Editor’s note: For some, paying attention to what you eat is always top of mind. For others, it might take a change in health status to put a focus on food. Experts often recommend diet and lifestyle changes for couples struggling with infertility, and for women preparing for fertility treatments, like IVF. That’s why TalkingFertility.com investigates the latest health trends, as well as new developments in reproductive technology. Look for more articles like this one, if you’re looking at ways to boost your fertility through diet and lifestyle.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your health, it can be overwhelming figuring out what’s just a flash in the pan fad, and what might really work. Case in point: celery juice.
Celery juice recently began blowing up all over my social media feeds. A few of my friends, and lots of celebrities including Pharrell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Debra Messing and Jenna Dewan have posted about drinking the green juice. Even the hashtag #celeryjuice – has nearly 200,000 followers. People post dramatic before-and-after pictures showing how celery juice has cured their health issues. On Instagram, more than 68,000 posts are tagged with #celeryjuice and #celeryjuicebenefits has more than 300,000 followers and 50,000 posts.
I recently noticed signs at Trader Joe’s posted below the organic celery that read: “Only one package per customer.” Our local Costco has trouble keeping their organic celery in stock, and just started selling bottled organic celery juice. Companies like Pressed Juicery, Juice Press and Suja offer pricey bottled versions. One friend told me that she and her husband sometimes have to drive over an hour to find organic celery in bulk – so they can make their celery juice every morning. So, is celery juice the new kale? Not exactly. But the hype over this latest health craze is real.
Where did celery juice mania start? Turns out, there is one guy credited with starting the celery juice movement. His name is Anthony William, and he calls himself “The Medical Medium”. The New York Times bestselling author has a dedicated group of followers. He’s not a registered dietician or a medical doctor. William says he speaks with the “spirit” who he says provides him with “extraordinarily accurate health information that’s often far ahead of its time.”
William’s first book talking about natural remedies for chronic illnesses, including celery juice, was released in 2015. But celery juicing really took off this past May after William’s latest best seller came out called Celery Juice: The Most Powerful Medicine of Our Time Healing Millions Worldwide – turning him into a wellness superstar.In his latest book, Williams says you should drink at least 16 ounces of fresh, un-diluted, plain celery juice every morning, on an empty stomach. If you do, Williams claims that the juice can cure a wide variety of chronic illnesses and symptoms including: gut issues, thyroid disorders, diabetes, acne, ADHD and even multiple sclerosis. Williams says celery juice contains “sodium cluster salts” that repair your stomach and destroy pathogens.
Williams assertions seemed a little out there to me at first. I mean how can juice from one vegetable cure some really serious medical issues? And if celery juice is a cure-all elixir, then why aren’t any doctors or registered dieticians shouting from the rooftops that everyone should be drinking it every day? Williams says medical science hasn’t yet caught up to what he knows.
I was sold, and decided to give it a try. I needed to know if celery juice was truly the new fix-all miracle elixir that I had been missing my entire life. I have chronic digestion problems, so maybe this was the natural solution I needed.
First, I bought a juicer – and then lots and lots of organic celery. Then, every morning for 30 days, I drank plain celery juice, on an empty stomach, to see what would happen. I started out drinking 16 ounces, or two cups, every morning. Then moved up to three cups and then finished off at four cups.
On the first day, I was worried about what celery juice would taste like- since it was my first time trying it. I like eating celery (especially with peanut butter or hummus), so fortunately the juice went down easily – on most days. I quickly learned that all celery doesn’t taste the same. Some stalks can be quite bitter. After some trial and error, I figured out that the lighter the color, the milder it tastes. So, if I used pale green color stalks, instead of the darker green ones, it made the juice much more pleasant.
Adding another thing to my morning routine wasn’t an easy feat, with two young kids in the mix. But I was determined to see this experiment through. Even so, about half way through, I was close to giving up.
Drinking the juice was easy – taking the time to make it, clean it, and find it – was not. To make 2-4 cups of celery juice, you need about one and a half heads/stalks of celery. Locating mass amounts of organic celery became quite stressful. I needed to be strategic. Costco has the best organic celery, already washed and precut. But, they were often out of stock. I had to call ahead, to see when the shipment was coming, and plan to get to the store within the first two or three hours after they opened, or they would be gone. Our local chain supermarket always had enough in stock. However, the quality wasn’t great and I had to take extra time to cut and wash each stalk before juicing.
