WARNING: The video above includes profanity and a sassy dietitian.
Is celery juice good for you? What are the nutritional benefits of drinking celery juice? Is this just another fad in the diet world that has no real nutritional benefits? These are just a few of the questions that might come to mind when thinking of celery juice.
First off, where did this celery juice cleanse come from? The ‘Medical Medium’ (with no medical background) says that celery juice can heal you of all medical conditions…hmmmm let’s think about that for a second.
I honestly can’t believe I have to write this line…celery juice is not capable of curing all of your medical diseases and conditions. Wow, like really?! What has this world come to??
I may or may not have dressed up as the medical medium, who happens to be a boy, to prove a point. I didn’t think it was possible for our diet culture to get any worse until the medical medium came into play. This wack job thinks it’s okay to tell millions of people that drinking a juiced ‘humble herb’ will cure them of medical diseases.
Before you get your panties into a bunch…YES, you can drink celery juice. There is nothing wrong with it. But it WILL NOT cure you of any medical disease or condition.
BELOW IS THE VIDEO OF ANTHONY WILLIAM THAT I WAS MOCKING. A humble herb with made up substances? C’mon man, you are better than that!!Click here for a great article written by a dietitian regarding The Medical Medium.
Although celery juice won’t heal all of your diseases and conditions, that doesn’t mean you can’t drink it! Before diving into the research of celery juice, we first want to point out the nutrition that celery, in its natural form, has to offer. Celery is a great vegetable to consume. It contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, such as: Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium, Phosphorus, and Folate. It is also 95% water so it is an extremely hydrating vegetable. Although celery, as a whole, has all of that, once processed through a juicer it does tend to lose its fiber content. This happens with any type of vegetable that is juiced, so that is something to be aware of when considering juiced vegetables over whole.
There is not much research on celery juice itself, however, there is a lot on celery in its natural, whole form. Despite the fact that it will lose its fiber content, everything else should be pretty consistent when comparing celery stalk with celery juice throughout the following articles.
Benefits of celery:
- Hydrating
- Celery is an extremely hydrating vegetable. It is made up of 95% water. (1)
- Antioxidant
- Celery also works as an antioxidant and can remove free radicals from our bodies. Antioxidants are compounds that can delay or even prevent certain types of damage to cells. They can remove potentially damaging oxidizing agents in our bodies, which is a great benefit of consuming celery. (2)
- Anti-Inflammatory
- Snowballing off of the antioxidants that celery consists of and the benefits they offer is the fact that these antioxidants also work as anti-inflammatory agents. This means that it can help to reduce inflammation or swelling and relieve pain. (2)
- Blood pressure lowering effects
- Studies show that celery is also able to reduce blood pressure. Celery contains a phytochemical, phthalides, which is able to relax the tissues of the artery walls resulting in increased blood flow and reduced blood pressure. A study performed on individuals with mild to moderate hypertension showed that over a 6-week period, individuals who were given an extract from a celery seed experienced a decrease in their blood pressure. (3) (4)
Overall, there are some important facts to note from this research. First, not all of this research is tested on humans. Some of these are tested on rats, which means the outcome on humans could differ. The outcomes of these research experiments could also differ depending on the type and amount of celery consumed. These studies used very specific amounts of celery as well as different parts of celery, such as seeds and extract.
Although we do not believe that ANY one product is a miracle, cure all juice; it does not hurt to drink it. It does provide you with good vitamins and minerals and can be a quick and easy way to consume celery without having to actually eat it. This would be a great fix for someone who is not too fond of actually eating celery as a whole. Eating celery would be the better option, in my opinion. By eating the stalk of celery itself, you are not losing the fiber content that is lost once processed through the juicer. It is also much more filling this way.
Overall, the goal is consume a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. Doing this, will fuel your body with all of the vitamins and minerals that it needs. Try making your diet as colorful as possible when it comes to consuming vegetables.
Overall Pros and Cons of Celery Juice:
- Pros:
- Quick and easy way to consume celery.
- Great for those who are not fond of eating celery. There are plenty of juice recipes that involve celery on the internet.
- Vitamins and minerals are still present in the juiced form (minus fiber).
- Cons:
- Not filling.
- Loses fiber content once juiced.
- Can be much more expensive than just purchasing a celery stalk from the store.
- It will not cure you of any medical disease or condition…bummer.
