If you have followed our blog for any length of time, you already know we rank celery as one of the top 10 vegetables to eat. In fact, Coach Sue stalked this healthy vegetable and had the following to say:
Known for its high water and fiber content, celery has long been called a zero- or even a negative-calorie food. While we’ll leave that debate for another day, celery provides plenty of flavor, makes a great snack (especially when combined with peanut butter or a Greek yogurt dip), and is a somewhat unheralded source of nitrates and phytonutrients, including kaempferol and quercetin, which is a powerful antioxidant associated with a long list of health benefits such as supporting brain, immune, and heart health.
So, what’s the deal with everyone juicing celery lately? Is this trendy new “green juice” taking over the once coveted top spot that kale and spinach once held? Do the benefits of celery juice match all they hype?
The celery juice movement can be credited to Anthony William, a self-proclaimed medical guru who says celery juice can help “improve digestion, strengthen immunity, and detox the liver.” It can be noted that William lacks any medical degrees or scientific training, yet he’s pretty popular with a strong social media following. (Should we take what he and other social media celebrities say with a grain of salt? In my opinion, the answer is yep.)
Celery Juice Taste Test
I visited a few juice bars, and the top ingredients in most of their juice blends included celery, so I had to give this a try and see what all the hype was about.
The first celery juice I tried was a mixture of celery, apple, and ginger. This was quite delightful, as it was refreshing, and I used it to replace my morning coffee without negative effects. That is, I found myself to be alert after consuming this beverage.
The claimed benefits for this juice combination are:
- By consuming celery and green apple juice on a regular basis, you may reduce your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and support kidney health.
- Celery seeds contain essential oils (limonene and selinene), and celery root contains asparagine, which have powerful toning and diuretic properties. This may help the body get rid of impurities and fluid retention.
- This juice combination may also help eliminate mineral deposit buildup (which may support the gallbladder and kidneys against the development of stones).
- Apples are rich in soluble fiber, which may help naturally balance your blood sugar and reduce cholesterol.
- Apples also contribute to the detoxifying power, which they get because of a compound called cysteine.
The second celery juice I tried was a blend of celery, lemon, and cucumber. There were some fresh herbs added into the mix, but the bulk of the juice was still celery. In addition to the claimed benefits mentioned above, adding cucumber may provide its own fair share of perks.
- Much like placing cucumber slices on your eyes for the silica benefit, drinking cucumber juice helps support healthy skin from within. It is high in vitamins and minerals and may improve your skin hydration, leaving it rejuvenated.
- It contains silicon and sulfur, cucumber juice may be extremely good for your hair.
- Cucumber juice provides good nutrition and is an excellent source of B vitamins. Deficiency of B vitamins often results in fatigue, irritability, and poor concentration. Drinking cucumber juice helps ensure your body is supplied with these vitamins to help you feel more energetic.
Last but not least, the third celery juice blend I tried was kale, spinach, and celery. This is more like what I would expect from a “green” juice; however, the addition of the celery kind of toned down the leafy green taste and made it quite pleasant. In addition to the benefits of celery mentioned above, kale and spinach pack their own punch. Claimed benefits include:
- Kale juice may help support weight loss. It’s rich in phytonutrients (a substance found in many plants which are considered good for human health) and also has fat natural fat-fighting nutrients like fiber, magnesium, and folate.
- An overall balanced body, proper digestive system, and strong teeth are few of the additional potential benefits of juicing kale.
- Spinach juice nourishes the digestive tract and may support improved digestion and relieve constipation.
- Spinach juice may help lower high levels of blood pressure by counteracting the effects of excessive sodium consumption with its high magnesium and potassium content.
I have tried my hand at blending my own celery juice and have included apple cider vinegar (ACV), lemon, and a plethora of other healthy raw ingredients, and I haven’t yet made a bad batch.
So, what are the health benefits of celery juice?
Health Benefits of Celery Juice
Research suggests that based on the flavone concentration and the biological activity of flavones, celery can potentially be used in a food-based approach to the prevention of chronic disease.
In fresh celery and celery juice, apigenin glycosides were the most abundant flavones, accounting for over half. Why is this important? Because studies demonstrate that the flavone apigenin may inhibit human lung, colon, breast, prostate, brain, and skin cancer cells; tongue cancer; and leukemia. Apigenin and luteolin also reduce monocyte adhesion to LDL, showing potential to prevent one of the initial stages of heart disease (atherosclerosis).
In another study, celery was shown to be effective for helping reduce high blood pressure (hypertension). Celery was credited with reducing blood pressure in all but two of the participants. The celery in the study was juiced and mixed with equal amount of honey, and about eight ounces were taken orally three times each day for up to one week. Fresh celery juice can also be mixed with vinegar and has been claimed to relieve dizziness and headache and shoulder pain associated with high blood pressure.
Similar studies demonstrate that one of the benefits of celery juice may be helping to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP). The difference of BP in study participants before and after treatment has been found to be significant, indicating that seeds of A. graveolens may be used as a safe and effective support for healthy blood pressure.
In additional findings, and as previously discussed, celery is a strong antioxidant due to flavonoids such as apiein and apigenin. Antioxidant compounds such as these may be able to protect cell membranes against damage.
Antioxidants directly or indirectly impact on hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis and may thus support fertility (including sperm count). So, celery may also be considered a medicinal herb for infertility.
Celery Juice: A New Healthy Miracle?
Now that you have all the facts and the benefits of celery juice, is it the new medical miracle?
Doubtful. Much like the previous trendy superfoods before it (i.e., spinach, kale, etc.), celery and celery juice is another great green veggie to include as part of your healthy diet. While it won’t cure everything that ails you, there are some clear cut benefits of celery juice. So, if you enjoy it, consume more. If not, there are plenty of other healthy vegetables to appreciate instead of or in addition to celery juice.
Recommended
You Might Like
