Episode 3: Celery Juice Craze

Have you heard about those people juicing celery? Yeah, me too. I’m one of them. What’s up with this anyways???

I was juicing for a while months back, but then I got out of the habit. I had a delicious concoction that I made for myself, and while that was certainly healthy, I discovered I wasn’t doing it the recommended way to reap the maximum benefits. I decided to go to the creator of the celery craze, the Medical Medium. I read his book on celery juicing and it was mind-blowing to say the least.

So what are the benefits of this green juice from this modest and underappreciated vegetable?

His blog lists these 10 Health Benefits of Celery Juice:

1. Critical for chronic acid reflux

Acid reflux means 3 things are happening: low hydrochloric acid production, unproductive bacteria such as strep and e. Coli & a weakened liver. Celery juice helps improve these.

2. Fights autoimmune disease

Pathogens are the true cause of the inflammation that’s mistakenly considered autoimmune. Celery juice’s undiscovered sodium cluster salts can break down & flush out these pathogens.

3. Helps restore adrenals

The undiscovered sodium cluster salts in celery juice help keep your adrenals stable & functioning.

4. Contains undiscovered sodium cluster salts that reverse illness

Celery juice’s undiscovered sodium cluster salts act together as an antiseptic. When they make contact with viruses & bacteria—troublemakers responsible for chronic illness—the salts begin to break down the pathogens’ cell membranes, eventually destroying them.

5. Neutralizes & flushes toxins out of the liver

Celery juice’s sodium cluster salts bind onto neurotoxins, dermatoxins, & other viral waste, as well as troublemakers, & draw them out of the liver.

6. Helps eradicate strep bacteria

Strep is responsible for many conditions, like acne, UTIs, SIBO, yeast infections, & more. Celery juice helps destroy strep.

7. Kills Epstein-Barr & Shingles viruses

The white blood cells of the liver’s personalized immune system add the cluster salts to their cell membrane coatings, making them toxic to viruses.

8. Brings down toxic liver heat

Celery juice purges a sluggish liver while bringing down liver heat.

9. Powerful weapon against SIBO & bloating

Celery juice is a powerful stomach acid replenisher so that gastric juices can kill strep, which causes SIBO. It also breaks down rotting protein & rancid fats in the stomach & small intestinal tract, helping bloating.

10. Repairs hydrochloric acid & liver bile production

Celery juice strengthens hydrochloric acid & bile production & strengthens the liver, which then allows for better bile production.

WOW, right?!? Who would’ve thought? Not me. So, I also learned there is a proper way to make this in order to optimize all the healing benefits. 

The basics are pretty simple, take a large bunch of celery, trim off the tips and the end, rinse it, and run it through a juicer. You can also chop and blend it in a high-speed blender until smooth and then strain it well, but that seems like a WHOLE LOTTA work. It should yield about 16 oz of juice, and you are going to want to drink that immediately. 

The ideal amount of celery juice is about that much - 16 oz per day to reap all the healing goodness it provides. However, if you have chronic illness or other symptoms you’ll want to increase your intake to about 24-32 oz. If you go the higher quantity route, you can divide this up into 2 16 oz portions taken in the morning and in the late afternoon or early evening.

The best time to drink celery juice is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. It is considered a medicinal, not a caloric drink, so you will still need to eat breakfast for energy. Wait about 15-30 minutes after drinking your juice before consuming any other food or drink to allow adequate digestion and assimilation.

Mornings are not always ideal; sometimes we are running late or it just doesn’t fit into an already jam-packed schedule. The second best time to drink celery juice is 15-30 minutes BEFORE eating something, 30-60 minutes after eating a light snack, or 2 hours after a heavier meal during the day. Honestly, this is one of those cases of doing it is better than not! Find a time that works with your life, and roll with it!

What kind of celery should you use??? Organic, of course, but if you can only source conventional, do that. Celery is on the Dirty Dozen list, so wash each stalk with a drop of fragrance- and toxin-free dish soap! Even if you don’t have the right soap, be sure to rinse each stalk well until you do! Leaves on or off? That’s up to you! Leaves can make them bitter, but sometimes it is just easier to leave them on. You can save time in the morning by rinsing, chopping, and prepping your celery the night before.

