The Celery Juice Trend

Confession: I LOVE Celery. Crunchy, slightly salty, holds it own in both soups and bloody Marys and in the classic after school snack Ants On A Log… whats not to love? (BTW The celery salad at The Whelk in Westport is OUT OF THIS WORLD) So needless to say, I was not so happy when I recently went to Trader Joe’s to find it SOLD OUT. I’d been hearing of the Medical Medium Celery Juice cure-all for a while now, but it seems to have hit fever pitch. I’ve been asked about it more times than I can count this week, so I decided to dig in and unpack these magical claims.

Confession #2: I am a sceptic. I know, it’s weird to hear that from an acupuncturist, but I do tend to take wellness world cure-alls with a grain of salt, especially when there are book sales on the line (see also: the Keto craze). Anthony Williams’s claims of an undiscovered sodium subgroup that he calls “salt clusters” have not been borne out in any research. The fact that he has found something that no one else can find definitely raises my BS detector. There are several claims that he has made that don’t hold any weight and I think that’s pretty dangerous. ☠️

So why are so many people swearing by celery juice? And is it just a snake oil placebo? Well… celery is a little vegetable powerhouse - it’s low in calories but high in water, vitamin C, and potassium, and other vitamins and minerals, and it’s very alkaline, so when you replace your daily cup of acidic and dehydrating Joe with a large glass of celery juice, you will most likely feel better. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, celery juice has been used for centuries to treat high blood pressure and can help to clear heat from the body.  In the book “Healing with Whole Foods” Paul Pitchford discusses the ability of celery to reduce acidosis and inflammation in the body, and indicates both eating celery and drinking juice for conditions like arthritis, UTIs and migraines. Several years ago, during an internship at a Chinese medicine clinic in Chinatown, I worked with a patient who was able to reduce her dangerously high blood pressure with a combination of acupuncture, herbs and you guessed it… celery juice!

I haven’t gotten on the celery juice bandwagon myself (I might try!), but I have heard of many success stories from friends and patients. I’m not sure that it’s for everyone, especially people who have what we call in TCM ‘yang deficiency’. I also worry that many people will focus all their energy on celery and forget about the many other phytonutrient rich fruits and veggies that can make up a really great and energizing breakfast!

As for claims that the benefits only come from from juicing but can’t be found from eating celery alone? I can’t buy into this one. I’m of the mindset that Mother Nature designed most of our fruits and veggies to be easily consumed, so if celery was meant to be juiced, it would be, well… juicy.  Eating your veggies helps to satiate hunger and the fiber that’s left behind in the juicer plays a critical role in digestion and cardiovascular health. So increasing your vegetable intake overall, and including celery that way, is a great idea. (and bonus: no annoying juicer cleaning)

SO long story short: Does celery juice have health benefits? Yes. Is it the panacea it’s being championed as? Probably not. If you want to give it a try, especially as a replacement to coffee, go for it. But if you don’t feel great, ditch it, and definitely remember to EAT a variety of fruits and veggies in your diet! 🍎 🍌

And lastly: conventional celery contains a ton of pesticides, so go organic 100%!