Will drinking juiced celery positively impact your health? Celebrities, health and wellness gurus, and even Instagram influencers seem to think so. This recent health trend involves juicing celery stalks and then drinking the juice daily, often in the morning before you’ve eaten anything else. Those who drink celery juice claim it can make you healthier, enhance your digestion, and boost your energy. But do those health claims stack up? Let’s find out.

Celery has been known to carry some great health benefits. It’s high in vitamin C, B, A, iron, antioxidants, sodium, potassium, magnesium, fiber, and water content. Possible health benefits of celery juicing include:

• Increased blood flow
• Lowered blood pressure
• Boosted energy
• Muscle recovery after a workout
• Flushing toxins from your body
• Improved appearance of your skin
• Fighting inflammation
• Improved digestion
• Aiding in weight loss
• Reduced bloating

Can celery juicing really do all those things? Maybe. There’s some science behind the anti-inflammatory and digestion benefits of celery. You’ll get the extra vitamins and minerals that come from eating celery, and juicing it means you’ll be getting all of these extra nutrients plus water, which is a positive thing. Juicing also helps those who might not normally eat celery because of its texture. That being said, juicing celery might cause you to miss out on some of celery’s nutritional content like fiber.

Perhaps the biggest positive to drinking celery juice is that it encourages you to eat more vegetables. Most of us don’t eat enough vegetables. If you’re willing to load up on vegetables by juicing celery every day, it’s a good thing.

Try to get at least 16 ounces a day and drinking on an empty stomach is encouraged.

When you’re ready to start juicing celery, it might be an adjustment. First of all, you’ll need a lot of celery and a juicer. Choose organic celery whenever possible. Wash your celery thoroughly before juicing. Add 2/3 cup of water to 1 cup of chopped celery. Add both to your juicer to make 1 ½ cups of celery juice. Discard the celery pulp.

For some, juiced celery isn’t a palatable option. When you still want the benefits of juiced celery but can’t handle the taste, don’t worry. Simply add an apple, cucumber, lemon juice, or ginger to help offset celery’s bitter taste. 

As healthy as drinking celery juice can be, it’s not for everyone. Talk to your doctor before trying it if you’re on certain medications like blood thinners — if you are, celery juice can increase the risk of bleeding or blood clotting. You should also avoid drinking celery juice if you’re allergic to celery. Celery juice can cause swelling in your tongue, lips, and throat, which can cause a dangerous reaction in some individuals. Celery juice also contains a natural diuretic, so you may want to stay close to home until you know how your body is going to react.

Whether you believe in the health benefits of celery juicing or not, it’s hard to argue against eating more vegetables. If you’re interested in the potential health benefits of celery juice, give it a try.