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Healthier Living

Celery Juice- Miracle Drink or Overhyped Fad?

Mussy Raitman May 14, 2019

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By: Mussy Raitman, Lubicom Staff

 

 

Celery juice is all the rage on social media; apparently, it’s a health miracle.

 

Truthfully, I’m just here questioning the science behind the whole trend.

 

I first heard about celery juice a couple of months back when I was watching Instagram stories. I noticed most of the influencers I follow were repeatedly posting selfies either with a mason jar full of a neon green juice or boasting a cheesy smile near a blender (probably sponsored?) and a fresh bunch of celery. I rolled my eyes and filed it away in the same section of my brain where you will find most sponsored products, i.e., skinny tea and gummy hair vitamins (if you know, you know.)

 

I knew it was time for a little investigation when it’s been more than six months, and I’m still seeing posts about drinking this magic concoction. Not to mention, when I went into both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods around Brooklyn this month, celery was out of stock everywhere.

 

 

I keep doing a double take; to me, celery has and will always be that low-calorie vegetable that maybe, just maybe, you add as an added crunch to a tuna salad. Absolutely nothing more.

 

I honestly find it remarkable that such a basic and tasteless vegetable can make it to the top trend on social media.

 

Nowadays on a platform like Instagram, it has become tough to decipher what trends are really healthy. There is no filter system nor any criteria that stop influencers from spreading questionable health info. It’s a real-life game of broken telephone. I assure you, by the time you read about a health topic it has been entirely taken out of context.

 

That’s why I’m questioning the value of drinking celery juice every day on an empty stomach. This trend is no joke; there are over 200,000 #CeleryJuice posts on Instagram.

 

No matter where I look the celery juice trend traces back to Medical Medium Anthony William aka Instagram’s most famous celery juice missionary. According to him, drinking the stuff can heal acne and eczema while also reducing bloating, eradicating bacteria and a whole lot of other sicknesses or bodily discomforts. He preaches, posts dramatic before-and-after pictures and has paid top celebrities to attest to this trend. While he may have 1.4 million followers, the thing that matters most, he lacks: there is absolutely no record of any nutritional or medical schooling.

 

See where I’m coming from?

 

That’s why I had an urge to dig into the science and speak with health professionals to get to the bottom of what’s legit and what’s not.

 

 

What I learned was that celery does indeed contain a lot of excellent characteristics. It is known for its large amount of vitamin K while having other vegetable nutrients like vitamin A and vitamin C. I say ‘vegetable nutrients’ because that’s the thing, all vegetables contain some degree of minerals and vitamins. Compare celery to other veggies, and it’s significantly lower in the more critical stuff like magnesium and calcium. It is lower in calories, but that comes with decreased levels of fiber and all the good stuff you want your body to get from vegetables.

 

Another question I was curious about, if celery is that good for you, why not just eat it straight instead of going to the trouble of juicing it? I always heard that juicing anything removes the fibers which is not ideal at all.

 

The only answer I was able to find, people are keen on juicing their celery because they can consume more when it’s juiced as opposed to munching. It’s true, a juiced cup of celery is a full bunch of stalks. No one I know would be happy to munch on a more than one stalk a day.

 

I also learned about the concept of ‘fat-soluble.’ Vitamins A or K (celery is high in both) are both fat-soluble, meaning that eating them with fat helps your body absorb them. Dipping your celery into creamy ranch dressing is probably a better idea than juicing it. Not to mention you’ll even feel fuller when you chew food, as the act of chewing is satiating in itself.

 

I’m sorry for all those of you out there who are reading this even though you feel like your life has changed since you joined the celery juice trend. Every person is different. If you think celery juice has changed the way you feel or look, rock on and don’t let anyone stop you (even me).

 

 

Don’t kill me for saying this, but there is real power to the placebo effect which may be the reason for all celery juice’s miraculous results. As they say, the placebo effect is strong enough to cure or kill.

 

All I’m saying is think long and hard before you go and buy the fanciest juicer that takes up half of your kitchen counter. If you’re searching and seeking for good health you might get lucky with eating a variety of good old boring fruit and vegetables. Not just celery. And not just juiced.

 

I can say with full confidence: health comes faster from a well-balanced diet than any popular social media trend.