At the end of the day, the best way to reap the health benefits of celery is to eat it in its whole-food form. But if juicing is your thing, we’re not going to knock you for it. “When juicing celery, some of those essential nutrients and phytonutrients remain in the juice and provide health benefits,” Sauceda adds. (But not all: Juicing celery strips away a lot of its all-important fiber.) In a preclinical study, researchers looked at the effect of celery seed extract on rats’ blood pressure and found that it lowered blood pressure and increased heart rate in hypertensive rats2. Additional research found that a six-month regimen of celery juice given to a 74-year-old man with high blood pressure lowered his blood pressure from 150/80mmHG to 118/82mmHG3 with no other lifestyle modifications made in the process. This may be due to celery’s high potassium profile, which Sauceda says aids in regulating blood pressure. “Invest in a high-quality juicer that produces the maximum amount of juice and very little byproduct or waste,” advises Cannon. “This ensures you’re getting the most nutrition out of the juicing process. If you can, avoid juicers made primarily of plastic—especially juicers where the plastic comes in contact with the vegetables.” Drink the juice right away, or store it in the fridge for up to three days. Cannon adds that you should avoid celery juice if you’re taking sedatives, thyroid medications, blood clotting medications, or blood pressure medications. And if you need to watch your sodium intake, 1 cup of celery juice contains 189 mg of sodium, so it may not be the best drink for you. To make your juicing habit more sustainable, you can also find ways to use up the whole celery—even the part you’re not drinking. “Use the pulp to make crackers, muffins, and bread. You can also feed it to your pets!” Cannon recommends. “If you don’t make anything with the pulp, compost it.” And if celery juice ends up not being your thing, here are some other green juices that will be just as beneficial to your health, if not more.
