You can drink the juice of almost any fruit and vegetable, and celery is no exception.
While celery juice might not be at the top of your grocery list, it’s worth considering some of its potential health benefits.
Does that mean you should start drinking celery juice?
We’ll cover the ins and outs of celery juice in this article.
Is celery juice healthy?
You might not think of celery as a particularly nutrient-rich food. Celery is primarily water – 95% water, to be exact. Because of its high water content and low calories, celery is often touted as a “dieter’s food.”
Celery juice is a bit different from celery, though. Celery juice is more concentrated in certain vitamins and nutrients than celery, making it a healthier option.
While it’s fine to include fruit and vegetable juice in your diet, eating whole fruits and vegetables is always best. Whole fruits and veggies contain beneficial fiber, which is important for your digestive health and heart health, among many other aspects of your health.
Like any juice, opt for 100% juice if you’re buying it at the store. Some juice has added sugar. Therefore, you’ll need to check the nutrition facts and ingredients labels to ensure it’s 100% juice with no sugar added.
Nutrition in celery juice
According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s database, one cup of celery juice provides:
- Calories: 42.5
- Protein: 2 grams
- Carbohydrates: 9.5 grams
- Sugar: 5 grams
- Calcium: 8% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Magnesium: 7% DV
- Vitamin A: 7% DV
- Phosphorus: 5% DV
- Potassium: 14% DV
- Sodium: 9% DV
- Vitamin C: 16% DV
- Vitamin K: 74% DV
Having 10% or more of the daily value means it’s a good source, and over 20% of the daily value is a high/excellent source. That means that celery juice is a good source of potassium and vitamin C and is an excellent source of vitamin K.
Juicing a fruit or vegetable generally removes all of the fiber since fiber is in the structural parts of the plant. The fiber content of celery juice will vary depending on what method you use to make it (true juicing or blending). In general, celery juice is not a source of fiber.
7 health benefits of celery juice
1) Low in sugar
Juice is higher in sugar than whole fruits and vegetables, but celery juice is much lower in sugar than other types of juice. Celery juice contains five grams of sugar per cup, compared to 21 grams per cup of orange juice and 24 grams per cup of apple juice.
Celery juice is a much better option than sugary drinks like sodas, sweetened tea, energy drinks, and flavored coffee drinks, which are the leading contributors to added sugar in a typical Western diet.
2) Helps promote a healthy blood clotting response
Celery juice is packed with vitamin K, a nutrient that helps makes 4 of the 12 blood clotting proteins. Without enough vitamin K, you could experience symptoms like excessive bleeding.
If you’re on a blood thinning medication, you should speak with your healthcare provider about drinking celery juice as vitamin K might impact the effectiveness of your medication.
3) Supports bone health
Not only is vitamin K important for blood clotting, but it also plays a role in bone health (1). Vitamin K can help rebuild bone and might reduce your risk of fractures, especially hip fractures.
Other studies show an association between vitamin K intake and improved bone density in people with osteoporosis. Vitamin K might be especially beneficial when combined with vitamin D, another nutrient essential for bone health.
While the jury is still out on whether vitamin K supplements are beneficial for reducing fractures, you can enjoy naturally-occurring vitamin K in celery juice.
4) Antioxidant content
Fruits and vegetables are good sources of antioxidants, which are nutrients that help fight inflammation. Celery contains compounds like caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, apigenin, luteolin, tannin, saponin, and kaempferol, which all act as antioxidants (2).
Consuming antioxidant-rich foods and drinks (along with a healthy lifestyle) can help fight inflammatory conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and certain cancers.
5) Support healthy blood pressure levels
Celery juice is a good source of potassium. Potassium helps relax and dilate your blood vessels, which is why it’s good if you have high blood pressure.
A small study of 24 people found that celery juice significantly lowered blood pressure levels among subjects with high blood pressure (3).
