Celery For Weight Loss: Does It Work?
Celery isn’t just what folks nibble on to lose a few pounds. It’s like finding a treasure chest full of health wonders nobody talks about much. Today, we’re spilling the beans on why celery is a superhero in the food world, especially for those who want the scales to smile back. Celery is way more than a diet buddy; it’s a secret weapon for your health. Ready to get the skinny on this crunchy green powerhouse? Buckle up! We’re diving into celery’s surprising benefits, from slashing fat to boosting your body in ways you wouldn’t guess. Discover why throwing celery into your munching mix is not just smart for keeping fit—it’s a total health makeover waiting to happen. Stick around, and you’ll find out why your next bite of celery could be the best thing you do for your health today.
1. There are numerous antioxidants in celery. Cells, arteries, and organs are protected from oxidative damage due to antioxidants.
One stalk of celery includes at least 12 different antioxidant elements, including vitamin C and beta carotene as well as flavonoids. The phytonutrients it contains have been demonstrated to lessen inflammation in the digestive tract, cells, blood vessels, and organs.
2. Celery has anti-inflammatory properties.
Many diseases, including arthritis and osteoporosis, have been related to chronic inflammation. There are roughly 25 anti-inflammatory chemicals in celery and celery seeds, which help protect the body from inflammation.
3. Celery aids in the digestion of food.
When it comes to protecting the entire digestive system, celery may have a unique benefit for the stomach. Celery polysaccharides have been found to reduce stomach ulcers, improve the lining of the stomach, and control stomach secretions in animal experiments.
Soluble and insoluble fiber are also plentiful in celery because of their 95% water content. A healthy digestive system and regularity are supported by all of these. There are five grams of dietary fiber per cup of celery sticks.
4. Celery has a low glycemic index and is high in vitamins and minerals.
As a celery fan, you’ll reap the benefits of vitamins A, K, and C as well as minerals like potassium and folate. It has low salt content, too. The glycemic index is low, therefore it has a gradual influence on your blood sugar levels.
5. In addition, celery has an alkalizing impact.
In addition to the fact that these minerals are required for the proper functioning of the human body, celery has a neutralizing impact on acidic foods.
Celery is a useful vegetable in addition to its many health benefits. If you choose to consume it raw or cooked, it can be added to smoothies, soups, stir-fries, and juices. Steamed or roasted celery are other cooking options. Now let’s take a look at whether or not celery juice helps in weight loss.
Is it Possible to Lose Weight Drinking Celery Juice?
New health trends tout the benefits of daily celery juice consumption, including weight loss and better general health.
You might ask if one of the many health benefits of celery and its juice is weight loss. It turns out that it is.
This article tells you whether celery juice can help you lose weight.
Why is it so popular?
Celery juice is said to aid in weight loss and improve the health of the intestines and skin. Drinking it to shed pounds has become a craze in recent years.
Those who adhere to this practice start their days with a 16-ounce (475 ml) glass of juice, which they consume first thing in the morning.
Celery stalks can be juiced or blended and the plant fiber strained to make your own. Celery juice yields 16 ounces (475 ml) from a large bunch (approximately 9 stalks).
This popular vegetable is rich in various minerals, including folate, potassium, manganese, and vitamins A, C, and K. Riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are all abundant in this food.
Because the celery’s plant fiber is eliminated during the juicing process, you get more of these nutrients per gram of juice.
While many people advocate for this trend, its benefits aren’t validated by science.
Celery juice can be taken on its own or combined with other drinks like green smoothies. Fruits and vegetables are common ingredients in these concoctions.
Celery juice retains some of its health benefits while being more nutritionally balanced as a result.
What’s more, you can enhance your smoothie with protein sources like yogurt or protein powder, as well as fat sources like nut butter or avocado for an additional health boost.
Can It Help You Lose Weight?
Celery juice is often said to improve weight loss.
Proponents believe that drinking 16 ounces (475 ml) every morning breaks down and destroys fat cells stored in your liver. However, there is no scientific evidence to support this assertion, thus further investigation is needed.
That so, celery juice may improve weight loss in other ways.
Your weight depends on how many calories you take throughout the day.
Celery juice is relatively low in calories, giving 85 calories per 16 ounces (475 ml).
Replacing higher calorie beverages — such as sweetened coffee drinks or soda — with celery juice is a wise decision if you’re attempting to reduce weight.
Additionally, drinking low-calorie beverages like celery juice before meals may induce fullness and help you eat fewer overall calories.
Although celery juice is a healthful, low-calorie beverage, the secret to long-term weight loss doesn’t rest with a single item. Instead, combine exercise with a balanced diet focused on natural foods.
Other Potential Benefits
Celery juice may offer various other benefits.
May help reduce inflammation
- Celery juice is high in phytonutrients, which are plant compounds that have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammatory benefits.
- Flavonoids are the principal class of phytonutrients in celery. Increased flavonoid intake is connected with a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Thus, the entire celery and its juice may help avoid some ailments.
