A popular health trend has gained a lot of traction these recent years specifically by many celebrities, influencers and health coaches. What exactly? The celery juice. People are swearing by the health benefits of eating celery and celery juice every morning. So, for people like you and me to understand celery and health benefits, we’re breaking it down into a few simple points.
Let’s start by the most basic question- what is celery juice?
Celery is a vegetable that belongs to the Apiaceae family, along with carrots, parsley, and fennel and is rich in many nutrients like fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, which are plant compounds that have various biological effects. Celery juice is simply the juice extracted from fresh celery stalks, either by using a juicer or a blender and a strainer. Since, while making the juice, most of the plant fibre gets removed, celery juice benefits more than celery stalks.
Now, let’s jump to the celery juice benefits and health benefits of eating celery. Although worth mentioning that no single health drink or superfood is capable enough to magically improve your health drastically, if you’re looking to consume healthy, celery juice is definitely a good choice.
So, here are some of the potential celery juice benefits explained by the nutrients and phytochemicals that it contains, such as:
1. Low calories and sugar content
For people on caloric deficit diets for weight loss, or even people who are a little calorie conscious, celery juice benefits in satiating your hunger while adding only a minimum amount to your daily caloric intake. While the first health benefit of eating celery itself makes it appealing to a lot of people, it also has less sugar content than usual which helps to manage your blood sugar levels making your overall dietary quality significantly better.
2. Skin benefits
Now, looking at celery benefits for skin, it is also a good source of vitamin C and Vitamin K. The former being a powerful antioxidant that can help protect the cells from free radical damage and boost the immune system resulting in enhanced production of collagen. Vitamin C can also help in preventing hyperpigmentation due to sun exposure. Now, coming to Vitamin K, celery juice benefits in reducing bruising and swelling and prevent dark circles under the eyes
3. Anti-inflammatory properties
Celery juice also contains phytochemicals, which are plant compounds that have various biological effects, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. Some of the phytochemicals found in celery juice are apigenin, luteolin, and apiin, which give celery juice benefits like helping modulate the immune system and helping with conditions like asthma, arthritis etc
4. Antioxidants
Celery juice is rich in antioxidants, which are compounds that can neutralize the harmful effects of free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can damage cells and cause ageing, inflammation, and diseases. Some of the antioxidants found in celery juice are flavonoids, phenolic acids, and phthalides, which can help protect the skin from UV rays, pollution, and toxins, and improve its appearance and texture. So, here’s another point about celery benefits for skin.
The risks and side effects of celery juice
While celery juice benefits may be in abundance for your health and skin, it may also have downsides that should be considered.
1. If you are allergic to celery or any other plant in the Apiaceae family, there’s a minor possibility you might also be allergic to celery or its components, and experience symptoms such as itching, swelling, hives, rashes, breathing difficulties which can be life-threatening if not treated on time.
2. Celery juice may cause digestive issues, such as bloating, gas, diarrhoea, or stomach pain, especially if you drink too much or too fast, or if you are not used to it.
3. Celery juice has a higher sodium content, so taking celery juice in higher quantities may contribute significantly to your daily recommended sodium intake considering 1 glass has somewhere around 215 mg.
4. As mentioned earlier, celery juice loses most of its fibre content in the process, so a higher quality of celery juice might result in less fibre intake, which is essential for a healthy diet as it helps with digestion and regular bowel movements.
How to make and drink celery juice
Now that you’ve assessed celery and the health benefits of incorporating celery juice in your diet, let’s find out how to make a delicious one for you to enjoy.
- Wash and chop somewhere around 3 to 4 celery stalks and put them in a juicer to extract the juice or if you have a blender, blend it until smooth
Use a strainer to strain the pulp. - You can also choose to keep some fibre in the drink by not straining it, however, is preferred that you strain it.
- For a bit of flavour, you can use some additionals like green apples, fresh ginger, cucumber, fresh mint, or lemon juice.
- Now, pour the juice into a glass or a jar, and enjoy the celery juice benefits.