5 Best Juicers For Celery

Celery contains calcium, silicon, and vitamin K that is good for the bones. Besides, celery juice improves digestion and acts as a natural laxative. Plus, it can help soothe the mind and relax nerves. With such an abundance of benefits, no wonder celery juice is being taken up by many to make up for the unhealthy food choices made by them in the past.

Fresh celery contains vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, folate, manganese, calcium, riboflavin, magnesium, and vitamin B6. Plus, it has a high percentage of water and electrolytes for preventing dehydration. If consumed in its whole form, celery is rich in fiber. Moreover, it has compounds such as caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, apigenin, luteolin, tannin, saponin, and kaempferol, that give celery its antioxidant properties.

A big benefit of juicing is that since the fiber has already been separated, it is easy to digest and the micronutrients become bio-reactive. Hence, there’s no effort involved on the body’s part to digest the fibrous part of the celery and you get the nutrients faster.

However, this is a drawback as well since fiber is beneficial in digestion and helps with constipation. Another drawback is that celery juice is a little high in sodium and people on low sodium diets may need to watch their sodium intake if they choose to take celery juice daily and in large quantities.

According to Dr. Safdieh of Parsley Health, drinking celery juice is safe provided you take in the necessary amount of fiber needed by the body. She further states that there are a lot of health benefits of consuming celery. For instance,

• Celery, having antioxidants, can remove free radicals in the body, thereby reducing the risk of cancer.
• Due to the antioxidative properties of celery, it can prevent cardiovascular diseases.
• Reduces blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
• The antioxidative properties can help in treating jaundice, liver disease, urinary tract infection, gout, and rheumatic disorders.
• Celery seeds can be used for treating skin conditions such as psoriasis.
• They can also be used for treating respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis.
• A study concluded that celery seeds extract can increase the antioxidant enzyme activity and modify the glucose and insulin levels.
• Another study with celery leaf extract stated that it helps in reducing blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Although celery juicing may deprive you of the necessary fiber, it also has a lot of health benefits:

• Gives immune system a boost
• Assists in weight loss
• Helps in decreasing blood pressure
• Improves digestion
• Reduces bloating
• Flushes toxins from the body, restore gut and liver health
• Improves skin condition

Everything needs to be consumed moderately. Excessive intake of anything can be harmful to health. Same is the case with celery juice. You need to consume no more than 16 ounces of the celery juice a day. It is also recommended that celery juice works better on an empty stomach.

Before embarking on a new trend that involves your health, you must consult your doctor first. There are several conditions in which you may not be able to consume celery or its juice on a regular basis. You may not even be able to consume it at all.

For people who are on medication for blood thinners, this juice can be very harmful as it may cause bleeding or blood clotting.

For people who are allergic to the greens or particularly to the celery, it can cause very serious issues like swelling of lips, tongue, and throat. For some, it can become a very dangerous issue.

Celery juice is also a natural diuretic so if you are going for this celery juice trend as a starter, you must stay at home to observe how your body reacts to this celery juice cleanse.

Everything has positive and negative aspects. Similarly, there are risks associated with the consumption of celery and celery juice. Eating large amounts of celery can cause malnutrition as it is low in calories but fills you up really quickly and gastrointestinal problems as too much fiber can lead to diarrhea, bloating, and gas. Similarly, if raw celery is consumed in large quantities and with consistency, it may interfere with the proper functioning of iodine in the body and may lead to goiter. This condition may further cause swelling of the neck, lead to breathing problems and hypothyroidism.

Allergies are also associated with celery. People who are allergic to birch or mugwort may also be allergic to celery. These allergies may vary from being mild to serious reactions to celery such as anaphylaxis. In some European countries such as France, Germany, and Switzerland, people have serious celery allergy problems. Celery can also become a cause of food pollen allergy in some cases that may not be serious and cause just a tingling in the mouth, throat, or lips & slight swelling. Hence, medical advice must be sought in order to know if one is allergic to celery or not and if the allergic reaction is of a mild or serious nature.

Celery has also been found to be exposed to pesticides. It is also included in the top ten of the dirty dozen according to the list of 2019 in a study conducted by Environmental Working Group, a nonpartisan health and environmental watchdog group. Hence, one must wash celery thoroughly before consumption and try to buy organic celery if possible.

Celery is a plant whose cultivation started almost 3000 years ago most probably in the Mediterranian region. We will look at the facts concerning celery and also discuss the myths associated with it.

Fact sheet:
Let’s look at some of the facts of celery and celeriac.

• Celery — It is commonly green, sometimes, white, yellow, or pink.
• Celeriac — It is the root of a celery plant that is usually 3-5 inches wide. Chefs like to use medium, firm, and smooth roots in their cooking.
• Celery is related to carrots, fennel, and parsley.
• Celery is not picked until the stalks are at least 10-inches long.
• In order to retain the crispiness of the celery, soak it in ice water.
• Celery is taken as a wonderful snack after removing its leaves.
• Celeriac can also be eaten raw or grated in salads or roasted with other root vegetables.
• It also gives a great taste when it is added to mashed potatoes or boiled and mashed with potatoes.
• Celery and leaves are also added to soups and stir-fries for a crunchy taste.
• Celeriac is very easy to peel and slice with smooth skin. It can be easily stored in a refrigerator for at least one week by wrapping it in plastic.
• Celery can also be stored in a plastic bag in a refrigerator for at least a week.
• Which one to choose? While selecting the celery for your consumption, you must pick straight, rigid celery stalks that smell fresh. Never go for limp or sloppy stalks nor the ones that are woody or spongy.

