If you have social media, well, you’ve probably seen celery juice since January. I mean Kathie Lee and Hoda chat about it, your neighbor on Facebook is posting it, and everyone is googling juicers. Forget the Pantone Color of the Year- celery juice is the resolution of the year! But why?

Let’s girl talk it out.

Celery juice isn’t a new trend- but it is having a moment thanks to social media. Celery has anti-inflammatory properties, and so many detox smoothies or juices on Pinterest include celery as an ingredient. Head to your favorite juice shop and you’ll probably see a celery juice or two on the menu.

How Did I Hear About It?

I first heard about celery juice from two people- and it’s the most organic way {for me} to find out about something: from my mom and a blogger. ha! I have had eczema since I was a baby and it’s affected by stress and weather. The winter makes it come out in full force and this winter specifically, it has not been kind to me. I chalked it up as hormones- can’t we always blame those?! My eczema hadn’t responded to any of my steroid creams and I always got nervous about the creams thinning my skin. My mom had gone to a holiday party with my dad and she ran into a friend who struggles with horrible eczema. She told my mom celery juice completely cleared it up after about two months. My mom called me on her way home and told me that I needed to buy a juicer and try this. I’d also heard about celery juice from Little Blonde Book. She has Crohn’s Disease and by juicing celery for months she was able to totally get off her medications. I do not want to speak for LBB, but she shares a ton of info on her experience! I chatted with her and she really encouraged me to try it. 🙂

The next day, my friend Bekah sent a group text saying, “Have y’all tried celery juice? Look at how much it helped my cousin!” Two days later, my entire friend group started juicing! You get the idea. Girl talk made me do it.

I want to go ahead and step in now and say, I’m not a doctor, nor am I recommending you juice celery and get off any medication. I’m just being honest in sharing how I found out about this!

Once you look a little further into celery juice, you’ll find that on Instagram, the most “buzzed” about celery juice guru is Medical Medium. Now, I haven’t read any of his books, I’ve just looked at his information on Instagram- which is enough to figure out how to do the whole celery juice trend. He’s pretty controversial. Some people adore his books, and some people steer clear. To me, it’s not really dinner table talk- as he can get into some religious aspects that I don’t personally believe or align with. However, his page has really easy videos to see how to juice your celery and how much he recommends drinking.

As my dear mother always says, “Take it with a grain of salt and then put it in a bubble and blow it away!” You may adore him, you may dislike him- all I’m saying is his page can be easy for infographics on celery juice if you are a more visual learner.

But he’s not the only one praising celery juice- in fact, he is far from it. So in doing your own research, you can probably find many healthcare conscientious individuals that you want to learn from! I get down such a rabbit hole when I research this.

What makes Celery Special?

I’m no nutritionist, so forgive me for my wording here. But essentially, celery contains luteolin and polyacetylenes- which works to stop inflammation in our bodies. From eczema to psoriasis to intestinal diseases, inflammation can be the root of many evils. In my research, I found that celery is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory foods we can eat- but let me go ahead and be up front and say, it is of course, not the only one. Brocolli. Blueberries. Turmeric. The list goes on and on! It’s so easy to hone in on one health trend, but it’s just one great superfood to add into our diets for inflammation.

However, this celery juice thing has been so simple to incorporate in my life and I’ve seen some incredible benefits, so I feel it does deserve some praise. I’ll break down the top 5 reasons that I love celery juice!

1. Celery juice fights inflammation. I shared above about luteolin and polyacetylenes, but luteolin also helps reduce DNA damage associated with inflammation. It’s great for people with arthritis {my mom has RA}, high blood pressure, autoimmune issues, skin issues, and more.
2. Celery juice heals the gut. I told you all about Little Blonde Book’s experience with her Crohn’s and how it worked for her. My mom also has gastroparesis from her RA, she started to drink this every morning and she has seen a world of difference in her stomach issues since December! Essentially, celery juice starves things like viruses, yeast, mold and the “bad bacteria” in our body that can lead to intestinal issues. We want good bacteria to be there so we need room for it! Celery juice also flushes out toxins, so just know this can act as a natural detox to some- however, that’s not the case with all.
3. Celery juice neutralizes acidity. Celery juice is highly alkaline so it can balance the ph system and neutralize acidity. We want this neutralized to promote healthy cell growth, to boost our immune systems, and to protect our organs! If you want to try something new, you can make banana juice as well.
4. Celery juice helps with energy. Celery juice is a natural energy boost and because it purifies the bloodstream it can aide in energy throughout the day! If you drink it first thing in the morning, some claim it can help your body digest the rest of your meals easier {there aren’t a ton of studies on that- but from reading reviews, I believe it is best first thing in the morning}. I started drinking celery juice over the holiday break and was amazed that I didn’t feel like I needed a nap at 2 p.m.
5. Celery juice is good for your skin! As mentioned above, the main reason I went and got a juicer was for my eczema. I kid you not, within a week of drinking it everyone on Instagram was asking me if I had gotten a facial or if I had a new skincare product. It was just celery juice- and a spray tan one of those days. 😉 I saw a huge reduction in my eczema within a week. TO be totally honest, my legs were in so much pain from eczema that I was miserable at night. This has significantly calmed my eczema down and removed it in many places. I do still have a little bit left, but it hasn’t spread and I have missed a few days of juice here and there. They say you don’t even see skin benefits completely until a month in, so I’m thrilled with the results not using any of my prescriptions.

From purifying the bloodstream to reducing bloat to strengthening our bones and lowering blood pressure {it is high in Vitamin K!}, there are so many more reasons this veggie is powerful.

How Do I Juice It?