Drink immediately after juicing - fresh is always best! If you have to wait, seal in a mason jar and store in the fridge. Don’t let it sit past 24 hours. You can freeze it if necessary as a last resort, but that decreases the medicinal qualities.

The greatest benefits come from juicing just plain celery, but for some the taste is unpalatable. If that is you, you can work your way up by adding 1 cucumber or 1 apple to your bunch of celery. As you get adjusted to the taste, you can decrease the other fruit or increase your ratio of celery. Adding other ingredients regularly will dilute the medicinal properties of the celery. Yes, even ice! Some people recommend adding in apple cider vinegar, activated charcoal, or collagen, but these destroy and denature the celery which drastically decreases the benefits. It is best to drink the pure celery juice for optimal health.

So why juice anyways? Can’t you just add it in to your diet? Of course you can! But there is no way to consume enough celery to get the benefits from juicing. Juicing removes the pulp (fiber) and is the only way to get the powerful healing benefits of the living water within and get the full awesomeness of the celery.

According to the Medical Medium, the cluster salts in celery are the main stars, and specifically: 

• Quickly rebuilds the hydrochloric acid so your stomach can breakdown protein. Proteins that are not broken down can sit in the gut and cause many issues. Strong hydrochloric acid is also important to kill off pathogens entering by mouth.

• Increases and strengthens your bile, which is often overlooked. (I have more coming on this in the future!) Strong bile is needed for breakdown of fats and killing off pathogens in our body. Cluster salts act as antiseptics.

• Restores central nervous system by removing toxins and poisons such as old pharmaceuticals from your liver, along with pathogens like Epstein-Barr Virus, shingles, and strep.

Celery juicing is safe and healthy for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and even children! It provides trace minerals, vitamin C, and chemicals that support our neurotransmitters. Get your whole family in on this goodness!

What kind of juicer should you use? Do you even need one? The whole blending and straining thing just seems like waaaaaay too much work, in my opinion. I have a slow masticating juicer that he specifically recommends due to retaining the maximum benefits. But in my honest experience, I have found that my Hamilton Beach juicer is faster with easy cleanup. This ensures that I actually do it everyday, which as we know, consistency is most important. I mean, if it feels too hard, I'm just not going to put forth the effort. A perfect example of done being better than perfect! 

As you first begin, you many have a change of bathroom habits which is a normal detox reaction, especially if you have a higher level of toxins. They don't call this the celery juice movement for nothing! Celery juice kills unproductive bacteria in the gut and will help purge the liver. According to the Liver Rescue book, which I am currently reading and having many AHA! moments, almost everyone has some level of liver toxicity. Our world is extremely toxic! Loose stools will pass as your body heals. If the celery becomes a bit too 'cleansing', you can start with 16 oz of cucumber juice as a gentle start, but it doesn’t have the same benefits.

So how long until you can expect these amazing benefits??? Honestly it depends on your condition and circumstances. Some experience it their first juice! The overburden and toxicity of our livers from pathogens and poisons such as pesticides, herbicides, solvents, toxic heavy metals, and other harmful chemicals in our air, water, food, and personal care products, can affect the timeline, especially if you have weight issues. How and what you consume during the rest of the day can play a role, too. Our lifestyle habits matter, as does the amount of stress we allow. 

Everyone will have their own individual path. For me, I find it so hydrating and I just have a high feeling of wellness when I juice everyday. I imagine my cells doing a little happy dance inside! I’ve missed a day or two here or there, and I can most certainly feel the difference when I don’t do it. Time will tell what all the benefits will be for me, and I will definitely report back. The Medical Medium, Anthony William, asserts that even if you don’t necessarily feel any benefits, it does not mean they aren’t happening. 

So, do you juice? Will you give celery a shot? I’d love to hear your experience with it. Please share your benefits, too. I figure it's so healthy, what have you got to lose! Why not, right?