Many people like to have green smoothies because it's an easy way to put many nutrients into one tasty drink. Celery juice recipes have been popular. So, today we would like to talk about the benefits of drinking celery juice and whether it is the best thing to do.
Is celery juice a superfood?
Although celery has many health benefits, celery juice is not intended to replace a healthy diet and lifestyle. Drinking a lot of celery juice will not correct a poor diet or lack of exercise. In fact, there is no single remedy or food that, when consumed or taken alone, can have a significant beneficial effect on health. That's not how the body works.
A balanced diet and other healthy lifestyle choices are the best way to lead a healthy life. Celery juice is a superfood that can be included in a healthy diet and lifestyle because of its many health benefits.
How did the craze start?
The celery juice movement was launched by a book, Celery Juice: The Most Powerful Medicine of Our Time Healing Millions Worldwide by Anthony William (he calls himself the Medical Medium). This book recommends drinking a pint of celery juice every morning on an empty stomach to relieve many health problems, including weight loss and high blood pressure.
Unfortunately, there is not much scientific evidence to support William's claims about celery juice. However, it is proven that celery has health benefits. But we need to look at it from the perspective of diet and lifestyle as a whole.
Benefits of celery juice
Celery leaves, seeds and extracts have been popular remedies in traditional herbal medicine for centuries. A 2017 review published in the Journal of Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine indicates that celery:
- May help prevent heart disease, jaundice, urinary tract problems, the drop and rheumatoid disorders.
- Improve fertility
- Increase the number of spermatozoa
- Antifungal and antibacterial
- Can be used for bronchitis, colic, theasthmaskin conditions, fevers, vomiting and tremors.
Celery has many uses as a medicinal plant. But it also has several general health-promoting properties that can benefit everyone. We try to use a good amount of celery in traditional ways: stuffed with nut butter, diced in a chicken salad, etc.
Nutrient dense
We have heard repeatedly that celery is a negative calorie food because it takes more energy to digest than it provides. But it is believed that the nutrient content of celery is much higher and is an excellent addition to a healthy diet.
Celery is a very nutritious food. The above review also suggests that celery is a sought-after vegetable for its health benefits because it contains a large amount of vitamin C as well as retinoids and carotenoids (precursors to vitamin A). Celery also contains:
- Vitamin K
- Molybdenum
- Potassium
- Folacin
- Pantothenic acid
- Vitamins B2 and B6
- Copper
- Manganese
- Magnesium
It's always best to get vitamins and minerals from food when you can, and celery packs a nutritious punch!
Rich in antioxidants
Antioxidants such as flavonoids fight disease-causing free radicals that accumulate in the body and lead to acute and chronic health problems. According to the review, celery contains this range of antioxidants:
- caffeic acid
- p-coumaric acid
- ferulic acid
- apigenin
- luteolin
- tannin
- saponin
- kaempferol.
These powerful antioxidants help the body reduce inflammation and fight disease.
Anti-inflammatory
In addition to antioxidants, celery contains other promising compounds that fight inflammation. So researchers are looking at the benefits of celery for people dealing with chronic disease. A 2017 study published in the Journal of Asian Natural Products Research shows that certain compounds in celery can alter the processes of inflammatory molecules, reducing inflammation in the body.
Improve heart health
Celery is an excellent vegetable to support a healthy heart. A 2015 study published in the Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine shows that celery lowers cholesterol and blood pressure in rats given celery leaf extract. And a 2013 study confirms this. This research indicates that celery has properties that help relax the cardiovascular system and may be a potential treatment for people with high blood pressure.
All of these benefits help explain why celery is considered a superfood. Eating and cooking with raw, juicy celery has many health benefits.
Benefits of drinking celery juice
Celery obviously has many benefits when included in the diet. So many people wonder why juicing is necessary. The reason celery juice can be a better healthy choice than eating whole celery is because celery juice is free of its fibers. Celery juice contains all the vitamins, minerals and other compounds of celery, but it is easier to consume large quantities.
Fiber is very important for a healthy diet and lifestyle. But eliminating them to make vegetable juices can be a good way to get the maximum nutrients with less volume.
However, centrifugation is not always a good idea, as in the case of fruit. Fruits are high in sugar, but when eaten whole, the sugars are fairly well balanced by the fiber. Fruit juice, with the fiber removed, can cause blood sugar spikes. Therefore, it is not recommended to drink large quantities of fruit juice (even freshly squeezed!).
Sources:
M. Dianat, A. Veisi, A. Ahangarpour, and Fathi Moghaddam, H. (2015). Effect of hydroalcoholic celery leaf extract (Apiumgraveolens) on cardiovascular parameters and lipid profile in an animal model of fructose-induced hypertension. Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine, 5 (3): 203-9 .
Zhu, L., Bao, T., Deng, Y., Li, H., & Chen, L. (2017). The constituents of Apium graveolens and their anti-inflammatory effects. Journal of Asian Natural Products Research, 19 (11), 1079-1086. doi: 10.1080 / 10286020.2017.1381687