Can I lose weight drinking celery juice?
Celery has long been regarded as a super food and an essential part of a weight-loss diet. Ever heard the rumors that celery is the only food that burns calories rather than adding them? Always wondered whether it is true? Well despite having an enormous amount of nutritional benefits, celery does in fact contain calories, albeit only a very small amount (around 10 per stalk).
Rather than crunching on raw celery sticks as has been historically popular among dieters, more recently an increasing number of people have adopted a juice regime. Celery, with its nutritional benefits and high water content, is a perfect vegetable for juicing and often features as a main ingredient of green blends.
Why is celery so good for you?
Celery, a marshland plant from the same family as the carrot and parsley, possesses many health benefits thanks to the many vitamins and minerals it manages to pack into every stalk. Firstly, and most importantly when wanting to lose weight, celery is low in saturated fat and extremely low in the fat-like substance cholesterol. It is a good source of dietary fiber, which helps control weight by making you feel fuller more quickly as well as helping digestion and preventing constipation. It is also a digestive aid thanks to two other elements; pantothenic acid, which helps your body convert your food into energy, and manganese, which aids your metabolism and regulates blood sugar.
As well as these digestive benefits, nutrient-rich celery is full of helpful properties which help many other parts of the body to function properly. It is a great source of antioxidants such as vitamin C, helping to detoxify your liver. It has anti-inflammatory compounds which help to combat many diseases such as cancer, arthritis, and heart disease. Riboflavin, vitamin B6 and folate help to contribute to normal cell growth and function, and calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are all vital for bone health. The list of benefits is seemingly endless! With so many reasons why celery is so good for you, it is really the ultimate choice when opting for a healthier diet.
Does juicing it retain the benefits?
The celery juice diet has been popular since 2019 thanks to Anthony William, aka the Medical Medium, and has been adopted by millions of his followers, including many high profile celebrities. Drinking celery juice is an excellent way of consuming the many nutrients it has to offer. However, unlike eating the vegetable, juicing it does lead to the loss of much of the important fiber content which remains in the pulp. The best way to ensure that you are retaining as much of the fiber as possible is to blend the celery in a high-speed blender rather than in a conventional juicer. This also allows you to retain the leaves which are highly nutritious and often discarded. You can then strain the juice through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth to be left with the pure juice.
How should you approach a celery juice diet?
If you are using celery juice as an aid to lose weight, there are certain things that you should remember. Firstly, just adding celery juice to your normal diet will not help you lose weight. Instead, drinking celery juice should form part of a healthy lifestyle incorporating a diet of whole foods with a regular exercise regime. Secondly, if you mix celery with other fruits to make a sweeter juice, the weight-loss benefits will be reduced. For example, if you are adding an apple to make the juice less bitter, remember that the apple contains extra calories and sugar.