If you follow me on Instagram you will know that about a year ago I started to add pure celery juice into my morning routine. And if you’ve read my Apple Cider Vinegar blog , you will know I love that too. For the record, most mornings, I take both. [ACV & lemon water first, then half an hour later, the celery juice].
For those who are quick to dismiss this as the latest fad, celery juice is actually nothing new and something that author and ‘medical medium’ Anthony William has been doing for years! If it’s a fad, it’s one that’s gaining serious momentum, and with good reason. If you don’t already follow him, go check him out (@medicalmedium) on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and in bookshops all over the world, as so much of what he says – and the testimonials he shares - make sense.
Basically, Anthony William deems pure celery juice as a miracle potion. He believes that celery juice is loaded with potent healing properties that have an incredible ability to create sweeping improvements for all kinds of health issues, and he believes it to be especially optimal if taken on an empty stomach first thing in the morning.
He has a huge following, and it’s no wonder - thousands of people who suffer from chronic and mystery illnesses have restored their health by drinking a glass of celery juice every morning; and since releasing his books promoting the benefits of celery juice even more widely, it has become a global movement.
The benefits
Celery juice is teeming with powerful anti-inflammatory properties. This means it is highly beneficial for people with autoimmune or chronic illness as celery reverses inflammation because it starves the pathogens that create it.
It also strengthens hydrochloric acid in your gut which is critical to digestion and keeping your digestive system alkaline. If hydrochloric acid levels are out of balance or low, your food won’t be sufficiently digested in your stomach, which means that the food won’t break down enough for your cells to access the nutrients.
Celery juice is believed to increase and strengthen your bile, which is important for breaking down fats, it is also needed to eliminate waste from your body.
Did you know that we tend to hold a lot of fear in our stomachs? We have all experienced ‘butterflies’ when we are nervous or complained of our tummies being in ‘knots’ when we are feeling anxious. By restoring the entire digestive system, celery puts our hearts and minds at ease too. So, if you’re feeling frightened, nervous or afraid, you can use celery juice for its calming effects.
Although we could go on and on about the benefits, ultimately celery juice is alkalising, enzyme-rich, electrolyte-enhancing, liver-repairing, blood-sugar-balancing, antiseptic and more!
Eating vs juicing
Eating celery stalks is important and very healthy but it isn’t the same as drinking pure juice. When celery is juiced, the pulp (fibre) is removed and Anthony believes that its healing benefits become much more powerful, especially for someone with chronic illness.
OK, so how do you do it?
First of all, Anthony believes that celery juice is most powerful when you drink it on its own. However, if you aren’t able to stomach that at first, then you can add apple or cucumber, eventually building it up to pure celery juice.
He recommends drinking roughly half a litre of celery on an empty stomach each morning. It takes roughly one large bunch of celery to make this amount of juice. Simply pop it into a juicer or blender, blending until smooth and then drink up. *NB If using a blender, the purists recommend that you filter and strain out the pulp and fibre from blended celery and drink just the juice, but if you don’t like the idea of wasting the plant, then by all means, drink it up!
Also, note that celery juice is a medicinal drink not a calorific one, so you will still need breakfast afterward to power you through the morning. Simply wait at least 20-30 minutes after drinking the juice before eating.
Anthony also recommends drinking 3 – 4 servings of straight celery juice per day for even greater benefits - or for some relief if you suffer from a chronic illness or a wide number of illness symptoms; however listen to your own body, if you’re sensitive and struggle with this amount, start with a small amount, gradually increasing this overtime.
You can make it at home and it can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours. However, if like me your mornings are chaos and having time to juice is nothing but a distant dream, then The Juice Jar in Belfast now juice and sell it (after some persuasion from me!), meaning you can simply grab a couple and pop them in your fridge, ready to have on the go.
The team at the Juice Jar also told me that a couple of people picked some up after watching my stories and came to feed back that their eczema had completely calmed down in just 10 days. Coincidence? I think not.
Unfortunately, there has been some backlash from traditional science-based medical ‘experts’ who have criticised the lack of science-backed data on the benefits of celery juice, but the testimonials - and my own feeling of wellness since starting it - tell me, I don’t need no scientific data. Or maybe science just hasn’t caught up with nature yet.
And what can be bad about adding a whole vegetable juice to anyone’s daily routine anyway? Nada, I say. Or indeed, how about if you follow Anthony’s full cleanses in his books? They are only ever about adding goodness to your body and no false or medical claims are ever made.
I must admit, after trying it for some time, I truly believe it is the best way to start your day and I barely go a day without it.