
Mostly consistent
Claim breakdown
- Verified
- 1
- Uncertain
- 2
- Disputed
- 0
Synthesis
Celery does not have "negative calories." Each medium stalk of celery typically contains about 10 to 14 calories, meaning it provides a net positive caloric intake.
The idea that some foods require more energy to digest than they provide, often called "negative calories," is a myth; no common food fits this description. While the human body expends a small amount of energy for digestion, known as the thermic effect of food, this process only uses a fraction of the food's actual caloric content, making the net energy balance always positive.
Despite not providing negative calories, celery is considered a useful food for weight management. It is very low in calories, high in water and fiber, and can contribute significantly to feelings of fullness.
What each model said
- Grok ✓ All verified
No. Celery has roughly 14–16 calories per 100 g. The thermic effect of digestion uses only about 5–10 % of those calories, so the net energy balance remains positive. It is extremely low-calorie but does not produce “negative calories.”
- Gemini ✓ All verified
No, celery does not have negative calories. While celery is very low in calories—containing about 10 to 14 calories per medium stalk—the human body uses only a small fraction of that energy to digest it. The thermic effect of food (the energy required to digest, absorb, and process nutrients) accounts for about 10% to 15% of the calories consumed. Therefore, eating celery still results in a net positive calorie intake.
- Claude ✓ 2 ⚠ 2
No. The "negative calorie" claim is a myth—no common food, including celery, requires more energy to digest than it provides. Celery is very low in calories (about 6 calories per medium stalk) and high in water and fiber. Digesting food does burn some energy—the thermic effect of food—but this typically accounts for only about 10% of a food's calories. For celery, that's a tiny fraction of an already small number, so you still net positive calories from eating it. Celery is genuinely useful for weight management because it's filling and low-calorie, but not because it creates a caloric deficit…
- GPT ✓ 2 ⚠ 1
No. Celery does not have “negative calories.” Celery is very low in calories—about 10–15 calories per serving—but digesting it does not burn more calories than it provides. The thermic effect of food exists, but it only uses a fraction of the food’s calories. Celery can still be useful for weight management because it is high in water and fiber and can help with fullness, but it does not create a calorie deficit by itself.
Models Used
- Grok
- Gemini
- Claude
- GPT
Disclaimer: This page summarizes the output of 4 frontier large-language models at a single point in time. NoParrot Score reflects cross-model consensus, not absolute truth. Models can be wrong, and consensus can be wrong with them. Treat this page as a research aid, not a final verdict.
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