Celery Juice 101 by Aleigh Walker

Drinking a glass of celery juice first thing in the morning has become the latest health craze. People claim this practice can cure all kinds of health issues. Celery juice has certain benefits, such as providing electrolytes and water to keep you hydrated, possibly clearing up acne prone skin, increasing energy, improving digestion, and decreasing bloat.  While you may experience these benefits, you may not.  We have developed a list of CONS to drinking celery juice:

1. To make 6 to 7 ounces of juice, you will need one bunch of celery. This can end up being expensive, especially if you are buying organic celery (you should).

2. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has stated that celery is among the top 12 dirtiest fruits and vegetables. They found that up to 13 different pesticides could be found on 95% of conventional celery samples tested. This means that if you are buying conventional celery, you are drinking these pesticides.  The EWG recommends buying organic celery to avoid these pesticides.

3. In 7 ounces of celery juice, you’ll be consuming about 5 grams of sugar.  With the fiber removed from the celery, this sugar will be absorbed quickly and effect your blood sugar. If you are set on adding celery to your diet, try blending organic celery into a smoothie or eat it raw. Your blood sugar will remain steady with the fiber still in the celery.

4. Juicing each morning is time consuming and it takes a while to clean the juicing machine.

5. Celery juice contains compounds that can negatively interact with medications.  Always talk to your doctor or pharmacist before adding celery into your diet.

If you are drinking celery juice to improve your hydration, try drinking more water with fresh lemon juice or a fruit of your choosing. Now that the temperatures are rising, staying hydrated is key to staying healthy!