What is celery juice good for? This is one of the big questions currently in the wellness world. Food is medicine. Celery is food. Therefore, celery is medicine, right? Specifically in the form of celery juice?
Made popular by the Medical Medium, Anthony William, celery juice is touted as the miracle green juice that can cure thyroid problems, neurological disorders, celiac, IBS, adrenal fatigue, Lyme’s disease, brain fog, acne, chronic inflammation…and the list goes on. The healing power of celery juice, the Medium asserts, is attributed to the yet to be discovered sodium cluster salts (also referred to as mineral salts) it contains that destroy pathogens, increase hydrochloric acid in the gut and that support the central nervous system.
William states you reap the benefits of celery juice in the morning on an empty stomach preferably by drinking 16 ounces.
Like any curious and willing participant, I decided to give it a go. Of all the diet trends and fads, I figured I could try celery juice because, after all, it is a whole food and it couldn’t hurt to incorporate more celery into my diet. I drank celery juice consistently for at least 4 months, and off and on for another 3 months and here is what I found.
Benefits of Celery Juicing – Claims versus my observations
1. Claim: Heals chronic fatigue.
My observation: Let me preface my experience with the fact that I have three children… 3 boys to be specific…one of which is a two-year old. Needless to say, I am tired…Oh. So. Tired. I had high hopes that this miracle juice would have me bounding out of bed, singing with the birds and flipping pancakes before the boys ventured downstairs.
While I did notice a little bump in energy, I wouldn’t say that it was anything to write home about, and it was no more energy than what I would experience from drinking my regular green juice (kale, celery, apple, lemon and ginger). That said, someone who eats the Standard American Diet (SAD) and suddenly starts drinking a daily celery juice may very well experience a large boost in energy. However, for someone like me who already eats a plant based diet, juices and has smoothies on a regular basis, I really just didn’t see it.
2. Claim: Improvement in symptoms of anxiety/depression.
My observation: I have always been anxious and seasonal depression can hit me pretty hard. Again, I drank my celery juice and crossed my fingers and my toes that something so simple and natural would cure my symptoms. And again, no luck. I definitely think that the celery juice had a placebo effect on me at first, but over time I just didn’t feel that different.
3. Claim: Improved digestion, i.e. can celery juice make you poop?
My observation: Ok you win celery juice. Constipation be gone. Celery juice did the trick every morning and I’m going to leave that one right there. Also, I noticed that if I indulged or went out to eat the night before then I actually craved celery juice the next morning because I knew it would make my digestive tract feel so much better.
Bottom line:
At this point I’m sure it looks like I am anti-celery juice, but in fact I am not. As a registered dietitian I am in favor of celery and even celery juice if that’s how someone chooses to consume their celery. What I am not in favor of is its use as a cure-all. If a client asks me if they should start drinking celery juice to improve their digestion, aid in detox, improve blood sugar control, help their thyroid function, etc.…I’d say sure why not? There is no harm in trying it for a month and gauging its effects. This, however, would not be my sole prescription. Now let’s look at the facts.
Photo by Alex Lvrs on Unsplash
Proven benefits of celery juicing
Provides nutrition
Celery is made up of seeds, leaves and stems all containing medicinal properties. Celery contains flavonoids, vitamins A, C, B6, manganese, potassium and other vitamins and minerals making celery more nutrient dense than you might think.
One cup, 8 fluid ounces, of celery juice provides1:
Calories 33
Protein 1.6 grams
Carbohydrate 7 grams
Sugar 3.1 grams
Fiber 3.8 grams
Sodium 189 mg
Potassium 614 mg
Magnesium 6% DV
Phosphorus 5% DV
Vitamin A 6% DV
Vitamin C 8% DV
Calcium 7% DV
Vitamin K 58% DV
Iron 3% DV
Aids in hydration
Celery has a high water content, 225 grams per cup1, thereby helping you to achieve daily hydration needs.
Celery juice also contains potassium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorus making it a great source of electrolytes. Ditch the Gatorade that is full of dyes and “natural” flavors and opt to make a natural electrolyte replacement containing celery.
Aids in Digestion- does celery juice make you poop?
Celery provides dietary fiber and is an excellent source of insoluble fiber (about 2 grams/cup) which aids in weight loss and lowering cholesterol as well as promoting gut health by feeding the gut microbiome and bulking the stool. When juicing celery, the fiber can be stripped, and therefore I would recommend drinking unstrained celery juice.
Additional gut health benefits include celery’s protective effect on the gastric lining, thereby decreasing the incidence of ulcers. 2,3
Celery Juice for Inflammation
Celery contains several compounds that are powerful antioxidants that fight free radicals.4 Antioxidants act as scavengers removing free radicals and thus reducing oxidative damage and inflammation. Flavonoids in celery have been shown to suppress cardiovascular inflammation.5
In addition, celery contains the compound n-butylphthalide (NBP), an antioxidant, that has been shown to improve blood lipid profiles and to lower blood pressure. 6,7
Can you juice celery leaves?
Yes! Prepping celery for a juicer couldn’t be easier. Just separate the stalks, wash, and keep the leaves intact. Run the celery through the juicing machine until it makes the desired amount. Also it is easy to add other fruits and vegetables to your celery juice such as kale, lemon, cucumber, apple and ginger.
A final note: Celery is frequently on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list. This means that it is sprayed with multiple pesticides. A large percentage of conventional celery tested contains pesticide residue. Buy organic when possible or wash conventional celery thoroughly.
References:
- FoodData Central. U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, 2020, https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/1103382/nutrients
- Kooti, Wesam & Ali-Akbari, Sara & Asadi-Samani, Majid & Ghadery, Hosna & ashtary-larky, Damoon. (2015). A review on medicinal plant of Apium graveolens. Advanced Herbal Medicine. 1. 48-59.
- Tawfeq Al-Howiriny, Abdulmalik Alsheikh, Saleh Alqasoumi, Mohammed Al-Yahya, Kamal ElTahir & Syed Rafatullah (2010) Gastric antiulcer, antisecretory and cytoprotective properties of celery (Apium graveolens) in rats. Pharmaceutical Biology, 48:7, 786-793.
- Kooti W, Daraei N. A Review of the Antioxidant Activity of Celery ( Apium graveolens L). J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017;22(4):1029-1034.
- Hedayati, Narges et al. “Beneficial effects of celery (Apium graveolens) on metabolic syndrome: A review of the existing evidences.” Phytotherapy research : PTR vol. 33,12 (2019): 3040-3053. doi:10.1002/ptr.6492
- Tsi D, Das NP, Tan BK. Effects of aqueous celery (Apium graveolens) extract on lipid parameters of rats fed a high fat diet. Planta Med. 1995; 61(1):18-21.
- Moghadam MH, Imenshahidi M, Mohajeri SA. Antihypertensive effect of celery seed on rat blood pressure in chronic administration. J Med Food. 2013;16(6):558-63