Bottled Versus Fresh Celery Juice
Fresh is best for celery juice in terms of taste and health benefits. Bottled juices might be convenient, but Nutritionist Sonja Ricke from Grand Resort Bad Ragaz says that bottled stuff will always be pasteurized — and pasteurization lowers the content of nourishing vitamins and secondary plant compounds. And if you're making your own juice, make sure to drink it right away: Rausch says it's best to consume fresh celery juice 15 to 20 minutes after it has been prepared.
Additionally, when blending your own celery juice, you know what you're going to get. Glassman says that at home it's possible to blend the whole celery and not remove any of the nutritional fiber in it. On the other hand, with bottled celery juice, the fiber could be removed. Furthermore, it could contain added sweeteners or even colors. Oh and don't be fooled by bottles proclaiming "rich in vitamin C:" She says that the vitamin C has most certainly been chemically added.
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How to Prepare Celery Juice
No one wants a chunk in their smooth celery juice, but we still want all that virtuous fiber. Choose crisp, preferably organic celery and do not peel it or remove leaves. The latter are a fantastic source of vitamin A, says Rausch. After washing the celery, try soaking it in cold water for a few minutes then scrub it. Next, blend celery in a juicer or blender. Some might choose to guzzle straight-up celery juice, though it can be blended with other fruits and veggies like apples or carrots to suit your taste.
No juicer? Shacter says that juicing offers more vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients per serving than a smoothie. Juicers separate the good stuff from insoluble fiber which allows us to consume more nutritional content. When using a blender, juice will often need to be strained to separate the parts.
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Celery Juice Versus Other Drinks
Going off of William's theory, pure celery juice holds a range of incredible benefits for the body thanks to its unique mineral salts. Shacter says that based on science, while there are benefits to celery, those same benefits are also found in many vegetables. She suggests that those who are intrigued about celery's potential can try drinking 16 ounces of different juiced green vegetables, then 16 ounces of pure celery juice and see whether they feel different.
Celery juice is very low in calories and carbohydrates/sugar in comparison to other fruit and vegetable juices says Rausch. And yes, it offers nutritional benefits in easy-to-digest form.
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Combining Celery Juice With Other Vegetables
Variety is said to be the spice of life, but does it apply to celery juice? It depends. William explained in his viral blog post that celery juice is most powerful when drunk solo on an empty stomach. (Those who don't like the taste of 100 percent celery juice can try blending celery with carrot or cucumber initially then gradually reducing the amount.)
On the flip side, science encourages mixing celery with a variety of vegetables to boost the nutrient profile and provide more benefits says Shacter. And Rausch points out that combining celery with sweeter fruit and veggies balances it out: Mixing apples and carrots will make it taste more like fruit juice.
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Celery Juice Tips
● William suggests drinking 16 ounces of plain celery juice in the morning on an empty stomach. People should wait at least 15 minutes before having breakfast. He says that celery juice isn't a caloric drink so proper sustenance is necessary.
● Ricke recommends adding a dash of lemon juice to celery juice because the former prevents rapid oxidation of vitamins from contact with light and oxygen.
● Shacter encourages people to pay attention to their bodies. She says that everyone is different and just because something might work for one person doesn't mean it will work for you. Gas, diarrhea and constipation are all possible when starting to drink celery juice.
● Be aware it is possible to overdo celery juice. Ricke says that any diet that contains only certain foods is malnutrition. Consuming too much celery can result in too little fats and protein being absorbed into the body. Having large amounts of celery that isn't organic can be problematic because of pesticide use.
● Don't forget: Drinking vegetables is a great way to up your intake, but it is still important to actually eat them. "Variety and quantity of vegetables in your diet will impact you more than any one super food," says Shacter.
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