Refer to the below health benefits of celery juice and inherit a healthy lifestyle from today itself! Read on to find out.
What is Celery?
Celery is a plant that has been long cultivated for its use as a vegetable since time immemorial. Depending on how it is grown, different parts of celery can be consumed – whether that be its stalks, leaves, or its hypocotyl (its stems). Even the seeds have medicinal applications as a potent herb.
The wild variant of Celery (Apium graveolens var. graveolens) occurs across the globe. According to estimates, the first cultivation of celery was proclaimed to be in the Mediterranean region, being home to salty and wet habitats and marshy soils near the coastlines. Celery prefers such climates.
In North America, the ‘Pascal’ variant of Celery is grown, which has notably stouter leaf stems. Celeriac is a popular variety in Europe, which has a bigger hypocotyl bulb to be used in soups and salads. In Asia, celery takes on the form of Apium graveolens var. secalinum, called “Leaf Celery”. This Chinese variant of celery is likely the oldest cultivated form of it. It has thin stalks and a stronger taste and smell compared to other celeries.
How to Make Celery Juice
Yes, celery can be used in more than soups and salads. It also makes for a healthy juice! All you need to make it is:
- Celery Stalks
- Water
- Juicer or Blender
- Strainer or Colander
Procedure
- Remove the tops and bases of the celery stalks.
- Wash the celery in a strainer to remove dirt and other impurities.
- Put the celery in the blender or juicer. It’s alright if it’s still a little wet. That’ll help it blend better.
- Blend for a couple of minutes. You may add green apples, kale, mint, lemon juice, or ginger to the mix.
- Filter out the contents in a muslin cloth into a container.
- Fresh celery juice is ready for consumption! Optionally, refrigerate before serving.
Health Benefits of Celery Juice
There are numerous health benefits of Celery Juice, some of them are below for your reference:
1. Aids in Digestion
The high fiber content in celery keeps the digestive process moving. As a result, freeing bowel movements helps in preventing constipation and irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).
2. Improves Heart Health
Vegetable juices are high in antioxidants, which reduces oxidative stress present in your body. Consequently, this reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Furthermore, Celery juice also helps in keeping hypertension and atherosclerosis at bay, along with a host of other cardiovascular diseases.
3. Anti-Inflammatory
Inflammation is a sign of compromised immunity. When your body is too weak to protect itself against external factors, inflammation might occur. Celery juice has active ingredients like apigenin, apiin, and luteolin, which have anti-inflammatory activity.
4. Improved Cognition and Sleep
Research indicates that plant-based diets might be the key to unlocking healthy brain functions and improved sleep. Being that, celery juice, which is high in dietary polyphenols, helps in modulating circadian rhythms and sleep-wake cycles. Given these points, adding celery juice to your morning routine might kickstart your brain to your desired performance levels!
5. Great for Skin and Hair
Celery juice works as a detox drink. Even more, celery juice is rich in minerals like Potassium and Magnesium, which maintain the electrolyte balance and pH levels of your skin. As has been noted, this amazing drink might work wonders to cure your skin of any blemishes, acne, or other signs of aging.
6. Diuretic Properties
We did mention that celery juice is rich in Potassium and Magnesium. In effect, this also means that celery juice works as a diuretic. It facilitates the production of urine, cascading into health benefits for preventing urinary tract infections and kidney ailments.
7. Good for Male Fertility
A study done on mice showcased a positive correlation between fertility and celery intake. Even in traditional medicine, celery is of use in stimulating libido and aiding spermatogenesis (the production of sperm cells).
Celery has flavonoids like apigenin that shield the male reproductive system from chemical stress.
8. Regulates Body pH Levels
With diets becoming increasingly acidic, there is a high chance your body lacks a proper alkaline-acidic balance. Eating vegetables high in alkaline content can help offset this damage, and that includes celery. That is to say, a glass of celery juice a day can restore the missing balance in your body. Consequently, this eliminates a host of chronic issues like kidney stones and gallbladder disorders.
9. Reduces Liver Damage
High in polyphenols, celery juice can help eliminate free radicals in your body. Furthermore, celery juice also helps manage issues like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and hepatic cancers.
Warnings
Keep in mind, no good things come without a cost. Being enthusiastic about your celery juice consumption can lead to a slew of problems, analogous to drinking too much water.
1. Potential Kidney Problems
The high amount of dietary oxalates in celery interacts with calcium ions in your body to form stones. These stones may impair the functioning of your kidneys. So drink it judiciously!
2. Carcinogenicity
There is readymade celery powder available on supermarket shelves. Such items have a high quantity of salt, preservatives and chemical impurities that might be carcinogenic (cancer-causing) in nature. In sum, be wary of the source of your celery.
3. May Cause Photosensitivity
Celery has active substances called psoralens, that belong to the family, furocoumarin. Foods rich in furocoumarin can trigger phototoxicity. In turn, this leads to your skin developing rashes and photosensitivity.
Conclusion
Celery is one superfood you can’t afford to miss, because of the many health benefits associated with it. Drinking celery in the form of a juice is a recent trend amongst the health-conscious. Blended with other vegetables and fruits, celery juice can be one of the most nutritious breakfast smoothies. It is both extremely filling, and low on calories.
Let us know how you plan on including it into your diet plan in the comments down below!