Update: 6 Weeks Drinking Celery Juice

People are still talking about celery juice!  What many thought would be a passing fad is still going strong. Just type in #celeryjuice on Instagram to see the hundreds (maybe thousands) of people drinking celery juice everyday and experiencing miraculous health improvement.

A few weeks ago I decided to try celery juice for myself to see if it was really worth the hype. I wrote a post all about it: the origins of this health fad, the benefits, how to make it and my own experience drinking celery juice for two weeks.  Check out that post here!

Today I’m back with my celery juice update.

For a total of six weeks I drank celery juice every morning on an empty stomach, just as Anthony William (the Medical Medium), creator of the celery juice challenge recommends.  I was fully committed to the process and even got a new juicer. I was really hopeful that I’d see some amazing results like those I was reading about online.

Overall, my results were...mixed.  Did I experience a health breakthrough? Not really.  Did I see any positive results? Yes, definitely!

Will I continue drinking celery juice? Well…

My Experience

I know many people are skeptical about the idea of drinking celery juice and question how beneficial it really is. There’s a lot of debate because there isn’t concrete scientific evidence to prove that it works in transformational ways.  The evidence is mostly anecdotal (though pretty compelling from what I’ve read). Not to mention, it’s promoted by a guy who calls himself the “Medical Medium,” and says he gets his knowledge from a spirit guide.

Despite all of this, I kept a pretty open mind because I do believe that conventional medicine doesn’t always get it right when it comes to healing and addressing the root cause of illnesses.  Natural remedies and diet changes can do a lot to support health and aid in recovery.

I also read William’s recent book, Liver Rescue, which I found really, really interesting.  It gives a completely new perspective on the underlying cause of various illnesses. it also gave me a bit more background information on celery juice and its effect on the body. I give a brief summary of this in my previous post.

So over the last six weeks, I faithfully drank my celery juice every morning and tracked how I felt along with any physical changes I experienced.  

Overall, I really enjoyed it! It became such an important part of my routine. This was more mental than physical, but I felt great drinking something that was completely natural and healthy, compared to a fattening coffee or sugary tea. It took some time and effort, but allowed me to prioritize my wellbeing a little everyday.  It was like a form of self-care.

Here’s what else I noticed:

Energy

Many reported feeling super energized after drinking their daily celery juice.  For me, I did experience a bit more energy. I had recently weaned myself off coffee prior to starting celery juice and it became a nice replacement for my morning joe. I wouldn’t say my energy was through the roof, but it was a nice pick-me-up in the morning.

Digestion

Drinking celery juice had a major impact on my digestion. I noticed this almost instantly and wrote about it in my previous post.  Bare with me here, this is a little TMI! I suffer from mild IBS with symptoms like bloating, gas, upset stomach and constipation.  While drinking celery juice, and even after, it really cut down on these symptoms. It seemed to really soothe my stomach after drinking and cut down on stomach discomfort throughout the day.

Prior to drinking celery juice my bathroom trips were pretty infrequent, which isn’t the healthiest.  It means your body isn’t eliminating waste, which can cause toxins to build up in your system. And this can lead to increased inflammation and other more unpleasant side effects that can negatively affect your health.

Celery juice completely changed my...bathroom experience. I went from going every few days to one or more times a day, which is pretty drastic. I felt much better-- less bloated and uncomfortable on a regular basis. In that way, celery juice had a positive impact on my gut health.

Skin Conditions

My primary reason for trying celery juice was to improve my skin, specifically acne and eczema.  I’ve suffered from eczema consistently for over a year and more recently have experienced an onset of acne, since going off birth control.  Many of the celery juice success stories involved healing chronic skin conditions and I was hoping for similar results.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see a substantial change in my acne or eczema.  I know six weeks isn’t an extremely long amount of time, likely not enough to see drastic improvements.  However, I do think it’s enough time to start seeing some changes. But I really didn’t see any obvious changes in my skin.  

My eczema remained the same, with minor flare ups every week or two. My acne, on the other hand, actually got worse. I was experiencing more frequent breakouts and pimples were popping up on new areas of my face where I didn’t normally break out.  

At the time I thought this could be a detox effect and tried to push through.  But it just seem to be getting worse and worse. It’s possible that celery juice was helping to rid my body of toxins and they were escaping through the skin.  It’s also possible that if I kept with celery juice things would have improved like it did for many celery juice advocates.

But after six weeks I decided to stop drinking celery juice.

Why I Stopped Drinking Celery Juice

Like I said, I actually enjoyed drinking celery juice.  It was fully a part of my routine after six weeks and I had no intentions of stopping.  Then something changed that made it really hard to continue.

The main reason that I stopped drinking celery juice is because of how hard it was to find celery!!  The struggle to find good celery is real! It seems like literally everyone is drinking celery juice these days, which is great, but the stores can’t keep up. At least not in my area.