Don’t just use celery to stir your bloody mary, chop it up in your salads, enjoy it as a snack, put it in your soups! I am NOT claiming that juicing is superior to eating it in its whole state, however, you are of course going to ingest far more of its potency in 16 oz of juice than say, snacking on a stick of celery or two. Now, I’ve seen arguments for throwing it in smoothies vs. juice and then arguments for juice vs. smoothies. {Medical Medium says you get its best properties when juiced, however, you are losing some fiber- but once again, this can be a controversial topic online and is quite the rabbit hole to go down.} Ultimately, I just encourage you to do what is easiest for you! I know I can get a good amount of the nutrients by juicing 16 oz. and it is what is easiest for me.

I take one bunch of organic celery and rinse it! Remember, celery is part of the dirty dozen, so buy it organic whenever possible! You don’t want to be juicing and ingesting those chemicals. I cut the ends, run it through my juicer and drink immediately. Some encourage you to drink it in the first 10 minutes of juicing and then wait 15-30 minutes before eating anything else. Celery juice can lower HCL acid levels to help heal digestive issues, so that’s why they say to wait a bit before you eat. I just follow that little rule simply because it makes the most sense for me- I’m never hungry those first few minutes of waking. I’ll drink this around 5, have my coffee 30 minutes after and then enjoy breakfast with Maxi as a family when she wakes. But that is truly just because I do not get hungry first thing. When I started it took me a little bit to drink the juice, but I still saw major benefits. If you don’t have a juicer, you can chop the celery, blend it in your blender and then strain.

Here is the juicer I use, I’ve also heard this juicer is great.

COF Tips

• Call me crazy, but I find my celery juice tastes different based on where my purchase it from. I like to purchase from Trader Joe’s, Central Market, or “regular” grocery stores like Kroger. Some other markets I have found to have organic celery that tastes a bit more bitter. You can juice the leaves, but some don’t as that contributes to the bitter taste. I shared this on Instagram and so many of you all agreed. So just try out different grocery stores if you think the taste is bitter. Of course, organic celery is organic celery, but it could be based on the day you buy it in store or the freshness, etc. I know that totally sounds silly, but just shop around to find your favorite produce selection!
• I find sipping this really cold makes me drink it more quickly and makes the taste very mild. I saw a blog say that was a no-no, but to me, I still see benefits even drinking it on ice.
• Because celery juice detoxifies, note that many people experience breakouts just like with a facial. The first few weeks I drank celery juice I did get pretty deep blemishes- but that all went away. After talking with many of my friends that have been drinking celery juice for months, they experienced the same the first month. Some people say they experience headaches the first few days as their body adjusts, I did not. I would just start this on a weekend so you can see how your body reacts. Remember, this can act as a laxative for some, so just like with any new health kick, watch how your body reacts.
• Am I saying this is the best thing in the world and you can get off any medication or creams you use? No way! There are not large human studies on celery juice, but this is not a bad habit to start. Green juice in the morning is a great way to start your day and the best part of healthy habits is that one leads to another. After drinking this a little over a month, I find myself to be drinking far more water, going to pilates more, and not ordering Diet Coke at restaurants. It’s the domino effect like any healthy habit!
• Many people say celery juice helps with bloat and I do find this to be true. I haven’t lost weight or anything, but I indulged in some greasy pizza for a family dinner this week and normally, I’d wake up the next day miserable- but I didn’t.
• Having a hard time drinking it? My friend Sarah adds lemon to her’s and she says it makes it much easier to drink! However, outside of lemon, those that encourage celery juice really say you shouldn’t add anything else. Medical Medium says you could juice a cucumber with it or an apple to start and my dad actually does that so he can drink it easier. But y’all, I’m a BABY. I joke that I have the palate of a 4-year-old because if I didn’t care about my health, I’d live off Frito Bean Dip. Truly. ha. And I’m telling you, it’s not bad to me at all.
• Cleaning a juicer is a pain- can I juice a lot at one time? This isn’t recommended as celery juice is best in its freshest state. However, that doesn’t make it bad if that works best for your schedule. My husband is actually an ANGEL and feels so bad for my eczema he cleans my juicer for me in the morning.

Please note, I am not encouraging you using this as a meal replacement. Celery juice is not meant to be one- this is a healthy habit I am adding to my regular meals and routine- I’m not taking anything out of my diet. If you like to juice, this is just a great option to try. 

Who Do I Recommend this To?

I’ve gotten this question a lot on Instagram, and I never want to tell a girl what to do or what not to do, I just like to share what I try! I don’t know if I would have been tempted to try this if my eczema hadn’t gotten out of hand, but then again, I’ve seen so many benefits to this outside of eczema that I am thrilled I started. Do I feel like a new person? Ha, no. But I’ve been able to get up easier and get to pilates before Maxi gets up and I also haven’t had a migraine in a month, so I don’t ever think green juice is going to be bad for you. However, if you are pregnant or nursing please ask your doctor. I have friends that are pregnant and nursing and that drink it, but I would never want to give ill advice.

Thank you for bearing with me on my little health chat! As I said, I’m not sharing this post in an attempt to give medical advice, but rather share my experience in a health trend this year. Move over kale, you can’t steal all the superfood spotlight! Overall, I hope this just encourages you to try a little more green into your diet and see how you like the results! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve actually started to crave my routine of sipping celery juice while I do my devotionals.

I do still have eczema, but there was a point back in November I would cry when I got out of the shower because it would crack and bleed so much. I dreaded even shaving my legs because of the pain and my eczema has reduced by about 85%! I also use this oil from Amazon and in conjunction with the celery juice, they’ve both helped me immensely.

Have you tried incorporating more celery into your diet?!