What nutrients does celery juice actually contain, and is there anything particular in celery that warrants this status as some sort of miracle healing health elixir?
Celery is packed with vitamin B6, calcium, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin A, folate and vitamin K. In addition to being low in calories (since it’s 97% water), celery provides fibre and over a dozen types of antioxidants. It also contains natural substances that have been shown to help optimise blood circulation. Therefore, there’s no doubt that celery is considered a nutrient-dense vegetable.
However, Anthony William, also known as The Medical Medium and so-called “Originator of The Global Celery Juice Movement”, claims celery is a “miraculous superfood”. This claim has no merit as the word “Superfood” is an unregulated marketing term used to sell products that are “nutritionally dense and known to support health” – which means that many foods and all fruits and vegetables basically fall into this category with celery being no different and no more ‘miraculous that others.
It’s also important to note that juicing any fruit or vegetable tends to remove a lot of their fibre content and may deplete the nutritional content.
There are numerous health claims about celery juice ranging from weight loss to curing psoriasis, gout and lupus. Are these claims backed by science?
Firstly, boiling down the complexities of chronic disease and digestion to a single food, without scientific evidence or consensus from medical experts is extremely misguided. Even though there is research on the antioxidant effects of celery root and seeds, more research needs to be done to determine important factors such as therapeutic doses and uses and its effectiveness over time. We don’t have a robust picture of its benefits like we do for something like omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish, avocado or extra virgin olive oil.
Currently, what we know about celery and its nutritional benefits alone are still general and it’s difficult to say what changes come from the addition of celery itself or from additional serving of vegetables – if you’re not already consuming 5-7 serves per day.
Secondly, and probably more importantly, Anthony “Medical Medium” William has absolutely no medical or health credentials and relies on medical advice he receives from the spirit world. He has an extensive disclaimer on his web page which states he is not a medical doctor or healthcare professional; his information is not a substitute for medical information or advice and you should speak with a medical doctor or healthcare professional before acting on any of his advice.
Finally, the “celery juice craze” is nothing more than a testament to our desire for quick fixes and is a prime example of the many trends and fads that we see go viral to take over Instagram feeds, blogs, news headlines and influencer’s without the evidence to back up their claims. The evidence for quick fixes is often limited and this is no different.
Is there any harm done in drinking 16 ounces of celery juice on an empty stomach each morning?
For the most part, drinking celery juice (on an empty stomach) is generally safe. However, there may be some population groups who need to proceed with caution such as people taking medications that interact with vitamin K such a Warfarin. Additionally, celery juice contains natural chemicals called furanocoumarins that can raise the blood levels of certain medications, which can lead to increased side effects. These medications include some statins, blood pressure, and anti-anxiety medications.
Drinking celery juice is fine as an addition to the diet if someone wants to do it, but I would not rely on it to cure all your woes. You need to have a balance of nutrients from a variety of whole foods. More and more, we reduce nutrition too much to what a single nutrient or a particular food can do rather than look at them in the context of a whole diet.
How do you justify all the raving testimonials about celery juice if it’s all bogus?
Regarding the glowing testimonials, I’m sure there are some people who have benefited from adding some additional celery into their diet, but you have to question what additional changes may have been made to their lifestyle. Chronic disease treatment and management requires many different approaches other than just nutrition – environment, sleep, stress management, exercise, genetics to name a few.
At the end of the day, I think the general consensus among the medical and nutrition community is that consuming fruits and vegetables in juice-form is still better than not consuming them at all.