May help manage blood pressure
Celery juice may also aid in regulating blood pressure.
This impact is likely due to celery’s content of nitrates, which support heart health and help decrease blood pressure.
These aren’t to be mistaken with the nitrates and nitrites used in food preservation, which are connected to detrimental impacts.
May decrease high cholesterol
Celery may also help lower cholesterol levels.
Several animal studies correlate celery intake with a considerable reduction in cholesterol levels.
Still, further research is needed to see whether or not celery juice aids in reducing cholesterol levels.
Possible Downsides
While celery juice is usually acknowledged as safe, you should be aware of a few possible disadvantages.
Loss of fiber
When you juice celery, you lose the plant’s important dietary fiber.
Around 9 stalks of celery have roughly 9 grams of fiber per bunch, but the fiber content of 16 ounces (475 ml) of celery juice is minimal.
Increased weight reduction and a healthy gut are just two of the many advantages of a high-fiber diet.
Sodium counts
Excessive salt intake is another potential drawback of celery juice.
Celery is naturally low in salt, with a single stalk supplying 32 mg. Because it contains at least nine celery stalks, 16 ounces of celery juice has 288 milligrams of salt.
Adults should limit their sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams per day, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Thus, if you already drink a lot of salt, a glass of celery juice could send you over that recommendation.
Celery juice should be consumed with caution by those with a higher risk of high blood pressure due to the association between excessive sodium intake and this condition.
However, celery juice is also heavy in potassium – 9 stalks or 16 ounces of juice contains 936 mg or 20 percent of your daily potassium need.
As blood arteries relax and blood pressure falls, potassium is beneficial. Increasing your potassium intake while decreasing your salt intake can help reduce your blood pressure. Potassium can therefore offset the sodium in celery juice, lowering blood pressure as a result.
Other Things to Consider When Having Celery
In recent years, celery juice has grown in popularity among health-conscious people. In addition to hydrating the body and reducing inflammation, it is commonly used to boost overall health).
However, excessive consumption of celery juice might result in a number of undesirable consequences.
Celery juice may have the following undesirable effects.
1. Problems related to the digestive system
Mannitol, a sugar alcohol present in many fruits and vegetables, is found in celery.
Mannitol is an osmotic agent, which means it draws water into your digestive tract and loosens feces.
As a result, many people report experiencing gastrointestinal side effects such as diarrhea after consuming celery juice.
Some people may have irritable bowel syndrome, which may cause these side effects to be more prominent than they would otherwise be (IBS).
2. A high level of hypertension
There is 189 mg of sodium in one cup of celery juice, making it a sodium-rich beverage (240 mL).
Limiting salt consumption to 2,300 mg per day is recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). As a result, it may be difficult to remain under this limit if you consume many servings of celery juice every day.
Furthermore, it has been found that those who are salt-sensitive have higher blood pressure when they consume more sodium.
As a result, those with high blood pressure may want to watch how much celery juice and other salty foods they consume.
3. An increase in appetite
It is common for celery juice to be blended and strained, which removes the majority of celery fibers from the juice.
Fiber is a healthy plant element that passes slowly through the digestive tract, helping to suppress appetite and keep you feeling full. Fiber.
Weight loss and fat loss can be aided by a higher fiber consumption, according to research.
Your fiber intake will decrease if you substitute celery juice for fiber-rich foods in your diet. This, in turn, may lead to an increase in hunger and hunger.
4. Certain drugs may interact with each other
Vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a critical role in blood clotting, can be found in celery juice, which has a high concentration.
Most individuals won’t have to worry about this, but those on particular drugs may want to keep an eye on their vitamin K intake.
In particular, warfarin users are recommended to maintain a regular consumption of vitamin-k-rich foods to ensure that their prescriptions operate.
If you eat a diet heavy in vitamin K, you don’t need to cut it out of your diet. Instead, it’s crucial to maintain a steady intake of vitamin K each day and prevent unexpected dietary shifts.
5. The sensitivity of the skin to the sun
Psoralen, a chemical component found in many fruits and vegetables, is found in celery.
There is a risk of developing phytophotodermatitis, an inflammation of the skin that occurs after prolonged contact to sunshine.
Excessive use of celery or celery juice has been linked to an increased risk of skin cancer in the past.
In most cases, this reaction is triggered by foods that contain psoralen coming into contact with your skin. Those who drink a few servings of celery juice a day are unlikely to be affected.
The Nitty-gritty
Despite the fact that celery juice may be a safe and healthy supplement to your diet, overconsumption can lead to a number of negative side effects..
Celery juice, in particular, may interfere with some drugs, raise blood pressure, increase appetite, and cause digestive side effects like diarrhea. Celery juice use is not recommended.
The recommended daily intake of celery juice is one or two servings, so it’s better to include it in a well-balanced diet.
Incorporating juices into your diet is an easy and simple method to get more nutrients and lose weight at the same time, here we have other juice options that you can use besides celery.
Some juices, on the other hand, may cause weight gain due to their high sugar and poor fiber content.
