If you salt it, dip it, saute it or otherwise mess with it - it becomes fattening, water retaining, colesteral laden and generally bad for you.

 

This is not really a joke but I heard the "cardboard" part a long time ago and for some reason have never forgotten that.  I can remember in my younger years preparing celery to take to work for snacks or to go with my lunch, or be my lunch and trying to pretend it was steak. Ha.  IF you try to compare celery to steak...  it is cardboard.

 

Eileen :)