At first I was buying my celery from Costco, which was organic and a great price.  Then, out of nowhere, they ran out and almost a month later still haven’t restocked (I called weekly to check!).  I tried Whole Foods, which also ran out shortly after and hasn’t had organic celery for over two weeks.

I’ve tried many other supermarkets and had mixed results.  I learned that not all celery is created equal. Sometimes you will get a bad batch (organic or conventional) and it can taste HORRIBLE.  Toward the end of my six months, I seemed to be getting more bad than good.

So many times I went through the whole process of washing the celery, juicing the celery, cleaning the juicer (about 15-20 min), only to take a sip of undrinkable celery juice. It had a bitter, almost metallic taste that just didn’t seem like it could possibly be healthy.  I like to think of myself as something of a celery juice connoisseur at this point (lol!), so I know what celery juice is supposed to taste like. And that was not it!

This kept happening and I felt like I was wasting time and money. Basically throwing away bunches of celery, that cost anywhere from $2 - $4. It was also getting to be stressful--I never knew how the juice would come out and didn’t always have time to go through the entire process all over again. I had no way of knowing what celery to buy or if the juice would even be drinkable until I tasted it, even if it was organic.   

This, along with a few other issues made it hard to sustain:

• Time commitment - finding the celery, making the celery juice every morning (can’t really be made in advance),
• Cost of celery - about $2-4 a day (sometimes more) to make 16oz of juice,
• Skin results- didn’t see any change in my eczema and acne seemed to get worse.

Final Thoughts

Even though I’m no longer drinking celery juice on a daily basis, I don't have anything negative to say. It did wonders for my digestion and even though it didn’t give me the results I was hoping for with my skin, I still experienced some physical and mental benefits.

It’s definitely something worth trying depending on your health goals, schedule, budget, and access to celery.

I’m not completely done with celery juice yet. I plan to incorporate it in my diet every now and then when I can, but not everyday. At least not until the stores can keep up with the demand for good quality celery.

Have you tried celery juice?  What was your experience?

Celery Juice: Why and How to Drink It

All over social media people have been raving about celery juice.  Is it really a magical healing potion or is it just another health fad that will come and go?  

Since first hearing about this miracle drink a few weeks ago, I decided to do a little research of my own.  With all the testimonials, articles and even celebrities swearing by it, I was definitely interested to learn more.

To be completely honest, it was going to take a lot for me to drink liquid celery.  I don’t mind having a celery stick here or there dipped in hummus or blue cheese dressing.  But plain, raw celery is not on my list of favorite foods.

On top of that, I’ve never been able to drink green juices.  I love eating vegetables, but the thought of drinking kale or spinach has always grossed me out.  I know I’ve probably been missing out on tons of nutrients and health benefits, but I just haven’t been able to get past the visual.  

However, with all that I was learning, I decided I had to give celery juice a chance!

What really caught my attention was the incredible impact it was having on chronic skin conditions like eczema and acne.  

I’ve struggled with both of these for some time and I’ve found that common medical approaches DON’T WORK.  Topical creams and antibiotics are just band aids that covers up the root cause, but don’t actually address the issue.  It’s a temporary fix, but not a way to heal. Skin issues like eczema, acne, and psoriasis are a sign of a deeper problem going on within.

Based on what I was reading, celery juice was healing acne and eczema sufferers from the inside out.  That, along with the many other reported health benefits prompted me to join #teamceleryjuice and try it for myself.

Why Drink Celery Juice?

The source of this celery juice craze is Anthony William, author of New York Times-bestselling Medical Medium series.  He writes about the natural healing power of fruits and vegetables and their ability to cure almost any illness. I’m in the middle of reading his newest book, The Liver Rescue and it’s been extremely eye opening.  It’s a fascinating approach to health and natural healing. I highly recommend it!

According to William, incorporating celery juice into your diet can have life changing effects on your health.  We all know that celery is good for us, but I wasn’t aware of just how many vitamins, minerals, and nutrients celery contains.

It’s very high in antioxidants and has antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.  A great source of vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, folate, manganese, calcium, riboflavin, magnesium, and vitamin B6. It also has a high percentage of water and electrolytes that keep you hydrated and flushes the system.  

Surprisingly, celery is high in sodium due to its mineral salts. These special salts have been shown to starve out bacteria, potentially killing viruses in the body.

Benefits of Celery Juice

There seems to be some controversy over the true benefits of celery juice and whether or not claims are scientifically supported.  But studies have shown that celery has the potential to improve a wide range of health concerns and conditions. Here are just a few of the reported benefits of drinking celery juice.

