Hello December! Let's have a healthy start and take the Celery Juice Challenge. The idea is very simple. All one has to do is to drink at least 16 ounces of freshly made, pure celery juice on empty stomach, first thing in the morning, for a week or two, or as long as necessary for the body to start healing.
The idea for the Celery Juice Challenge comes form Anthony William who, many years ago, introduced the practice of celery juice drinking to countless people struggling from chronic ailments and auto immune diseases, including eczema and psoriasis.
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch organic celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce)
Method:
- Wash and cut celery into manageable pieces.
- Run celery through the juicer.
- Drink the undiluted juice right away, on empty stomach. Enjoy in good company!
- Wait at least 20-30 minutes before consuming anything else.
Tip: The juice tastes better when you trim off the leaves. Also, when you start juicing celery for a week or longer, you will end up with a lot of juice pulp. The pulp is very fibrous. You can dehydrate it and turn it into a green powder that can be added to raw soups or smoothies, use it to make raw crackers, or simply compost it.
If you do not have a juicer, make your celery juice in a blender.
- Chop up the celery and toss the chunks into a blender.
- Add equal amount of water and blend on high.
- Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth and drink right away.
For many people drinking a straight celery juice is a challenge in itself. They complain that the taste is too strong and are tempted to mix celery with other herbs, vegetables, or even sweet fruits to make it more palatable.
While blending celery with other ingredients is not "wrong," Anthony William suggests that these blends work differently than a pure celery juice.
Pure celery juice contains cluster salts and can help you
Celery juice contains many nutrients that are beneficial to skin, bones and joints: silica; vitamins K, A, C, B1, B2, B6, and folic acid; minerals calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and iron.
Celery juice may also help reduce inflammation in the body. It contains antioxidant flavonoid luteolin, as well as polyacetylenes known for their anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-tumor properties.
Research shows that flavonoids luteolin and apigenin have the capacity to prevent cancer cells from spreading in the body. Compounds in celery such as flavonols, furanocoumarins, and phenolic acids are also known for their anti-cancer action.
Pure celery juice contains cluster salts and can help you
- restore your hydrochloric acid in the stomach
- restore and strengthen the bile flow
- balance body pH
- restore nervous system
- lower blood pressure
- detoxify your liver
- balance cholesterol
- cleanse the digestive tract
- prevent formation of kidney stones
- reduce inflammation
- balance blood sugar
- curb cravings for sweets
- increase energy level
Celery juice contains many nutrients that are beneficial to skin, bones and joints: silica; vitamins K, A, C, B1, B2, B6, and folic acid; minerals calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and iron.
Celery juice may also help reduce inflammation in the body. It contains antioxidant flavonoid luteolin, as well as polyacetylenes known for their anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and anti-tumor properties.
Research shows that flavonoids luteolin and apigenin have the capacity to prevent cancer cells from spreading in the body. Compounds in celery such as flavonols, furanocoumarins, and phenolic acids are also known for their anti-cancer action.
Celery also contains coumarins and phthalide, compounds known to reduce high blood pressure. The phthalide may also help reduce blood levels of LDL, known as the bad cholesterol.
As you see, the humble celery has an incredible healing potential so go and get some organic celery for juicing. Weekend is a good time to start your challenge, but do not let your work schedule prevent you from juicing. If juicing in the morning is not possible, you can make the juice in the afternoon. Just remember not to eat anything before and immediately after your glass of celery juice. Allow 20-30 minutes time for the juice to pass through your system.
Ah, and one more thing! Nutrition can be so confusing. Celery contains compounds that interact with estrogen receptors in the body. Celery can help you start menstruation and decrease PMS symptoms. But what if you suffer from estrogen dominance?
Celery contains high amount of fiber. If estrogen dominance is your problem, fiber can help you decrease blood levels of estrogen. However, if you are juicing celery you are removing the fiber. Consequently, consumption of large amounts of celery juice may negatively affect the hormonal balance in your body. Men with estrogen dominance should probably avoid large amounts of celery juice and other estrogen promoting foods. When in doubt, consult certified nutritionist or medical professional familiar with naturopathy.
Celery is known to lower blood pressure. Caution is advised for people whose blood pressure is low already. Large amounts of celery might cause blood pressure to drop even more.
Avoid celery if you suffer from the so called "celery-mugwort-birch-spice" syndrome, or suffer from kidney problems. Information on celery and kidney disease is not conclusive, though. Some authors claim that people with kidney disease should avoid celery, others suggest that celery juice is perfect for the kidney disease sufferers. Always talk to you primary healthcare provider before embarking on a celery juice challenge.
Celery belongs to the group of 12 most pesticide contaminated vegetables, or the so called dirty dozen. Always buy organic. If organic celery is not available, use baking soda to neutralize at least some of the toxins. Dissolve one tablespoon of baking soda in one gallon of cold water. Soak trimmed celery ribs for a 20 minutes and rinse thoroughly before juicing.
If you are not used to juicing, you may experience initial bloating and other digestive issues including loose stools or diarrhea. As your body adjusts and heals itself, these symptoms gradually disappear. Remember to drink enough water during the celery juice challenge, and never forget to wash your juicer right after juicing!
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2018
*Information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease. People suffering from allergies, life threatening ailments, or chronic diseases should consult their healthcare providers before considering any nutritional changes.
Celery belongs to the group of 12 most pesticide contaminated vegetables, or the so called dirty dozen. Always buy organic. If organic celery is not available, use baking soda to neutralize at least some of the toxins. Dissolve one tablespoon of baking soda in one gallon of cold water. Soak trimmed celery ribs for a 20 minutes and rinse thoroughly before juicing.
If you are not used to juicing, you may experience initial bloating and other digestive issues including loose stools or diarrhea. As your body adjusts and heals itself, these symptoms gradually disappear. Remember to drink enough water during the celery juice challenge, and never forget to wash your juicer right after juicing!
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2018
*Information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease. People suffering from allergies, life threatening ailments, or chronic diseases should consult their healthcare providers before considering any nutritional changes.