If there’s one food I NEVER thought I’d see be called a ‘trend’ it’s celery. Here’s a dietitian’s take on the benefits of celery juice.
Because let’s be honest, it’s pretty much the beige of vegetables.
It has no discernible taste, doesn’t really go with anything (apart from peanut butter but PB goes with everything) and is literally made up of 95% water.
Plus, I thought we’d left the juicing trend back in 2007, along with apple bottom jeans and boots with the fur.
And yet, here we are.
Why do people drink celery juice?
It’s 2019 and the wellness world is losing its mind over celery juice.
The hashtag #celeryjuice has amassed over 80,000 photos on Instagram.
Everyone from health bloggers to celebs like Kim Kardashian, Miranda Kerr and Gwyneth Paltrow (huge shock!) espoused the benefits of the stalk-like vegetable.
My local juice store say they can’t keep up with demand.
But why is everyone is drinking celery juice right now? Is celery juice healthy and should you drink it?
Where did the celery juice trend come from?
So, why is everyone suddenly drinking gallons of celery juice? Where did this strange beverage trend even come from?
Well, funnily enough, the celery crusade started with a medium (yep, as in a psychic medium.)
Anthony William goes by the Medical Medium, due to the fact that he believes he has the ability to ‘read’ people’s bodies. (Yes, I am rolling my eyes. Are you?)
He has NO medical or nutrition credentials whatsoever, which should tell you a lot about the validity of the celery juice trend.
In all three of Anthony’s New York Times best-selling books, he raves about the benefits of celery juice. He recommends drinking celery juice in the morning (16 ounces/around half a litre) – every morning – because of its ‘potent healing properties.’
According to Anthony, doing so has an ‘incredible ability to create sweeping improvements for all kinds of health issues’ – including detoxing viruses, clearing the skin, boosting gut health and even fighting cancer.
Remember – these are all reported benefits… none of which have been backed up by even one study.
For the record, you don’t need to detox your body (thanks to your liver, kidneys, lungs…) and if celery juice cured cancer, oncologists around the world would recommend it.
Why is celery juice healthy?
The people of the internet are certainly drinking the Kool Aid, raving that their daily dose of celery has done everything from cure acne, eliminate bloating, boost gut health, reduce brain fog and apparently they’re also drinking celery juice for weight loss.
But does drinking celery juice actually have any benefits?
Let’s start with the good stuff, shall we?
Celery farmers are killing it right now and good for them! They work hard and finally get to have a great pay day.
While I don’t believe in ‘superfoods’ (they’re foods, not deities), celery is a healthy food. It’s hydrating due to its water content, and high in fibre. It also contains a little bit of vitamins like calcium and potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and vitamin K. How lovely!
Celery juice is also low in sugar.
If you go from eating virtually no vegetables to drinking a green celery juice every morning, that’s cool and it’s a nice way to get hydrated with a few nutrients thrown in.
However, there’s no research (as in none, zero, nuddah, zilch) to back up all the magical benefits that Anthony claims it has.
Should you drink celery juice?
If you happen to love celery juice, then by all means incorporate it into your daily routine.
Does celery juice taste good?
To some people it does. To other’s, it doesn’t.
Ultimately, ALL healthy food should taste good. If it doesn’t, you’ll find it hard to keep doing it for more than a few weeks.
Keep in mind that because many of the nutrients tend to be lost in the juicing process (goodbye precious fibre), I don’t recommend celery juice.
There are plenty of other drinks that’ll give you way more nutrients like a normal smoothie or green juice.
Is the celery juice trend dangerous?
Unlike other diet trends, I don’t see anything dangerous in drinking celery juice, apart from the fact that you might lose money on yet another thing that doesn’t work for you.
And like I’ve said before, you can have too much of a good thing. If you scull it every morning for a month, if you’re having too much celery juice, there’s a good chance you may not even want to look at it ever again!
Take home message: Why everyone is drinking celery juice right now
No one food is a magical health elixir and celery juice is no exception. If you ask me, it’s another passing fad and not worth wasting your time (or money) on.
Sick of all the BS diet advice and nutrition nonsense? Want to eat healthily without obsessing and never diet again?
Listen to my podcast No Wellness Wankery, which will help you sidestep wellness wankery (phew!) so you can be healthy without dieting and feel better in your already wonderful body.
Our most popular episodes:
▶️ 15 ways I learned to love my body
▶️ Struggling to lose the last 5 kilos?
▶️ Why can’t I stop eating peanut butter, cereal or bread?
▶️ Does fruit have too much sugar?
