Celery Juice Health Benefits

I love how healing celery juice is and have recommended it to many patients to help with detox, thyroid health, to give more energy, and so many more reasons that I can't believe it took me this long to add it to the office as another thing that the Healing Arts Wellness Center now offers! I first came across the "phenomenon" of drinking pure celery juice every morning on an empty stomach while delving deep into the pages of Medical Medium by Anthony Williams. We are offering 8 ounces for $4 or 16 ounces for $7.

I'm sure most of us are familiar with typical green juice, which usually consists of fistfuls of dark leafy greens, such as kale and spinach, along with cucumber and celery, and oftentimes herbs, lemon, and ginger. Usually, an apple is added for taste. It's a powerhouse of a drink, with all those deep greens and their antioxidants, phytonutrients, and enzymes transferred into a liquid form that can be easily sipped down, thus bypassing the energy-consuming process of digestion.

So when I read about the healing powers of celery juice, my interest was piqued, but drinking plain old celery juice seemed pretty boring compared to the green juice I'm used to. However, Williams, in Medical Medium, says celery juice, "is one of the most powerful and healing juices we can drink. Just 16 ounces of fresh celery juice every morning on an empty stomach can transform your health and digestion in as little as one week."

Celery contains compounds called coumarins, which are known to enhance the activity of white blood cells and support the vascular system. It also helps to purify the bloodstream, aid in digestion, relax the nerves, reduce blood pressure, and clear up skin problems. Celery is rich in vitamin A, magnesium, and iron, which all help to nourish the blood. Celery juice is also rich in organic sodium content, meaning it has the ability to dislodge calcium deposits from the joints and hold them in solution until they can be eliminated safely from the kidneys. Sounds pretty phenomenal, right? You'll only know if you try it!

Celery Helps with Digestion

The discomforts of indigestion, bloating, and even acid reflux are often caused by low stomach acid. Studies have shown that people with Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism often have low, or lack of, stomach acid, and low stomach acid sets off a wheel of undesirable health consequences. Many of us are all too familiar with the fact that when we're stressed, one of the first things to go out of whack can be our digestion. This is where the superhero of celery juice steps in, as its natural sodium content raises stomach acid, and when drunk first thing in the morning, primes you for easy digestion for the rest of the day. 

Stomach acid is essential for breaking down food, particularly protein. If your stomach acid is lowered, the body then has to step in, using more resources to try to digest that food, thus making you tired. This also leads to liver backlog, so there's less chance your liver will be able to keep up with the onslaught of toxins it has to process from mere everyday life, as well as its job of balancing blood sugar and recycling and producing new hormones, among its many other tasks. If we don't give the body the nutrition it needs, it never has a chance to reset, heal, and thrive. 

It can reduce cravings. 

Oftentimes, cravings are the body's way of calling out for nutrients that we are low or depleted in. For instance, if you're suffering from adrenal fatigue, I've found you'll crave all salty foods. This is not a mistake of the body, as the adrenals need minerals to function at peak performance—like the minerals that are found in high-quality salt. Unfortunately, we can often confuse this craving with wanting a bag of potato chips. Since celery juice helps with digestion, the body can soak up all the goodness and nutrition now, and cravings will subside.

Improves the Ability to Focus

Since stomach acid is essential for breaking down proteins, the amino acids from the protein can be broken down better after drinking celery juice. This allows the body to absorb the nutrition better. Amino acids are precursors for creating neurotransmitters, so in theory, the simple act of drinking celery juice can make you smarter. The surplus of energy one can get from food being digested better can also help to feel less overwhelmed. This helps to reduce stress, thus creating a happy, healthy, natural cycle. Celery is a major alkaline food. This means it helps to purge the body of acid and toxins and cleanses the liver and bloodstream.

Want to try it out for yourself? Here's a quick and easy recipe for celery juice (no fancy juicer required!).

Ingredients

• 1 head of organic celery. Should make 16 ounces of juice. 
• Splash of filtered water
• Equipment
• High-speed blender
• Nut-milk bag
• Large bowl

Method

• Wash and roughly chop the head of celery into rough chunks.
• Add to a blender along with a splash of water (to help the blades spin).
• Blend for a few seconds until broken down.
• Pour into a large bowl through a nut-milk bag.
• Squeeze through the juice, and compost the remaining fiber in the nut-milk bag Drink immediately for the most nutritional benefits.

To help detox heavy metals, add a half cup of cilantro to the blender.