Celery Juice - Miracle or Sham?

November 04, 2019

References: New York TimesKim KardiashianDr MercolaMedical Medium's Celery JuiceNatural Medicine JournalAdvances in Regenerative BiologyUS WeeklyDirty Dozen Vegetables,


Ok, everyone is doing it! You can't miss Kim Kardashian no matter where you hide, so when she touts celery juice, you hear about it. US Weekly will tell you all the stars snarfing it down. If you want to look like Jennifer Anniston, go for it. Even the staid New York Times has run an article about it. A little more "out there" is Dr. Mercola who actually has a staff that digs into research and produces reasonably broad scoped articles, albeit all aimed at selling something he has for sale. He likes it. 


That's not what caught my eye. My attention got caught when one of my clients returned from a health spa where he embarked on a 10 day fast, given only a glass of celery juice twice a day to soften the absolute calorie restriction. He lost over 30 pounds, normalized his blood pressure, felt great. I want to dig into the. connection with fasting, and whether the celery juice thing is anything special or apart. It certainly has hit the wires, in part also driven by the "Medical Medium", a highly publicized self-made health guru who waves his arms around people and tells them their medical problems, and gives a lot of them celery juice, and a fast. Anthony Williams, the so-called "Medium", with no degree in anything but 4 New York Time's Best-Sellers, has abook on celery juice you can read. I did. I'm not here to argue his credentials, or veracity, I'm trying to explore the idea and be open to new concepts, no matter how close to the left-field foul ball line that idea comes. 


Does it have extra nutrients in it? Well, yes. It has a great compound called apigeninwhich provides stem cells an extra boost and appears to have anti-cancer effects and neuron supports effects. Both not bad. One reasonable study looking high blood pressure and 150 mg of celery seed extract in a day, thereby getting 3-n-butylphthalide (3nB), showed blood pressure would dropping 8 mm over 8 mm - equivalent to any pill on the market. Finally, it has a great dose of molybdenum, a trace mineral needed to detox heavy metals. No problem there. 


So, do we believe the hype? Is it hype? There is precious little hard evidence and tons of high-intensity promotion. Celery is on the dirty dozen list of pesticide plants, so you may be a little put off by too much of a good thing. What I believe is that we have to get back to the gut and its biome. If it is made happy, many good things follow. The thousands of yet-to-be-discovered compounds and their even more amazing interactions suggests we are still scratching the surface of what is good for us. Do we need more vegetables? Emphatically, yes! Do we need the fiber in the vegetables? Yes again. (So what are you doing juicing?). Might there be some credibility to celery juice? I haven't a clue. But if Jennifer Anniston says it's true, then half of America is in.


WWW: What will work for me? I'm trying to construct a rational, effective method of fasting and I'm suggesting that either cucumber or celery juice may be the two ritualized nutrient liquids you could take that allow you to fulfill your need to eat daily meals, just for the sake of ritual, and that don't break your ketosis. When I do my 10-day fast, I'm going to dust off my juicer and add this to the regimen. I'll keep track of my own data with ketones and electrolytes. But I suspect the issue is more the fasting than the juice. Time will tell. I'm not looking for any major medical center to fund a research project that takes people off their pills and cures their weight gain their blood pressure, their gut disorders.....


Pop Quiz

  1. Celery juice is pretty high in sugar, like apple juice? T or F.                   Answer: False, almost none so you won't endanger your ketosis.
  2. We know all the nutrients in plant juices?                             Answer: False: Tip of iceberg only-much less their nuanced, synergistic interactions.
  3. There are many thousands of folks who swear by the benefit of celery juice? T or F.              Answer: Yup.
  4. Celery is safe to eat as much as you want.                             Answer: Whoa Nellie. It's on the dirty dozen list. Please wash, rinse, soak in something or other.
  5. You will look just like Jennifer if you drink a glass of celery juice a day. Answer; Close your eyes, count to 10 - and it's true!

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