What’s the Deal with Celery Juice?
Celery
juice is a hot topic in the health world right now, with health and
fitness influencers claiming it is a miracle juice that we all need to
be drinking first thing in the morning.
I’m not usually a fan of fad diets, but the thing I love about this
trend is that it’s not some scam product that people are trying to sell
you—it’s just celery! No one is trying to push a supplement that might
be unsafe for your body. So I thought to myself, why not try juicing
celery for 30 days to see what the fuss is about? What do I have to
lose, really? Regardless of its amazing health claims, celery juice
would be upping my vegetable intake each day, if nothing else.
What Makes Celery Juice So Special?
Celery juice is extremely detoxifying, as it flushes out old toxins and
poisons that have built up over time. It can help kill viruses, bad
bacteria, fungi and parasites in your body. This greatly helps to
maintain a healthy gut, improve digestion and reduce bloating. Celery
juice also increases your body’s ability to break down protein and fat.
Oftentimes, the protein and fat we eat go undigested in our stomach and just sits there to rot. This is what causes bloating and many other digestive issues, and celery works to break down that undigested food. So if you struggle with bloating, gas or constipation, celery juice just might be the cure for you. Also, juicing celery regularly may help boost energy levels, balance hormones, reduce inflammation and alleviate skin issues (like acne, psoriasis and eczema) and many other symptoms.
How Do You Gain These Amazing Benefits?
Experts say drinking 16 ounces of celery juice a day is a great starting
point. (Although if you have severe or chronic issues, you may find it
beneficial to drink up to 24 or 32 ounces a day.) So how much celery is
that, exactly? A lot! One bunch of celery yields about 16 ounces of
juice.
There are a few other considerations to keep in mind in order to gain the full benefits of celery juice. First, celery juice needs to be consumed 100% on its own, first thing in the morning. This means you need to drink it on an empty stomach—no food or coffee beforehand. A good rule of thumb is to wait at least 20 to 30 minutes before consuming anything else.
You will also want to avoid mixing anything into your celery juice. Anthony William, also known as the Medical Medium, claims mixing it with anything—like lemon juice, collagen or apple cider vinegar—will take away from its health benefits.
It’s also important to make the distinction between juicing celery and blending celery. Some people are blending their celery rather than juicing it—when you blend it, the fiber from the pulp also takes away from its health benefits.
If you don’t have a juicer and only have a blender, there is a way to blend your celery and remove the pulp afterward. You will need to a cheesecloth, which you can order from Amazon. Put your celery in the blender, blend it all up and cover the top of the blender with the cheesecloth and use it as a strainer as you pour out the juice. Then wrap the pulp in the cheesecloth and squeeze out any extra juice from the pulp.
While drinking celery juice first thing in the morning is extremely beneficial, it’s also beneficial to drink it immediately after you juice it. Juicing a bunch at a time and then storing it in the fridge for the entire week will also cause it to lose some of its health benefits. Once you juice your celery, aim to drink it immediately or at least within 24 hours.
Also, people are trying to make celery juice simpler by buying celery juice powder and mixing it into a glass of water. This, too, simply won’t give you the same benefits as freshly juiced celery will. It won’t cause any harm, but it won’t have the same effects.
Celery Juice and Bloating
Many people start drinking celery juice to help reduce bloating,
although some of these people are realizing that it’s making them more
bloated. As I mentioned above, celery juice works to break down all the
old, rotting, undigested food in your stomach.
What does that mean for those who are experiencing more bloating? Celery juice may cause extra bloating in someone who has a highly toxic digestive tract and has a lot of rotting, undigested food in their digestive tract. Over time, if they continue to drink celery juice, their digestive tract will become less toxic and their bloating will start to disappear. So if celery juice is causing you to bloat, this may be a sign you have a lot of built-up toxins and celery juice is exactly what you need.
I Juiced Celery for 30 Days and…
I juiced celery for 30 days straight to see if there was validity behind
all these health claims. The main benefit I was looking for was to
alleviate my psoriasis, which I had heard celery juice could help treat.
I have psoriasis on my scalp, and it has been something I have been
living with for eight years. I couldn’t find anything to help treat it
because I personally try to avoid putting chemicals, or anything
unnatural, into my body. This means I refused to take steroids or toxic
topical creams that my doctor suggested.
I also have been struggling with gut and hormone issues and have been working with a naturopath to heal. So, I was also looking to increase my gut health and rebalance my hormones through drinking celery juice.
It’s important to note that over these 30 days, I did not change anything in my diet outside of juicing celery. I also decided to ease my way into it by beginning with 8 ounces for the first few days before committing to 16 ounces each day.
Juicing celery every other day was a lot more realistic for my life. This way, I could still ensure I was drinking it within a 24-hour period. I generally would juice two days’ worth at a time, then drink 16 ounces immediately and save the other 16 ounces for the next morning.
My first few days of drinking celery juice, I felt absolutely amazing. My digestion was great, my bloating was going down and I felt so much more energy. But once days four, five and six hit, my bloating came back (it actually worsened), and I was completely backed up. I continued to juice regardless and am so happy I did because after those few days passed, my digestion, bloating and psoriasis became better than ever before. My psoriasis didn’t completely disappear, but it has been drastically alleviated.
One question I get asked the most is, “What kind of juicer should I buy?” I personally really enjoy my Breville juicer. With all the parts being dishwasher safe, it’s extremely simple to clean. Plus, it also has an extra-wide feeder chute that allows me to juice a bunch of celery in just five seconds!
My final consensus: I now swear by celery juice and continue to drink it every morning! Yes, it’s time-consuming to prepare, but the effects it has on my health make it more than worth it. I also record a podcast episode entirely about my experince juicing celery, so you can check that out here.
My top advice? Stay consistent! As with anything in life, if you want to see results and gain optimum benefits, you have to stick with it.