SUMMARY
- Celery juice is the latest dieting fad to sweep the nation.
- Raw whole celery is a nutrient-dense food, but despite what proponents of the fad diet say, juicing is not the best way to reap the benefits of celery.
- In general, juicing can be a positive addition to your normal diet, but don’t bother with juice fasts or cleanses.
Celery juice: the latest detox diet trend
If you’ve been on Instagram lately, you may have encountered #celeryjuice. It’s the latest detox diet trend to make the rounds across the Internet. Thousands are jumping on the celery juice train.
Celebrities, influencers, and celery juice converts hail this bright green drink as a miracle panacea purported to boost the body’s ability to heal itself, induce weight loss, give juicers clearer, brighter skin, and kill off harmful bacteria and viruses.
But are these claims based on reality or are the alleged benefits of celery juice grossly overstated?
What is the Celery Juice Diet?
The celery juice detox diet involves gulping down anywhere from 12 to 20 ounces (or more) of freshly prepared, undiluted celery juice in the morning.
Followers of the diet say to get the most out of it, it’s best to drink it on an empty stomach and wait about half an hour before eating or drinking anything else.
Celery’s Nutritional Content
Celery is extremely healthy. It’s full of antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, boasts a high fiber content, and is very low on the glycemic index.
This humble vegetable is nutrient-dense while being low calorie. It’s loaded with vitamin K, vitamin A, folate, potassium, vitamin C, manganese, and more.
While health experts and medical professionals agree that knocking back a glass of celery juice in the AM won’t hurt you, drinking a glass of this bitter green juice isn’t exactly the most effective way to reap celery’s health benefits. Juicing fruits and vegetables removes fiber and fiber helps you stay feeling fuller for longer periods of time. To get the most out of celery or any other fruit or vegetable for that matter, don’t always be sticking it in the juicer.
Though it may not have the same taste bud teasing appeal of certain other vegetables, celery needn’t be boring. Chopped celery makes a wonderful addition to any variety of dishes, from meat-free stews to vegetable ragus. It’s delicious braised and mixed into lentils, beans, brown rice, and much more.
Do Juice Fasts and Detox Diets Work?
Detox diets are always popping up. The thing is, there’s no evidence to support the claims that detoxes, fasting, cleanses and their ilk actually work or are even safe in the long term. The human body is an amazing thing. It naturally rids itself of toxins. “Detox” is essentially a marketing term used to tap into the widespread desire for quick solutions.
But what about all the people who’ve claimed to lose weight with celery juice and other detox diets?
This is likely due to the shedding of water weight or the fact they’re taking in a significantly lower amount of calories which naturally leads to weight loss over time rather than explicitly a result of the diet in question.
Is Juicing Healthy?
Juicing can be a good addition to a normal diet and a way to boost your daily nutrient intake. However, there’s no doubt that eating whole fruits and vegetables is better for you all around.
There are plenty of nutrients found in skins, stems, and so on. Piling fresh, whole fruits and vegetables onto your plate is a more effective way to get fiber. And as you may know, fiber is an essential component of any healthy diet and might help prevent certain types of cancer.
Fiber slows down how quickly the body absorbs the sugar. Fruit juices, in particular, are prone to being high in sugar. This can pose a problem for anyone with concerns over blood sugar levels and weight gain. If you do want to add juices to your diet there are a few things you can do.
Create customized blends which feature both fruits and vegetables, try to make up for the fiber loss that comes with juicing elsewhere in your diet, and don’t let juices replace water as your go-to means of staying hydrated.
It’s also important to not rely on juices as substitutes for a proper well-balanced meal. Steer clear of juice cleanses.
A final word. If you take any medications, have a chat with your doctor about how specific juices may react with certain prescriptions.
Forget the Fad Diets
When it comes to fad diets, it’s best to view them with a bit of a skeptical eye. There are no miracle cure-alls which will magically melt fat, detox your body, and turn you into an ultra-fit superhuman. That said, barring underlying medical conditions, by eating a variety of nutritious foods, exercising, and steering clear of foods which are blatantly bad for you, you should be able to meet your health and weight loss goals.
As far as juicing is concerned, you can have your juice and drink it too. Adding fresh juices to your diet is a great way to supplement your fruit and veg intake, but juice should never take the place of a freshly prepared meal.
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