6) Natural pain reliever
Thanks to its antioxidant content and anti-inflammatory potential, celery might provide natural pain relief (4). A compound native to India using celery seed extract has “been found to be at least as effective as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen in suppressing arthritis.”
While the study cited above was on celery seed extract and not celery juice, it certainly doesn’t hurt to include antioxidant-rich foods and drinks like celery juice if you have chronic pain or other inflammatory health conditions.
7) Natural sports drink
Celery juice is a natural source of sodium and potassium, two important electrolytes that can become depleted when you sweat, such as during prolonged physical activity.
Celery juice can act as a healthy rehydrating drink thanks to its high water content and natural electrolyte content.
If you’re participating in endurance activities or live in hot, humid climates, staying hydrated is essential for your health. Celery juice can be much healthier than sugar-laden sports drinks and other sweetened electrolyte drinks.
Additionally, you might also want to check out the sexual benefits of celery itself in the form of food.
How often should you drink celery juice?
Juice is high in sugar and low in fiber, so it isn’t healthy to include large amounts of juice in your diet. You can enjoy celery juice daily if you want to, though – the key is your portion size.
Be sure to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet while drinking celery juice. Avoid practices like fruit juice cleanses or a “3-day celery juice fast,” which involves only drinking large amounts of celery juice for a day or more.
Juice cleanses don’t actually cleanse your body. Cleanses can make some people feel better because they aren’t eating as much fat, sugar, or processed foods while doing a juice cleanse.
Your liver is constantly cleansing your body. Eating a healthy diet low in added sugar can be less work for your liver, and it helps your liver not store as much fat.
How to make celery juice
You can make celery juice at home with a juicer or a blender. If you use a blender, your “juice” might be thicker and contain a bit more fiber than using a juicer.
Regardless of which you use, the ingredients are the same:
- 2 bunches of celery
- 1 lime, skin removed (this is optional but can enhance the taste)
Steps for using a juicer:
- Cut off the bases and tops of the celery stalks.
- Wash the celery in a colander under running cold water and pat it dry.
- Run the celery and lime through the feeding tube of your juicer.
- Serve the juice immediately for best results. Keep any extra juice in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use the celery juice within three days of making it.
Steps for using a blender:
- Cut off the bases and tops of the celery stalks.
- Wash the celery in a colander under running cold water.
- Chop the celery stalks into thirds.
- Place celery pieces in the base of the blender.
- Add 1/2 cup of water and blend until smooth.
- Strain the juice from the celery pulp using a nut milk bag. You can squeeze the bag to remove even more juice from the pulp.
- Serve the juice immediately for best results. Keep any extra juice in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use the celery juice within three days of making it.
How long does it take to see results from drinking celery juice?
Drinking celery juice isn’t a cure-all for certain health conditions. You’re more likely to notice changes in your health when you couple drinking celery juice with making overall healthy lifestyle changes.
You might notice a change in your health after a few weeks of drinking celery juice. You might even see a change after a few days, especially if you’ve been making other healthy changes to your diet.
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What are the side effects of celery juice?
Drinking celery juice might cause stomach upset in some people, especially if you drink a lot. You might experience diarrhea if you consume large amounts of celery juice.
Celery is high in mannitol, a type of sugar alcohol. Celery and celery juice might worsen symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Therefore, you should start with a small amount and assess your tolerance if you have digestive issues.
If you’re taking warfarin (Coumadin), you should speak with your healthcare provider before drinking celery juice. Celery juice is high in vitamin K and can interact with warfarin (a blood thinner), making it less effective.
Conclusion
Celery juice has several health benefits, including its vitamin and mineral content, antioxidant content, and the fact that it’s hydrating while being low in sugar.
Celery juice is a much better option than sugary sports drinks and other sugary beverages and is a lower sugar option than fruit juice.
While drinking large amounts of celery juice (such as in a juice cleanse) isn’t likely to do you much good, adding a cup or two of celery juice to a balanced, healthy diet can provide beneficial nutrients and may help contribute to your improved health and wellness.
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