Celery Juice: The Celeb-Endorsed Skin + Health Booster, but what’s it all about?
Words By Sadie Reid

I love a juice cleanse. I know, I know – juice cleanses have been under a huge amount of scrutiny over the past couple of years – with experts, doctors and even nutritionists labelling the once-revered juice cleanse as nothing more than a total waste of time. But for every negative comment on juicing you can also find a bunch of good ones. Goop’s very own, Gwyneth Paltrow loves them for a start, not to mention a host of nutritionists, doctors and experts that also believe they help your body to stay in optimal health. Nutritional Therapist, Alice Macintosh (who also happens to be co-founder of the amazing wellness supplement brand, Equi) says that although juicing removes the fibre from a vegetable “having some juice is also very good for us and a great way to get nutrients into the body, mainly because you can add a higher quantity into a juice than you would generally eat” she went on to add that “for very low sugar foods such as celery, juices can work well. They are also hydrating, owing to the water content and the electrolyte content”.

Based on personal experience (which is largely what my new column Get Wellthy is all about) I love juicing. It’s a great way for me to consume a bunch of vitamins, minerals and nutrients in a quick and easy way and I have found that it really has always given my health a good boost. So when I heard about the celery juice craze taking off, well, just about everywhere, I had to give it a go.

What is it?
Your daily celery juice cleanse consists of juicing one bunch of celery (which equates to 16oz of juice) every morning before you have had anything to eat or drink. For best results drink on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. It tastes gross the first time but by the second time, you don’t tend to even notice the taste at all. Top tip here – don’t juice the leaves if you’re not a huge fan of bitter tastes.

What do you need?
Celery and a juicer (I use a Philips Viva Collection Juicer, £90)

What does it do?
So this is where it gets interesting. You only need to look at Anthony Williams’, aka @TheMedicalMedium, Instagram feed to see the amazing impact celery juicing has had on a remarkable amount of people’s lives. Skin issues healed, digestive issues gone – even major recoveries from chronic illnesses. I was specifically interested in the amazing anti-inflammatory properties that it claims to have that help cure things like eczema, which I have suffered with since birth but more so now than ever!

Anthony William believes that it is the answer to many of our modern day health issues helping fight autoimmune disease, restoring our adrenal function, and assists with flushing out toxins. In an interview with Goop he said that “If people knew all the potent healing properties of celery juice, it would be widely hailed as a miraculous superfood.”

Having spoken to a few other people who have also tried the cleanse most people reported improved energy levels and better skin, so not a total miracle cure, but definitely something worth doing in their minds. One woman, nutritional therapist, Cicely Brown, said that she “felt fresh and cleansed after drinking {the juice}. I also noticed my energy levels were very consistent throughout the whole day – I didn’t feel tired at any point.”

William and his celery juice cleanse have become hugely popular – he has over 1.4 million followers on Instagram – and celebrities such as Miranda Kerr, Kim Kardashian and Busy Philipps have all been spotted talking about their morning celery juice on social media and there have even been reports of celery shortages in towns and cities across the states!

My Experience
I have been doing the celery juice cleanse for three weeks and have seen some great changes take place. Firstly, my eczema, the reason I was drawn to the cleanse, has seriously made a great improvement. Do head to my Instagram @sadie.reid to see the pics. Secondly, my energy levels, hugely improved when I started drinking celery juice and my focus was much sharper throughout the day too. So in a nutshell. I think it’s worth a try. I am not sure why it works, but for me it totally did! I reached out to Alice Macintosh again to ask why she thought it was having such a positive impact on my body; “Celery is a great source of a variety of nutrients, including vitamin C, K, B6, folate, potassium and molybdenum (which often gets forgotten but is an essential nutrient for many body processes) all of which are supportive to the body. And being as they are 95% water and contain electrolytes, celery is also a good hydrator.” But having said that, Alice is also a little cynical about the celery juicing movement “though drinking it maybe good for us, there, unfortunately, isn’t research that backs up any of these claims that it is a ‘healer’.” Her verdict? “If you’re enjoying drinking celery juice daily and feel well, then there most likely isn’t any harm in continuing, like most things, it should not be relied upon as a panacea!”

What are your thoughts on celery juice? Share your thoughts/experience on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #letsgetwellthy – If you haven’t already, come and join the conversation over at @hipandhealthy