Celery Juice: health benefits + how tos

I am pretty certain by now you’ve heard about the celery juicy trend from at least ten different people. From news programs to women on social media and friends… I’ve heard celery juice conversations just about everywhere. But, WHY?! Why is everyone juicing celery? What are the benefits of celery juice? And is this trend right for you?

Well, first off… celery juice isn’t exactly a trend. It may seem like it right now but people (including me!) have been drinking juice in celery for years. But, what is new for me is drinking straight celery juice. So, why am I doing it?!

WHY I JUMPED ON THE CELERY JUICE BANDWAGON
To keep it real, the power of social media and positive testimonials caused me to try celery juicing lol. If you have yet to try celery juice but are someone who has heard about it twenty times… I was exactly in your shoes a few months ago. A friend would mention it. I would see an article circulating on Facebook. A girl sharing her healing story would pop up on my YouTube feed.

I was also blown away by real life men and women I found on YouTube and Instagram who were sharing how it healed certain things for them. I love following the Little Blonde Book who shares about celery juicing often and how it helped her completely get off medications for Chron’s Disease. 

I struggle with eczema and that was one big motivating factor for me personally to try it out (among many other benefits I’ll mention below).
When it comes to trying health-related things, I tend to have a “why not – let’s give it a try” type of attitude. That’s exactly how I felt after perusing all sorts of celery juice content.

BENEFITS OF CELERY JUICE
Here are a few of the benefits of celery juice that I found most interesting. 
 
REDUCES INFLAMMATION: inflammation is a link to a laundry list of diseases. Celery juice contains powerful anti-inflammatory properties that essentially starve the bacteria and viruses that create the inflammation

ANTISEPTIC: celery contains mineral salts that can act as an antiseptic when they make contact with viruses and bacteria; the salts break down the pathogens’ cell membranes working to destroy them and eventually flushing out these viruses from the body

AIDS IN DIGESTION + BLOATING: hydrochloric acid plays an essential role in digestion, keeping the digestive system alkaline. Celery juice restores hydrochloric acid levels in the stomach, which makes for better overall digestion. On the topic of digestion… bloating is a common problem many of us face when undigested protein and fat get trapped in the stomach and small intestine. Celery juice promotes hydrochloric acid and bile production to help break this down and reduce bloating.

SKIN HEALTH: eczema, psoriasis and acne are three skin conditions often talked about with celery juice. Like I mentioned, I was most interested in healing eczema. Supposedly, the cluster salts in celery juice pose as a toxin and killer to the pathogens responsible for these skin conditions, which is why they can help heal them. Personally, I haven’t been juicing long enough to notice a huge reduction but my eczema has definitely not gotten any worse (which it normally does in the cold) since starting. AND, I do feel my skin looks clearer but maybe that’s just in my head lol. 

DETOXIFICATION + OVERALL WELLBEING: there are many other shared benefits like preventing high blood pressure, lowering cholesterol, fighting ulcers and acid reflux, and detoxifying that made me feel the overall health associated with celery juice was a worthwhile benefit in giving it a try.

CAN’T I JUST EAT CELERY? EATING VS. JUICING
Eating celery is beneficial and healthy but it doesn’t deliver the same powerful benefits as does juicing celery for 2 main reasons
1) juicing celery removes the fiber (wait, isn’t fiber good? yes but….) this allows the benefits of what’s contained in celery to become more bioavailable as our bodies are able to digest and utilize it better without the fiber present
2) we would not be able to eat the amount of celery required to deliver the benefits found in celery juice

LG TIPS: HOW I JUICE MY CELERY
BUYING CELERY: you’ll learn that somehow not all celery tastes the same. In fact, the taste of celery can vary store by store. I also learned that organic celery actually tastes better, but if you don’t have organic available that’s just fine. Personally, I like to buy all organic produce when juicing.

WASH CELERY: wash celery (extra important if it’s not organic). Chop off any leaves if desired; I find the celery juice is less bitter when the leaves are removed. If I want to speed things up for the following morning, I will wash and chop my celery the night prior.

JUICE: I drink 16 oz of fresh celery juice. For me, this requires about 1 large bunch of celery. For best results, it is suggested to make celery juice fresh and drink it immediately. The medicinal properties decrease when it’s frozen but it’s important to drink within 24 hours of making if you do decide to store in with a lid in the refrigerator.

I use THIS juicer. I love it for it’s functionality/good price (for a juicer!) but most importantly, I love it because it’s very easy to wash. Trust me on this… you will NOT keep up with juicing if there are too many components to your juicer or if it’s difficult to clean, which is why I recommend this one most!

What about the blender?! as I mentioned, one of the keys to celery juice is removing the pulp/fiber, which a blender cannot do. However, you can blend your celery juice then use a strainer to get just the juice

WHEN TO DRINK: you want to drink your celery juice in the morning on an empty stomach. Then, wait 15-30 minutes (I prefer to wait the full 30) before eating breakfast.

If you cannot juice and drink your celery in the AM, the second best time is to drink it on an empty stomach sometime during the day 15-30 minutes before a meal.

MODIFICATIONS: when I first began celery juicing, I reduced the overall consumption. I started with around 8 oz of celery juice. I also added a cucumber, which is a medical medium suggestion. Some people will juice an apple with the celery if the flavor is too difficult to get used to. Just keep in mind- the goal is 16 oz of straight celery juice.

NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS?
The most common side effect I’ve heard is that some people experience a change in their bowel movements when they begin celery juice. This is apparently a normal detox side effect, especially in individuals who may have a higher level of toxins. Because the celery juice is killing off bacteria and detoxifying the body, loose stools at the beginning may occur. Honestly, I did notice a bit of this for the first week or so. As your body passes out all the toxins, the normal bowel movements should resume.

IS CELERY JUICE RIGHT FOR YOU? 
Finally, I want to make this clear… everything in health is controversial to some extent. Celery juice is no different, so please take everything I shared and all that is out there with a grain of salt, do your own research, consult your healthcare provider, and make the best decision for you.

I love it! I do feel I’ve already noticed some health improvements and again, I have an optimistic attitude on the overall health of it. If I miss one day, I don’t stress about it, but I do plan on keeping this up consistently. 

Have you tried celery juice? Please share anything from your experience in the comments!

MY JUICER: