Celery juice looks like water from a pond filled with algae, but his disciples have brought it down through the glass. One of his American devotees is Jennifer Aniston, who regards the cloudy green drink as one treat on her cheat days, when she allows herself to be completely distracted from her health and fitness routine. From this morning #celeryjuice has more than 191,000 tags on Instagram. So why does it have a moment?
What does celery juice say?
Stories on Instagram and elsewhere are anecdotal, but say the juice is the greatest medical remedy for digestive problems, autoimmune diseases, psoriasis, acne, chronic fatigue syndrome, acid reflux, the shingles virus, strep bacteria and weight loss. Many of the stories mention Anthony William, a self-assured creator of the craze of celery juice.
Does it work?
"There is no scientific evidence to support any of the claims," said Rachel Scherr, a research scientist in nutrition at the University of California. There are no large studies in humans on the subject and the small research that exists on the vegetable was cellular or animal.
Nutritionists say that other factors can influence the sense of well-being of juicers: better hydration through the water content of celery (celery juice is 94 percent water); or a placebo effect.
Do you still have to drink it if there is no evidence?
"In general, it's a healthy juice," says Dr. Elizabeth Bradley, medical director of the Cleveland Clinic's Functional Medicine Center. Celery juice has more potassium and vitamin K than tomato juice and carrot juice, but it contains less important nutrients such as vitamin A, which is rich in carrot juice. Unlike other vegetables that can lose polyphenols and antioxidants from the pulp or husk when squeezed, Bradley says, it is unclear how much loss occurs when pressing whole celery stems. Nevertheless, nutritionists recommend a variety of vegetables and their juices, because they all have their own combination of phytochemicals, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
The salty taste in 250 ml of celery juice comes from about 220 mg of sodium, an essential electrolyte that helps our bodies maintain a fluid balance. The recommended daily allowance is less than 2300 mg per day; more than that can raise blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
Every renowned scientist would say that there is nothing here. Next year some other juice or food or magic mushroom will come out and offer these same characteristics
Juicing preserves the taste and concentrates the nutrients, but many preparations reduce the fiber, which according to nutrition experts is the best. The juice contains approximately 4 g per 250 ml, still far below the daily recommended 25 mg to 30 mg, mainly from food. Fiber helps people to feel full and to maintain regularity.
Just like kale and spinach, celery contains antioxidants and can have anti-inflammatory properties. Compared to the stems, the leaves are more than 20 times higher in flavones, a class of flavonoids and compounds found in plants with antioxidant properties, according to a 2017 review in the medical journal Advances in Nutrition. Food is complex and just because a food is rich in flavones does not mean that it provides guaranteed health benefits. Compounds such as flavones are modified after being absorbed, and these modified forms may not have the same effect as what is shown in preclinical studies, according to the review.
For those who consume few vegetables and now drink celery juice, nutritionists say this is a good change.
Why is celery juice suddenly everywhere?
High praise William, who wrote a book called Celery Juice: The Most Powerful Medicine or Our Time Healing Millions Worldwide. He shares advice with his large crowd through his podcast, his website and his best-selling books and in his contributions to the Goop website of Gwyneth Paltrow.
William, who also named & # 39; Medical Medium & # 39; is not a physician or formally trained in nutrition and his process is unconventional. "Spirit starts talking to me, and I write every word exactly as Spirit wants it, until I have a stack of notepads a meter high," he says, adding, "It is a gift given to me."
Nutritionists call his claims unfounded. "Any reputable scientist would say that there is nothing," says David Levitsky, a professor of nutrition and psychology at Cornell University. "And I guarantee you next year that some other juice or food or magic mushroom will come out with the same properties."
How was celery used before?
Celery – or Apium graveolens – is a family member of carrots, parsley and coriander. Before it was poured into the slalade, it had quite the illustrious history. Charles Davis, a plant evolution biologist at Harvard University, says the Egyptians wanted wild celery in the tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1325 BC. Places and that the first cultivated medicinal use of celery from the Romans dates back to 400 BC.
Greeks drank wine from it, and winning athletes wore crowns of foliage in Panhellenic games. The seeds and fruits have long been used medicinally. "I find it intriguing that the alleged medical use of the plant is being revived today, but instead is being extracted from the vegetative parts," says Davis.
Will celery juice hurt you?
"There's nothing in it that is going to hurt you," says Levitsky. Celery can have a slight diuretic effect, which can increase urination and reduce some bloating. Nutritionists say that patients should not stop visiting their doctor or treatment in favor of a celery regime. But something bigger is at stake, says Levitsky. Believing in miraculous remedies can make patients vulnerable to almost anything, even harmful treatments. "It thwarts the belief in science and medicine as a magical remedy, and there is no such thing."
Is celery juice a scam?
"It is absolutely not" miracle juice, "says Rebecca Scritchfield, dietitian and author of Body Kindness." It can join the list of snake oil remedies. "William, for his part, claims that he is not misleading anyone; nor sells the juice itself. "I am not saying it is a cure," he says.