Celery Juice: Cure or Craze?
It’s the latest trend, and it’s a controversial one. Dark, leafy green juice has moved over to make way for its more popular counterpart, celery juice.
I first came across the idea of celery juice through the best-selling author, Anthony Williams, or Medical Medium, as he is more commonly known. I was amazed and enthralled by the incredible results people have had following his popular movement – his advocation of the daily consumption of celery juice.
It is undisputed that celery juice, whilst low in calories, is extremely high in its micronutrient content. I suppose this is a standard benefit of juicing – the ability the get a potent amount of micronutrients within a single glass.
Research shows that there are numerous health benefits associated with drinking celery juice:
Research suggests that celery juice has powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. This is in part due to the antioxidant compounds (called flavones) and phytonutrients that could help reduce inflammation, in turn decreasing your risk of chronic disease. These properties also help with acid reflux, digestion, IBS, constipation, skin irritation and other inflammation problems.
Celery has a high fiber content – fiber, of course, is well known for its digestive benefits. Some research also shows that the antioxidants present in celery help reduce the risk of gastric ulcers, and improves your stomach lining because the flavonoids present helps stop the growth of unwanted gut bacteria. Cool huh!
Celery juice is pumped full of Vitamin K which plays an essential role in promoting heart and bone health. It a key vitamin involved in bone mineralisation and blood clotting, and also helps boost your metabolism and maintain healthy brain function.
Due to its high water content, celery juice is extremely hydrating. Because of this diuretic property, and because it contains magnesium, phthalides and potassium, it has also been shown to decrease high blood pressure and lower cholesterol.
So where do the critics come into the picture?
Despite a whole lot of anecdotal evidence, there is not a huge amount of scientific studies to back this up. Instead, most research has examined the health benefits of specific nutrients that are in celery. The studies that have been performed specifically on celery were mainly conducted in a lab or using animals as the subjects. Because of this, we have limited knowledge of the effects on humans. In saying that, I’m sure the growing popularity of the celery juice movement will drive more research studies to be conducted – if and when that happens, I’ll be sure to update this post.
My experience of Celery juice
It goes without saying that I am a huge fan of the celery juice movement. Since incorporating it into my morning routine, I have noticed many benefits. Celery juice is the first thing I consume when I wake up in the morning – it is best digested on an empty stomach and is the perfect way to rehydrate the body after a long night’s sleep. As well as the hydration factor, it really gets the bodily functions working, if you know what I mean!
Since I began drinking celery juice, I have also noticed improvements in my digestion and bloating. As an ongoing sufferer of stomach issues, I need all the help I can get, and any signs of improvement are welcomed with open arms. My skin is also looking much clearer since I began drinking celery juice. To be completely transparent, my skin has never been particularly bad, but I have definitely noticed an improvement over the last few months.
I’d also like to add that many of the people helped by the Medical Medium’s celery juice initiative are suffering from chronic issues that are negatively impacting their life. Unlike them, I don’t have any chronic issues that need to be fixed, yet I am still noticing benefits from incorporating this into my morning routine. It’s also just such a nice, clean way to start the morning and it makes me feel like I’m setting myself up for a great day.
I am not by any means shouting from the rooftops about celery being a miracle medicine. I do not for one second believe that it is a cure all. I do, however, have a lot of respect for the enormous amount of anecdotal evidence supporting this movement. Could it be the placebo effect? That’s an answer I do not have. All I can say for sure is that for myself, and for thousands of others out there, there have been tangible benefits experienced by incorporating this into our diets.
I challenge you to drink celery juice every morning for the next 30 days, keeping track of how you feel each morning. How do you feel after a month of juicing? Let me know how you go in the comments below!