Celery was once considered a minor agricultural product. Celery is a low-nutrient vegetable whose value lies primarily in its flavor and crunch. It is now known that, like everything that grows, celery has a unique nutritional profile.
The real health benefits of celery juice revealed
Drinking celery juice does have health benefits:
1. Celery juice can help you reach your vitamin and mineral goals
The vitamin and mineral content in celery cannot be ignored: celery juice provides vitamin K, potassium, vitamin A and folate. For example, one serving (110 grams [g]) of celery contains 32 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin K, and women 19 and older need about 90 mcg per day—so one serving of celery meets more than one-third of a woman's needs today.
Vitamin K is a nutrient we don't often think about, but it's been linked to bone health. When it comes to bone health, the focus is often just on calcium and vitamin D, but research is emerging on why vitamin K is necessary too. As women age, it's important to understand what can help keep bones strong. One review suggests that vitamin K can work in conjunction with vitamin D to improve bone health and prevent fractures in addition to promoting vascular health in people with kidney failure.
Potassium is another surprising nutrient in celery—1 cup has more than half the potassium found in a medium-sized banana, a fruit known for its high potassium content.
2. Celery juice provides beneficial antioxidants
Like other plant foods, celery juice contains phytonutrients such as phenolic acids and flavonoids. Phytonutrients have antioxidant properties, such as preventing cell damage, and should be an important part of the diet.
Just drinking celery juice may not provide you with all the phytonutrients you need. You must also eat other fruits and vegetables.
3. Celery juice can help you stay hydrated
Celery is mostly water, so you can get hydration by drinking celery juice or eating celery juice. For example, 1 cup of celery is equivalent to 101 grams, of which 96.38 grams is water. About 95% is water.
So, if you're exhausted from drinking plain water, celery juice might be a great hydrating alternative.
Staying hydrated is important for your overall health—dehydration can disrupt your thinking, affect your mood, cause constipation, and even lead to kidney stones, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
RELATED: 6 Unusual Signs and Symptoms of Dehydration
4. Celery juice and other vegetables may help fight inflammation
According to research, celery may help reduce inflammation, but it's not a magic anti-inflammatory juice. There is an older study that looked at the anti-inflammatory properties of celery in vitro (in test tubes) and it seemed to show anti-inflammatory effects. These findings are not identical to studies in humans, and the researchers looked at celery extract (rather than the stem), so more research is needed.
That said, it doesn't hurt to put celery on your shopping list. An anti-inflammatory diet focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and limited animal protein—and celery can certainly be part of this diet.
There are good reasons to follow an anti-inflammatory diet for your health. The study found that participants who most closely followed an anti-inflammatory diet had an 18 percent lower risk of death, a 20 percent lower risk of death from heart disease, and a 20 percent lower risk of death from cancer compared with those who followed less strictly an anti-inflammatory diet. 13%.
5. Celery juice may help with weight loss
There's no denying that celery is a low-calorie food—a 1-cup serving contains only 14 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates.
Even if you drink an entire 16 ounces of celery juice, you're still only consuming about 30 to 45 calories and 6 to 9 grams of carbohydrates. Therefore, for those who prefer juice, it may be an alternative to other beverages that are higher in calories and slightly higher in carbohydrates, such as orange juice and apple juice.
What’s wrong with the health claims about celery juice
Go looking for evidence about the benefits of celery juice, and you probably won't find much. As far as research on the huge health effects of celery juice goes, there is no such study.
Other studies on celery have not been conducted in humans but have been conducted in animals and in vitro. For example, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition in August 2010 showed that celery helped reduce age-related memory problems in mice. Other research published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in February 2014 found that a different flavonoid in celery reduced stomach inflammation in gerbils.
The Medical Medium also touts other supposed benefits, such as helping to treat eczema and psoriasis and preventing urinary tract infections, but there are no studies to support these claims either.
Medical Medium also suggests that celery juice (without the pulp) can aid digestion. But when you drink celery juice instead of eating the vegetable, you'll miss out on its fiber, which is one of the vegetable's biggest benefits: Dietary fiber can help you feel full faster and aid digestion . If anyone wants to try celery juice, I recommend blending it rather than juicing it so you can retain more fiber.
Key Point: For better health and weight loss, should you drink celery juice?
While drinking celery juice every morning isn't necessarily harmful, it's not the only thing you should do to maintain a healthy diet and get more energy.
Also, if you don't juice your own celery, pay attention to the ingredient list. Many commercially available celery juice drinks contain juice and other ingredients and may have added sugar and other ingredients.