Once you have your celery lined up, you need to take time to make the juice every morning – since you’re supposed to drink it fresh to get the maximum benefits. The only thing you can do to save time, is prep the celery a day or two before using. Keep in mind, to make enough juice, it takes about 5-10 minutes, depending your brand of juicer. If you use a blender, you’ll also need to strain the celery pulp before drinking it. Then after you make it, you need to clean the juicer for the next day. And let me just say, those celery strings are not easy to get out. Most mornings I just didn’t have the time, and had to clean it after the kids went to bed that night.
The other factor to consider is cost. Costco charges about $5 a bag, and the local supermarket sells them for a few dollars each. Buying enough fresh organic celery to make juice each day ended up costing between $20-$40 a week.
So, what happened after 30 days of drinking celery juice every single morning? Nothing. Two weeks after starting the celery juice, I started to cut out added sugar, dairy and processed foods. Only then did I notice an improvement in my digestive system. My skin was a little clearer too. For me, the best part of this experiment was when it was finally over.
I still wanted to understand why celery juice seemed to work wonders for so many people. Was I the exception to the rule? Or did I buy into a big social media scam? I got a reality check from two experienced registered dieticians in Los Angeles.
Both dieticians I spoke with agreed that swapping out celery juice for something like a morning donut, would likely make a big difference in a person’s health. But, not only is there zero medical evidence to support celery juice as a cure-all, they say it could even cause an adverse reaction for some people.
Jodi Dalyai, MS, RD says, “It’s likely not going to hurt you, but it’s also not necessarily going to help either. You’re better off eating whole celery, to help your digestive tract. When you drink it, you’re not getting any of the bulky fiber your body needs. Also, if you have an allergy or sensitivity to celery, a few stalks may not be an issue, but drinking it in a condensed higher volume form could cause a reaction.”
“Celery has some health benefits, but also some big issues,” says Kim Shapira, MS, RD. “Celery has antioxidants, it’s good for hydration, it’s a good source of vitamin K and sodium, it can aid in balancing your PH and help digestion. But large amounts of celery can be harmful to people who have high blood pressure. Celery can also make you more prone to rashes from ultra violet lights. The quickest way to destroy a vitamin or mineral is to chop it, blend it or grind it.”
Celery juice is just one of the many food fads out there. My issue is with the many people who don’t have any formal education, or even research-based expertise who are making millions by selling their food plans, books, and supplements to people who really need help.
Dalyai makes a valid point that people want a quick fix. “It’s hard to change behavior. People would much rather eat whatever they want, and not do any exercise. That’s why the diet and health industry is a billion-dollar business.”
“I think there is a collective cult-like thinking that happens when a diet fad hits Instagram or the news.” Shapira says. “I think most people are looking for a quick way to get healthy or lose weight. But the truth is, it’s more of a seamless transformation when you do the right work. You just kinda wake up one day saying to yourself, ‘Wait! When was the last time I worried and that food or health problem?’”
But here’s the thing. It was absolutely harmless to try celery juice for 30 days – except for spending money on celery and a juicer I didn’t otherwise need. It was good for me to force myself to drink 16-32 ounces of liquid first thing in the morning to rehydrate. Now that I have stopped celery juice, I find it much harder to down that much plain water in the morning.
Even so, the only way celery juice would ever return to my morning ritual would be if I had noticed major improvements. It’s just way too much of a hassle for a busy working mom on a budget.
If not celery juice, is there something else we should be adding to our daily diet to improve our health? According to Dalyai, you should eat dark, leafy greens – like spinach, kale, broccoli and bok choy – every day. While you’re at it, try to eliminate or at least reduce the amount of processed foods and sweetened beverages you consume.
“My suggestions are to learn to have a normal relationship with food.” Shapira added. “Stop focusing on what your friends and colleagues are doing and focus on your own health and body. Pay attention to how certain foods makes you feel and go from there. Healthy is not the same for all of us!”
