Is celery juice a fad worth trying?

This piece is sponsored by Avera Health.

There’s a lot of hype surrounding the celery juice fad. But that hysteria leads to a question:

Is this new fad really that good for you? We asked Dr. Dawn Flickema of Avera Functional and Integrative Medicine for her expert opinion:

So far, research hasn’t shown conclusive evidence that drinking celery juice benefits weight loss or gut improvement any more than other high-fiber fruits and vegetables. In the medical field, we require science-based facts before we give our blessing on any new supplement, herb or other healing theory.

The reality about nutrition is that what works for one person may not work for another. So if you’re seeing the benefits of celery juice, that’s a win. Here’s what to consider if you’re thinking of trying celery juice.

Benefits of celery and juice

With that being said, we whole-heartedly embrace supporting a natural food like celery, and here are some reasons why and some things to consider:

• Celery, like many plant foods, has phytochemicals that have healing benefits.
• The best celery to buy is organic; the plant is quite susceptible to environmental toxins such as weed killers, so choose carefully at the store.
• If you want to try it, juice enough celery to make 2 cups, and drink it daily on an empty stomach. Do so first thing in the morning – and have nothing else for at least 15 minutes – to get the most positive effects from this powerful healing food.
• We know that celery is very alkaline and helps neutralize stomach acids as it helps to balance the body’s pH levels. For that reason, celery juice is thought to have powerful anti-inflammatory responses, as well as a calming effect on the tummy. It seems to help the stomach heal from many ailments too.

Celery is relatively high in fiber. When you juice a vegetable, that fiber benefit is largely stripped away.

Celery can have diuretic effects and may interact with medications. If you’re taking blood thinners and diuretics, talk to your provider before increasing your intake of celery juice.

Why it seems to work

We do have many patients and clients who say how much better they feel now that they are juicing celery using the above tips.

Many gut issues people have such as irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut, colitis and food intolerances, as well as constipation and diarrhea, seem to improve because of the calming effect of daily celery juicing.

Naturally high levels of sodium in celery also are thought to be beneficial. This light-green vegetable/herb packs a powerhouse of minerals, not simply sodium. One beautiful thing about nutrition is that we’re all still learning about the wonderful new capabilities in components of God’s foods.

Nutrition info for raw celery

Sometimes the best way is to keep things simple. You also can just add celery into your diet. Here’s a quick look at the nutrients you’ll find in 1 cup of chopped raw celery:

• 16.2 calories
• 3.5 grams of carbs
• 0.7 grams of protein and 0.2 grams of fat
• 1.6 grams of fiber
• 453 international units of vitamin A, 20 percent of daily value
• 29.6 micrograms of vitamin K, 37 percent
• 36.5 micrograms of folate, 9 percent
• 263 milligrams of potassium, 8 percent
• 3.1 milligrams of vitamin C, 9 percent
• 40.4 milligrams of calcium, 4 percent
• 11.1 milligrams of magnesium, 3 percent
• Small amounts — 0.1 grams — of manganese, vitamin B6 and riboflavin

The beauty of your body’s response to natural foods is that tiny trace of that little mineral may be exactly what you need. Why not give it a try yourself? You can join many people who are loading up grocery carts with beautiful heads of celery.

Remember to think of food as your medicine. It isn’t a quick fix but often a journey of many wonderful benefits that slide into place. You may be amazed at how wonderfully you can live your life with the right combination of healing foods for your body.

It seems astonishing that celery, a little gem of a plant known for flavoring many dishes, might be such a mighty jewel in our nutritional wheelhouse. The benefits of juicing and their effective uses are important aspects in nutrition.

Learn more about functional and integrative medicine at Avera.