Are those “ants” (raisins) marching over a health cliff..

When I think of celery, I think of smeared peanut butter topped off with a row of raisins, the sidekick to buffalo wings (btw-how the heck, did that ever start??), and chicken salad. What I don’t think of is..a cure for Autoimmune Diseases, Acne, Chronic Fatigue, Anxiety, and pretty much every other ailment affecting the world. It’s the base to most juicing, there are 1,000’s of social media posts, 100’s of before/after photos (mostly acne/weight loss) and books written Celebrating Celery, but how much of this is true, myth (maybe true, not proven), and just completely false…

Let’s start crunching into Celery..

Q: Why Celery Juice and not Radish Juice?

A: Celery has two things going for it, high water content and nutritional value. Just 8oz has, 95mg of calcium, 25mg of magnesium, 600mg of potassium, 85mcg of Folate, along with Vitamin A, C, K, and a whole class of other plant-based antioxidants.  And you get all this without much sugar, calories, or carbohydrates…a trifecta that most are looking for, with a WHOLE lot of water. 

Q: Is Celery vastly better than other vegetables? 

A: No, not really. But compared to other vegetables in its category, it has lots of water. The water is key to why so many people are using it for juicing. To juice, you need foods with lots of water. Also, the water in plants is structured differently, it’s more healthy, bioavailable, and hydrating than other water. You add that incredible water with specifically high nutrients, you get a nice health elixir. 

Q: Do you believe the claims? 

A: I believe that it can be helpful for some, but hard to believe it’s a cure for major diseases and ailments. You hear everything from liver disease to skin conditions (acne, eczema, psoriasis), to deep intestinal cleansing. There is no research in celery juice, but there is in the individual nutrients. Which can be anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, and hydrating.  It’s not a cure all for everything. 

Q: Why do people say it works?

A: Celery is 94% water, consistent, high amount of hydration, without nasty sugars, simple carbohydrates, toxins, and processing can work wonders. I enjoy juicing (2x per week), it’s a great way to get in a lot of concentrated nutrients, from natural sources, in a low impact digestive way.  Most of these celery juice “protocols” are paired with whole food and/or restricted eating and high amount of hydration. They eliminate most, if not all, of the junk they were eating that caused their issues. It’s really tricky, you have to read the whole context of these programs, you’ll see some basic health principles. 

Q: Any dangers?

A: Excluding having false expectations, there are dangers to those that have sensitive digestive systems or conditions associated with high sodium diets (e.g. blood pressure, cardiac, etc..). Celery has a high content of fermetable starches, which cause some to be bloated, gassy. Also, it’s high in Sodium (200mg per 8oz). 

Q: Myth – detoxifies and cleanses the body?

A: No more than water does. But no research to say it cleanses specifically the liver, kidneys, or cleanses the blood. It’s not like some detergent or cleanser that sucks up all the toxins, those claims are ridiculous. The body has a liver, kidneys, spleen, and they work perfectly to detoxify the body.  

Q: Myth – weight loss?

A: No. And the celery/weight loss programs I have read on the internet are dangerous. Low calorie, restrictive eating, and long-time frames without a balanced diet is not only short term weight loss, it’s inflammatory, reduces muscle mass, and could lead to injury and illness. 

Q: Will you drink Celery Juice?

A: Yes, when I juice, I will add celery. It will be ONE of the many foods I throw in my juicer. I want the natural structured water from the celery. It won’t be the primary reason for the health benefits from my juice, that will come from the turmeric, ginger, herbs (cilantro, parsley, etc..), kale, spinach, etc..