It’s easy to think of celery as a low-calorie diet food, but it’s so much more than that!
Celery is a powerful food packed with anti-inflammatory properties that offer a wealth of health benefits — and celery juice is the trendiest best way to get your dose.
Here, we’ll take a closer look at celery’s nutrition, the best time to drink it, and eight surprising health benefits.
Vitamins and Minerals in Celery Juice
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While seen by some as just a low-calorie “diet food,” celery actually comes with tons of powerful nutrients, too.
Celery is a great source of powerful antioxidants, which help protect cells, blood vessels, and organs. It’s also packed with essential nutrients and has vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, folate, magnesium, iron, sodium, beta carotene, and flavonoids. Celery is a great source of phytonutrients, which can help reduce inflammation.
There are at least 12 kinds of antioxidant nutrients found in a single stalk of celery. Who would have thought?
The Best Time of Day to Drink Celery Juice
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It is recommended to drink celery juice right away in the morning on an empty stomach. After consuming 8 to 16 ounces of celery juice, it’s best to let it digest for at least 30 minutes.
After the digestion period, it’s important to eat a substantial breakfast in order to power through the day. Drinking celery juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach has been shown to strengthen the digestion of other foods that you eat throughout the remainder of the day!
This nutrient-packed drink aids in gut health, and by consuming it at the start of your day, it allows your stomach to start out on the right foot.
If you are unable to consume your celery juice first thing in the morning, you can also drink it about 15 to 30 minutes before a meal or 30 to 60 minutes after eating a light snack. Simply put? You want to drink it with as little food in your stomach as possible to reap the most benefits.
Next, let’s look at the top eight health benefits of celery juice!
It’s Anti-Inflammatory
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Celery is filled with antioxidants. These have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Two antioxidants in particular, polyphenols and flavonoids, act as anti-inflammatory agents in the body.
The anti-inflammatory properties found in celery juice are said to help with inflammation issues such as acne, bloating, constipation, IBS, and more.
It Aids In Digestion
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Many of us are all too familiar with the feeling of bloating, indigestion, acid reflux, and even constipation. These uncomfortable sensations are caused by low stomach acid.
This is where celery juice comes in! The natural sodium found in celery (yes, there is sodium in celery!) stimulates the production of stomach acid, and when consumed first thing in the morning, it helps aid in digestion for the remainder of the day.
Some even say celery juice works like a natural laxative by relaxing nerves that could have previously been damaged by an unhealthy lifestyle.
How we prep our stomach to digest foods throughout the day is extremely important in helping keep unpleasant symptoms at bay.
It Reduces Bloating
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Celery is a natural diuretic containing high water content. This means it helps to flush out toxins and excess water from the body.
When celery stalks are turned into celery juice, most of the fiber is removed. This, in turn, allows the body to digest the food more easily while still receiving the nutrients and experiencing less bloating.
It Hydrates The Body
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The main component of celery (nearly 95%) is water, which, of course, means that celery juice is great for hydration.
And if you struggle to meet the recommended amount of water per day, celery juice is a great way to contribute to that number in a flavorful way.
By starting off the day by drinking celery juice, you’ll be well on your way to giving your body the hydration it needs to function at its best and reap the many benefits of sufficient water intake.
It Helps Clear Acne
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The specific combination of some of the health benefits we’ve already discussed actually leads to another amazing one.
By flushing out toxins, decreasing inflammation, and hydrating the body, celery juice can actually reduce breakouts as well as cystic acne, which is caused by inflammation. Score!
And if reducing acne doesn’t convince you to jump on the celery juice train, what about better hair?
It Can Strengthen and Hydrate Hair
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Who doesn’t want a head full of shiny, curly locks?!
As previously mentioned, celery juice contains a large amount of both H2O and vitamin A. Vitamin A plays a role in nourishing deep into the roots of our hair, making it strong and healthy from the core.
While vitamin A dives deep into the roots of the strands, water provides hydration for our scalp, curing the common problem of dandruff.
With both water and vitamin A working together in celery juice, the strands of our hair are being nourished and hydrated from deep within the core to the topical layer of the outermost part of our scalp.
It Helps Stabilize Your Mood
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Celery has certain nutrients that may help with overall brain health and mood.
It’s also a good source of anti-inflammatory compounds like apigenin and luteolin, which might reduce oxidative stress and inflammation. Both of those have been linked to depression and anxiety.
In addition to that, celery juice contains choline, which is an essential nutrient. Some research has shown that low levels of choline might be linked to increased anxiety.
It Can Reduce Memory Loss
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Like mentioned above, celery contains the plant compound luteolin. Luteolin can inhibit the release of inflammatory molecules into the brain. Less inflammation in our brains? Sounds pretty good to me!
Studies showed that luteolin specifically impacted the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory and cognitive ability.
14 Health Benefits of Cucumbers (And a Few Refreshing Recipes)
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From healthy skin to improved memory, check out the top 14 health benefits of cucumbers!
And if you’re lucky enough to have a load from your garden or farmers market on hand, you’ll definitely want to check out some of our favorite cucumber recipes, too.
14 Health Benefits of Cucumbers (And a Few Refreshing Recipes)
21 Healthy Quinoa Recipes You’ll Want to Make ASAP
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Check out our favorite quinoa recipes that are so delicious, you’ll forget how healthy they are!
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5 Powerful Health Benefits of Artichokes (+ 7 Yummy Recipes!)
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Whether you’re looking for a reason to add artichokes to your diet once and for all or just another reason to keep eating them, you’ll definitely want to check out their best health benefits!