There are many store-bought juices that include a great deal of sugar, artificial flavors, and preservatives, and this is especially true.
With a few simple ingredients and a juicer, it’s easy to prepare your own nutritious and delicious juices at home.
You might also use a food processor or a blender instead. You’ll feel fuller and have better control over your hunger with this strategy because it keeps more of the fiber.
1. Beet juice
The beet juice is commonly used by athletes in an effort to improve their overall performance and endurance. This is due to the presence of helpful chemicals such as dietary nitrates in the juice in question.
By dilating your blood vessels, dietary nitrates can improve muscular efficiency and endurance and lower blood pressure.
When it comes to weight loss, whole beets are a low-calorie and high-fiber food that can aid with regularity, slow the emptying of the stomach and keep the hunger pangs at bay.
Due to the juicing process, beet juice typically lacks large levels of this vitamin. However, this is not always the case. If you’re trying to reduce weight, it’s a low-calorie and nutritional juice alternative.
3. Pomegranate juice
Additionally, pomegranate juice is a nutritious, low-calorie beverage that may aid with weight loss.
When mice were fed an extremely high-fat diet, pomegranate juice prevented weight growth, according to one animal research.
Pomegranates may also help avoid blood sugar spikes and crashes, which can lead to sensations of hunger, according to some studies.
Pomegranate juice’s antioxidants have been shown to stabilize blood sugar levels following a meal of bread, which could otherwise have resulted in an increase in blood sugar.
4. Green juice
Leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale, and cabbage are common constituents in green juices.
Fiber, sugar, and anti-inflammatory antioxidants are all included in these nutrients.
According to research, increasing your diet of fruits and vegetables may be associated with a reduction in overall body weight and a decreased risk of weight growth and fat gain over time.
In addition, you can customize your green juices by substituting in your favorite components. Try combining spinach, cucumber, green apples, and celery to prepare a simple green juice at home.
Blending rather than juicing allows you to obtain all the nutrients and fiber from your leafy greens, making it even more satisfying and weight-loss friendly.
5. Watermelon juice
In addition to being delicious, watermelon juice is packed with nutrients.
Watermelon is low in calories and high in heart-healthy micronutrients like potassium and immune-boosting antioxidant vitamins A and C.
With its high water content, it could help you lose weight and feel more full.
During the course of a four-week experiment, individuals consumed 2 cups (300 grams) of fresh watermelon each day. Compared to those in a control group, they saw significant reductions in body weight, belly fat, appetite, and food cravings.
6. Green juice with lemon and ginger
Adding lemon-ginger green juice to a healthy weight loss diet can be a vivid and delightful addition.
Lemons, in particular, are a great way to add a little additional taste and antioxidants to your beverage.
Ginger has also been shown in human and animal research to aid weight loss by increasing metabolism, decreasing appetite, and decreasing calorie intake.
To keep you feeling full between meals, greens like spinach and kale—when blended rather than juiced—can increase your intake of fiber by a significant amount.
In a food processor, combine 1 cup (30 grams) of raw spinach with a tiny knob of peeled ginger, some freshly squeezed lemon juice, and pulse until smooth.
7. Carrot juice
Carrot juice is an excellent source of vitamin A and other carotenoids, as well as potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
Aside from helping you feel fuller, blending your carrots instead of juicing them will also help you regulate your appetite.
Carotenoids, a type of plant pigment found in many fruits and vegetables, are also found in carrots.
According to the results of an 8-week study involving 28 obese men, those who consumed carotenoids-rich beverages had significant reductions in their abdominal fat.
8. Kale apple juice
Kale apple juice can be a nutritious, fiber-rich alternative to sugary, pre-made fruit juices.
One cup of kale, for example, contains almost 1 gram of fiber (21 grams). It has been demonstrated to assist people and animals maintain healthy blood sugar levels after eating.
Also packed with fiber, apples are a great source of vitamins and minerals. Consuming them has been linked to greater weight loss and improved diet quality in both children and adults.
Blend a handful of kale leaves and a few slices of apples to prepare kale apple juice at home.
Adding extra ingredients like celery, lemon juice, ginger, or carrots can enhance the flavor and health benefits even more.
Conclusion
Long-term weight loss can be aided by a wide range of delicious and nutritious juices.
In terms of weight loss, the best juices are low in sugar and high in fiber, as well as rich in other key elements such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Celery juice is the latest health craze, but it doesn’t promote weight loss on its own.
However, drinking celery juice instead of high-calorie beverages may help you lose weight. As a bonus, it may also help lower inflammation and blood pressure.
But if you want to reduce weight, you should focus on making greater nutritional and lifestyle adjustments rather than simply following the latest fads.
It’s possible to make your own nutritious juices at home using a juicer or a blender by following this list.
References:
- https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/health-benefits-of-celery#Celery-Recipes
- https://www.livescience.com/50640-celery-nutrition.html
- https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-celery#1
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270678
- https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/what-are-benefits-celery-juice/
- https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/health-benefits-celery