8 Surprising & Real Health Benefits of Celery Juice

Are health benefits from celery juice really worth the hype? We explain how this nutrient-dense food can improve your health!

It’s easy to think of celery stalks as a low-calorie diet food, but it’s so much more than that.

Celery is a powerful food packed with anti-inflammatory properties that offer a wealth of health benefits. And celery juice is the trendiest best way to get your dose.

We’ll cover where the celery juice craze started, and how it could actually help you feel better. 

Is a cup of celery juice really worth adding to an already balanced diet? Read about these health benefits first, and then you tell us!

PS. If you’d love to learn more about juicing in general, check out my juicing recipes and tips for beginners guide to get started.

What Is Celery Juice?

Celery juice is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the liquid content of a piece of raw celery. 

In other words, a stalk of celery in juice form.

When it comes to celery juice, think of it as electrolytes in the form of green juice. Celery is made up of mostly water, hydrating the body at a cellular level.

The most common way to make celery juice is by using a juicer. When you add the whole celery to the juicer it squeezes out any liquid content, and that’s what you end up drinking.

You can also complete the juicing process by using a high-speed blender and a fine strainer like a mesh sieve or nut milk bag. Those will help you remove the pulp. But honestly, it’s easiest to use a juicer!

Why Is It So Popular?

The Medical Medium, Anthony Williams, actually started the movement of drinking pure celery juice years ago. And let’s just say, social media ran with it.

But when you see nutritional benefits like these, you can’t really blame everyone for jumping onboard!

Williams claims drinking cold-pressed celery juice in the morning can improve gut health, weight loss, acne, and even flush out viruses.

Since then additional research has rebutted some claims, and reinforced others. 

There has been research on alzheimer’s disease, cancer cells, heart disease, chronic inflammation, and overall health. 

For example, other research suggested that celery juice can help control blood pressure and act as an anti-inflammatory, but doesn’t necessarily lower cholesterol, prevent digestive disorders, promote clear skin, or aid in weight loss.

No matter which research you find most compelling, celery juice is popular because it’s nutritious and a powerful anti-inflammatory food.

Anti-inflammatory foods are rich in nutrients and have common benefits like lowering blood pressure, improved mental health, improved cognitive function, and relief from other chronic issues.

We recommend incorporating healthy anti-inflammatory foods into your diet whenever you can!

The Best Time of Day to Drink Celery Juice

It is recommended to drink celery juice right away in the morning on an empty stomach. After consuming 8 to 16 ounces of celery juice, it’s best to let the juice digest for at least 30 minutes.

Keep in mind, celery juice is not high in calories. Celery juicing creates a healthy drink, not a meal.

After the digestion period, it’s important to eat a substantial breakfast in order to power through the day.

Drinking celery juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach has been shown to strengthen the digestion of other foods that you eat throughout the remainder of the day!

This nutrient-packed drink aids in gut health and by consuming it at the start of your day, it allows your stomach to start out on the right foot.

If you are unable to consume your celery juice first thing in the morning, however, you can also drink it about 15 to 30 minutes before a meal or 30 to 60 minutes after eating a light snack.

You simply want to drink it with as little food in your stomach as possible in order to reap the most benefits.

Vitamins and Minerals in Celery Juice

While seen by some as just a low-calorie “diet food” celery actually comes with tons of powerful nutrients too.

Celery is a great source of powerful antioxidants, which help protect cells, blood vessels, and organs. It’s also packed with essential nutrients and has vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, folate, magnesium, iron, sodium, beta carotene, and flavonoids.

Celery is a great source of phytonutrients, which can help reduce inflammation.

There are at least 12 kinds of antioxidant nutrients found in a single stalk of celery. Who would have thought?!

8 Health Benefits of Drinking Celery Juice

So let’s get to it. With some conflicting research, is celery juice really that good for you? 

While we can’t promise any particular results, we can share some of the best health benefits of celery juice that we’ve either experienced ourselves, or are common accepted. Depending on your specific body or health conditions, your reaction may vary from ours, or other regular drinkers.

These are some of the most common health benefits from drinking celery juice.

Anti-Inflammatory Action

Celery is filled with antioxidants. These have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-viral properties. Two antioxidants in particular, polyphenols and flavonoids, act as anti-inflammatory agents in the body.

