Detox in 7 days. Cleanse your body. Get rid of brain fog…with celery juice! NHD Blogger, Louise Walsh, looks at the claims for the popular ‘celery juice cleanse’, and promotes the fundamental premise that our bodies are their own effective detoxers.

I recently returned from a staycation to see multiple advert boards where I live advertising a ‘celery juice cleanse’. These adverts claim that a daily consumption of approximately 500mls of celery juice first thing in the morning will “cleanse your body in 7 days” and over a 28-day period will “detox your body with goodness”.

Looking online, it seems the celery juice craze started back in 2019, promoted by an individual called the ‘Medical Medium’ who has no nutrition or medical training. It’s often quite hard to keep up with these detox phenomena, as there always seems to be a new one round the corner.

‘Detox’ is a prominent word used with these crazes, focusing on the idea that we need to rid our body of toxins and this miracle food or drink is the thing that will do it for us. Nevertheless, our liver, kidneys and immune system break down, excrete and filter out toxins, waste, food, chemicals, etc. So, our bodies are rather ‘well-oiled machines’ at ‘cleansing and detoxing’.

WHAT IS IT THAT IS SO MAGIC ABOUT CELERY JUICE?

1. Anti-inflammatory properties? It is claimed to have anti-inflammatory properties, relieve skin, help reduce 'brain fog' and promote good digestion. I can relate to it promoting to good digestion; it is after all the juice of a vegetable and, like all vegetables, is effective in promoting good bowel health. Celery is a source of fibre with 1.5g per 100g and roughly three stalks of celery count as one of your 5-a-day. Juicing, however, does reduce the fibre content of the vegetable, which is beneficial for our bowel health, glycaemic control and cardiovascular health.
   
   
2. Relieving skin? Is this linked to hydration and your skin? Healthy skin needs good hydration and we should aim for six to eight glasses of fluid a day (more in warmer weather). Choosing foods with high water content will also help keep your skin hydrated and celery is 95% water. Other good options would include watermelon, cucumber and tomato, for example.
   
   
3. Weight loss? Claims are made that weight loss is possible by ‘flushing the bad toxins out of your body’. Weight loss can be achieved in multiple different ways but what is shown to be healthy and sustainable weight loss, is a combination of a healthy balanced diet, reducing portion sizes and physical activity.

4. Brain fog? I am unsure what the evidence is for reducing brain fog, or what brain fog even is!

I am not discrediting celery here; it’s a source of dietary fibre, it’s low calorie and contains important vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C, K, as well as folate and potassium. But celery juice is just that: it’s the juice of celery and not a magic cure.

Hopefully, anyone noticing those advert boards out there, will do a bit of research behind the product and will take a look at who is endorsing it. We must hammer home the message that there is no single food or drink that can ‘cleanse’ the body and our amazing bodies are already effective at ‘detoxing’ – without the need for copious quantities of celery juice!

To sign off, I love this statement on the British Dietetic Association (BDA) website in regards to ‘Detox’ diet claims:

“Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!”

Louise Edwards
Community Team Lead/Specialist Dietitian
Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership

Twitter@:@walsh3_louise

Instagram:louedwards3