Myths associated with celery:
There are lots of myths associated with celery. We will see if they are true or false.

Negative calorie food: Celery, like other non-starchy vegetables, has low calories, high water density, and a fair amount of fiber. It is assumed that the energy needed to digest it outweighs the calories that celery provides so it’s a negative-calorie food. However, calories do burn but not too much. There is no scientific study that states that foods have negative calories.

Stops memory loss: A study conducted on mice showed that when an antioxidant plant compound, Luteolin, was given to them they showed improved spatial memory. However, such a study is yet to be conducted on humans and whether it will be successful or not is yet to be seen.

Promotes relaxation and sleep: Celery may relieve hypertension and it contains phthalides that helps in relaxing the body and assists in getting a sound sleep.

Good for digestion: This myth is in fact reality as celery contains Pectin-based polysaccharides including a compound known as apiuman, that have been found to decrease stomach ulcers, improve the lining of the stomach, and regulate stomach secretions in animal studies. Hence, celery is good for digestion. Celery along with other vegetables like zucchini, sweet potatoes, eggplant, is recommended for people who have irritable bowel syndrome.

Is celery good for weight loss? Celery is termed as a superfood. It surely is helpful in losing weight as it burns more calories. Study has confirmed that including celery in your diet can help you reduce weight.

Celery juice is a steaming hot topic on Instagram with more than 40,000 posts on it. It all started with “the Medical Medium” by Anthony William whose fans include celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jenna Dewan, and Naomi Campbell. William termed celery juice “miracle superfood”. However, William does not have any medical license or certification. He claims he has the ability to read peoples’ medical diagnoses and provide guidance accordingly. He also claims that celery juice has the “incredible ability to create sweeping improvements for all kinds of health issues”-including improving gut health, fighting cancer, clearing the skin, flushing out viruses, and more.

Hence, it is difficult to figure out whether celery juice is gaining popularity due to its abundant health benefits or due to Instagram trends. The Instagram posts include hashtags like #celeryJuice and #celeryJuiceChallenge.

Celery should be planted in early spring in regions with cool springs and summers. In regions having a warm spring and summer, it should be planted in late summer. The harvesting should be done in late autumn or early winter.

Extra care should be taken from sowing seeds to the harvesting of celery in order to have a good bunch of celery.

Planting:
Celery, being a cool weather crop, needs to be planted in compost-rich soil that can retain moisture but can also drain. It has a low tolerance for heat and needs a cool, cloudy location for growing. Hence, you must plant it where it can get at least 4 months of cool weather.

You can begin by planting seeds indoors prior to 8 to 10 weeks of the last frost in spring. Then set transplants or replant it in the garden when seedlings have 5 to 6 leaves. Plant the celery seed ¼ to ½ inch deep and keep them 6 to 8 inches apart. The spacing for rows should be 24 inches. When you transplant the seedlings, place them 3 to 4 inches deep, 6 to 10 inches apart.

Growing:
Make sure you keep the celery well-watered in all phases of its growth. Otherwise, the growth would be slow and the stalks would be stringy. Also, keep the celery beds free of weeds or they will take up most of the moisture and nutrients.

You need to blanch the celery for giving it a sweet flavor and to whiten the stalks. If the celery is not blanched, it may taste bitter. Blanching is done by wrapping the stalks with soil, straw, or paper cylinders to protect them from the sun. This should be done 10 to 14 days before harvesting.

Pests are a nuisance for any plant but celery, unfortunately, has a serious pest problem. Hence, protect it from the celery leaf miner and slugs, especially during blanching.

Harvesting:
Celery needs to be harvested after 100 to 130 days of transplants. You must harvest before the first hard frost when the head of the celery is around 2 to 3 inches in diameter. You must cut the head at the soil level or slightly below it.

Pros of drinking celery juice are:

• You increase the intake of vitamins, minerals, and water as compared to eating celery.
• Celery juice is easy on the digestive system so it’s quite amazing for those having digestive problems.
• Celery juice is a good detox for your system.
• It can prevent different kinds of cancers.
• It lowers blood pressure.
• Reduces bodily inflammation.
• Improves skin condition.
• Eliminates toxins from the body.
• Reduces oxidative stress.
• It has a calming effect on the nervous system.

Cons of drinking celery juice include:

• Fiber is removed, hence, you are deprived of health-boosting flavonoids and phytochemicals.
• Celery juice is a bit high in sodium so people on low sodium diets will need to watch their daily sodium intake if they’re drinking celery juice regularly.

To give a definite answer to what is the best juicer for celery is a tough call since all types of juicers have their advantages and disadvantages like price tickets, juice yield, etc. The best juicer to make celery juice is a masticating juicer, though, and that is because a masticating juicer is the best juicer for pretty much everything. It works slowly, doesn’t produce heat, retains the maximum amount of nutrients, and gives a high yield.

The downside, however, is that these juicers are on the expensive end of the spectrum.

The health benefits of celery are amazing whether you eat it raw or juice it. Unless you have serious allergic issues related to celery or you have some kind of reaction due to the medications you are taking, you must try this wonderful new trend of celery diet.

For juicing celery, Aicok masticating juicer is one of the best juicers for celery. Its user-friendly and budget-friendly features make it the best option. Plus, it extracts the juice with the highest yield and with minimal oxidation. Works slower at the 80 RPM with low noise of 60 decibels.

So, what are you waiting for? Get the juicer if you don’t already possess one for extracting the healthiest and the freshest juice for yourself. Have fun and live a healthy life.