The anti-inflammatory properties found in celery juice are said to help with inflammation issues such as acne, bloating, constipation, IBS, and more.

Aids In Digestion

Many of us are all too familiar with the feeling of bloating, indigestion, acid reflux, and even constipation. These uncomfortable sensations are caused by low stomach acid.

This is where celery juice comes in! The natural sodium found in celery (yes, there is sodium in celery!) stimulates the production of stomach acid, and when consumed first thing in the morning, it helps aid in digestion for the remainder of the day.

Some even say celery juice works like a natural laxative by relaxing nerves that could have previously been damaged by an unhealthy lifestyle. 

How we prep our stomach to digest foods throughout the day is extremely important in helping keep unpleasant symptoms at bay.

Reduces Bloating

Celery is a natural diuretic containing high water content. This means it helps to flush out toxins and excess water from the body.

When celery stalks are turned into celery juice, most of the fiber is removed. This in turn allows the body to digest the food more easily while still receiving the nutrients and experiencing less bloating.

Hydrates The Body

The main component of celery (nearly 95%) is water, which of course means that celery juice is great for hydration.

And if you’re someone who struggles to meet the recommended amount of water per day, celery juice is a great way to contribute to that number in a flavorful way.

By starting off the day drinking celery juice, you’ll be well on your way to giving your body the hydration it needs to function at its best and reap the many benefits of sufficient water intake.

Clears Acne

The specific combination of some of the health benefits we’ve already discussed actually leads to another amazing one.

By flushing out toxins, decreasing inflammation, and hydrating the body, celery juice can actually reduce breakouts as well as cystic acne which is caused by inflammation. Score!

And if reducing acne doesn’t convince you to jump on the celery juice train, what about better hair?

Strengthens and Hydrates Hair

Who doesn’t want a head full of shiny, curly locks?!

As previously mentioned, this miracle drink contains a large amount of both H2O and vitamin A.

Vitamin A plays a role in nourishing deep into the roots of our hairs, making them strong and healthy from the core.

While vitamin A dives deep into the roots of the strands, water provides hydration for our scalp, curing the common problem of dandruff.

With both water and vitamin A working together in celery juice, the strands of our hair are being nourished and staying hydrated from deep within the core to the topical layer of the outermost part of our scalp.

Helps Stabilize Mood

Celery has certain nutrients that may help with overall brain health and mood.

It’s also a good source of anti-inflammatory compounds like apigenin and luteolin, which might reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Both of those have been linked to depression and anxiety.

In addition to that, celery juice contains choline, which is an essential nutrient. Some research has shown that low levels of choline might be linked to increased anxiety.

Reduces Memory Loss

Like mentioned above, celery contains the plant compound luteolin. Luteolin can inhibit the release of inflammatory molecules into the brain. Less inflammation in our brains? Sounds pretty good to me!

Studies showed that luteolin specifically impacted the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory and cognitive ability.

Choosing Organic Celery

Celery is no longer on the dirty dozen list, but it falls just outside of the rankings. That means it’s recognized as having a higher chance of exposing consumers to toxic pesticides. But we’re trying to add nutrients to our body, not take away from it.

For that reason, I always recommend buying organic celery if you have the choice. Remember, the best fresh celery juice comes from the best fresh celery!

My Favorite Juicer Recommendations

Now let’s be real, some people don’t have the time to make celery juice in the morning and then wait 30 minutes to have breakfast.  Many of us are busy, we need to have coffee, some fuel and get going on our day. 

But, even adding juicing in general to your routine is a good idea. I bought the Breville juicer about 10 years ago, and I love it. It’s my favorite juicer to recommend, but there are a few other great ones linked below as well.

Yes, juices are messy to clean but honestly, it’s not that bad and it’s totally worth the benefits. 

I tried the celery juice trend but then moved into more complex juices. I add celery to my juicer along with apples, oranges, cucumbers, lemon, beets and ginger, or other anti-inflammatory foods I have on hand. You can find my favorite combinations in this juicing recipe and tips for beginners guide.

Plus, explore the differences between juicing vs. blending to see which is the best option for you.

To find out more about juice and its impact, check out the film Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead with Joe Cross. For a limited time you can watch it free!