1. Cancer Prevention
2. Lowers Inflammation
3. Supports weight loss
4. Improves Digestion and IBS
5. Helps heal eczema, psoriasis, and acne
6. Builds the immune system and fights against infection
7. Stabilizes blood pressure
8. Reduces cholesterol
9. Balances PH levels
10. Restores gut health
11. Protects Liver Health
12. Helps with Infertility
13. Fights Autoimmune Disease
14. Improves Mental Health
15. Prevents UTIs and Yeast Infections

How to Make It

There are two ways that you can make celery juice: using a juicer or a high speed blender. Luckily, I was able to borrow an old juicer from my mom, so that is the method I’ve been using. It’s pretty quick and easy. But both will get the job done.

The recommended amount to drink is 16 oz and, depending on the size of your celery, you will need about 1-2 bunches. To allow the celery juice to fully cleanse your digestive system, it is recommended that you drink celery juice every morning on an empty stomach. It’s also best to make it fresh and drink as soon as possible to get the most nutrients. But it can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container (like a mason jar) for up to 24 hours.

If you’re using a juicer, just wash and cut up your celery (into thirds) and put it through your juicer. I also like to strain it at the end so it’s perfectly smooth and not pulpy, but that’s completely optional. And if you’re using a newer juicer you may not have to worry about this at all.

Prepare your celery the same way if you’re using a blender. Blend the celery with a little water (about ¼ cup). Strain out the juice with a nut milk bag or cheesecloth and enjoy!

Organic vs. Conventional Celery

Organic celery is preferred but either can be used. If you’re using non-organic celery, then you may want to take extra care when washing to get rid of any pesticides or other chemicals that might be on it. One trick I learned is to soak your celery (or any produce) in baking soda and water to help dissolve any hard-to-wash substances from the surface.

I’ve tried both organic and regular celery, as some stores don’t have a wide selection. And organic celery can be pretty expensive and usually smaller in size than conventional.  But I will say, I can taste the difference between the two.

I’ve tried celery from a few different stores--Trader Joe’s, Giant, Food Lion, Costco, and a local farmer’s market.  No matter the source, I’ve found that juice made from organic celery tastes a lot better! Non organic celery juice is a little more bitter and has a thinner, more watery consistency.

If organic celery isn’t easily accessible, then regular celery is perfectly fine and still has the all vitamins and nutrients you want. I’ve used both with good results.  I got lucky and found organic celery for a great price at Costco. Otherwise, I would be primarily using non-organic. But it’s completely up to you!

The Taste

Everyone has a different reaction to the taste of celery juice. Honestly, I thought it was pretty disgusting the first time I drank it. But now I actually enjoy it. It really is an acquired taste!

If you find that it’s a struggle to get all 16 oz of pure celery juice down, here are a few tips:

• Start small -  I started drinking about 6 oz and slowly increased the amount overtime.  Now I can drink 16 oz with no issue and I’m considering upping it to 24 oz.
• Add an apple - To get the full benefits you want to drink pure celery juice. But, juicing an apple in with the celery really helped me adjust to the taste. After about a week I was able to wean myself off and have the celery juice straight.
• Use a straw - something about sipping the juice through a straw rather than taking gulps makes it easier to drink.
• Drink it cold - I can’t imagine drinking warm celery juice.  I store my celery in the fridge before using. After juicing, I put my cup of celery juice back in the fridge for a bit while I wash out my juicer. It’s much more refreshing when cold.  I’ve read that the process of blending warms the juice, so if you’re using a blender you may want to refrigerate for longer before drinking.

My Experience

I’ve been drinking celery juice every morning for about 2 weeks, so not that long.  But I’ve really been enjoying celery juice as a new addition to my morning routine. It feels good knowing that I’m doing something wonderful for my health first thing everyday.  Of course there’s no quick fix to improving your health, but I have seen some positive results from drinking celery juice in this short amount of time.

I've already been working on building up my gut health and celery juice has had a major impact on my digestion. I don’t want to get into too much detail, but celery juice has definitely helped things move along and made me more...well...regular.  Additionally, I don’t have as many cravings and feel more satisfied after meals. I also have more energy and haven’t felt the need for coffee or tea in the mornings.

I haven’t seen a major change in my acne or eczema yet. It does seem like breakouts are healing a little faster, but I’ll need more time to see if the celery juice is having a real impact on my skin.

One weird thing I’ve noticed is that I started experiences more headaches after I began drinking celery juice daily.  This could be a coincidence and have nothing to do with the celery juice. But if anyone else has experienced this let me know!  Could it be a possible side effect?

Overall, my results have been good and I’ve enjoyed the challenge of getting outside my dietary comfort zone. I’m going to continue drinking my daily celery juice and will keep you posted on my results.

If you haven’t tried celery juice yet, I highly recommend it!  Even if you’re not into green juices or are worried about the taste, believe me it’s doable and it’s worth it. If I can drink it, anyone can!

Have you tried celery juice? What were your results?