7 Potential Health Benefits of Celery Cucumber Juice
Celery Cucumber Juice is a nutrient-dense drink that has several potential health benefits. Learn why you should drink it, how much to drink, and any precautions about adding this juice to your diet.
One of my favorite green drink combinations is celery and cucumber. I also usually like to add in lemon, fresh ginger, and red apple or green apple to balance the flavors.
My Celery Cucumber Juice recipe using a juicer or a high-speed blender is one of the most popular recipes on my site!
It’s a great way to get nutrients and can be easier for those of us with sensitive digestive systems to handle veggies (see my entire article about the benefits of drinking green juice).
Potential Health Benefits
Celery cucumber juice is more than just a refreshing drink with excellent hydration properties.
It’s packed with nutrients that do everything from regulating your blood pressure to supporting detoxification. And, because it’s low in calories, it can be a great addition to a weight management diet, too!
Let’s look at all these advantages for your entire body in a little more detail.
1. Great for Hydration
Both celery and cucumbers have a high water content, making their juice very hydrating first thing in the morning or after exercise.
Good hydration is essential – it plays a role in digestion, helps with the transportation of nutrients and oxygen to your body’s cells, removes waste, and can even improve your mood. What’s more, staying well-hydrated improves your athletic performance and lubricates your joints, making movements easier and more comfortable.
Good hydration can improve your appearance, too. It helps keep your skin elastic, making it less prone to wrinkling, dryness, and flaking. It also gives the skin’s natural barrier a boost to prevent damage from environmental toxins. The efficient delivery of nutrients to your cells, meanwhile, gives your complexion a nice, healthy glow!
You could also try making Cucumber Juice if you don’t want to add celery.
2. Good Addition to Weight Management Diets
If you’re watching your weight or working on weight loss, consuming green juices like Celery Cucumber Juice is an excellent choice.
It is low in calories – with under 50 in a one-cup serving – and contains nutrients that support a healthy metabolism, including potassium, magnesium, and vitamins like vitamin K and vitamin C. Potassium and magnesium are especially useful, as they have important roles in the process of converting food into energy.
Because it contains some fiber (there is always a little fiber left from juicing), green juice can help regulate digestion and keep you feeling full for longer. This means you’ll be less likely to reach for unhealthy snacks between meals.
Good hydration plays a part here, too, as it helps prevent hunger pangs.
3. Inflammation Control
Inflammation is part of your body’s defense mechanism, helping fight off bacteria and heal injuries.
But chronic inflammation – when your body sends out inflammatory cells without the presence of bacteria or injury – is more problematic and is associated with a range of chronic diseases.
The good news is that vegetable juices like Celery Cucumber Juice is packed with antioxidants that can help control inflammation. Celery, in particular, contains a compound called luteolin, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Cucumber Celery Juice may also boost the immune system with its high levels of nutrients.
See my other Anti-Inflammatory Juice recipes.
4. Blood Pressure Regulation
Both celery and cucumber are high in potassium. This is good news for your blood pressure, as potassium balances the body’s sodium levels and supports the healthy function of your blood vessels.
Celery also contains compounds called phthalides that help lower blood pressure by relaxing the walls of blood vessels and promoting healthy blood flow.
5. Better Digestion and Gut Health
Juiced vegetables don’t contain as much fiber as whole ones, but some soluble fiber remains. This adds bulk to your stools and promotes regular bowel movements, which is excellent for your digestive health.
Hydration plays a role here, too, keeping stools soft and cutting the risk of constipation, while the juice’s detoxification properties indirectly enhance digestion. That’s because you need a healthy liver to properly metabolize and digest nutrients.
Finally, the digestive system benefits from the juice’s ability to control inflammation. This is important because even mild inflammation in the digestive tract can affect digestion and stop you from absorbing nutrients properly.
6. Natural Detoxification
Because celery and cucumber are so hydrating, they are a perfect combination for helping flush toxins through the liver and kidneys.
Celery contains compounds that support the function of the liver and therefore help with natural detoxification, while the high water content of cucumber supports kidney health by eliminating toxins from the body through urine.
7. Efficient Recovery After Exercise
Celery Cucumber Juice makes a great post-exercise drink because it’s so refreshing and hydrating. If you add apple, you’ll also get some natural sugars to help your recovery (see the best apples for juicing).
This juice can also help replenish the electrolytes lost during physical activity which are needed for recovery and muscle function. This makes the juice great for your cardiovascular health and useful in preventing uncomfortable cramping after exercise.
How Much to Drink
There are no official recommendations for how much celery cucumber juice you can drink, but 4-6 ounces each day is generally appropriate for most people. The optimal amount really depends on how you feel after drinking it, and you can adjust the quantity you consume on that basis.
It’s important to consider your health goals, too, along with your dietary needs. For those reasons, I suggest speaking to your healthcare adviser for a more personalized recommendation.
Precautions
Drinking celery cucumber juice in moderation is safe for most people. Nevertheless, there are a few things to consider before making it a regular part of your diet.
Check with your doctor if there is any chance it may interact with any medicines you are taking. Celery stalks, for example, are known to contain compounds that might interact with blood pressure medications and blood thinners.
You should also speak to your doctor before drinking fruit or veggie juices if you have any kidney issues. That’s because juice is high in potassium, which the kidneys may struggle to remove.
Take care to make your juice with organic produce from grocery stores or farmers’ markets, and wash your vegetables thoroughly. This will minimize your exposure to pesticides.
Finally, be sure to include a variety of other vegetables in your diet. That’s because it is important to consume as wide a variety of nutrients as possible.
FAQs
Ideally, start with a 1:1 ratio when preparing celery cucumber juice. This will bring you equal health benefits from both vegetables. You can then adjust this ratio according to your health goals and taste preferences.
If you prefer a milder-tasting, more refreshing juice, you might opt to use more cucumber than celery. If you’re looking to optimize its health benefits, however, then you might want to increase the amount of celery you use. See my Celery Juice recipe.
To take full advantage of all the nutrients provided by the celery and cucumber, I recommend cold-press juicing or using a masticating juicer. A cold press juicer uses a hydraulic press to extract the juice, which keeps heat and oxidation to a minimum (a masticating juicer works similarly). This helps preserve most of the nutrients and enzymes in the vegetables.
Centrifugal juicing is a popular method because it’s faster. On the downside, it involves more heat and oxygen, meaning some of the nutrients in the juice are reduced. While either method will produce a healthy juice, for the maximum benefits I recommend sticking with a cold press juicer or masticating juicer (see my list of the best Omega juicers which is the brand I use).
There are a few ways you can preserve the freshness and nutritional content of green juices.
Ideally, store it immediately in airtight containers like a mason jar. This will keep oxidation and light exposure to a minimum. Transfer the containers to the refrigerator and consume them within 24 to 48 hours. To help preserve the color – and add a bonus boost of vitamin C – add a little drop of lemon juice, as this will help slow oxidation. If you don’t think you’ll be able to consume all the juice within 48 hours, you can freeze the rest. Just be prepared for the taste and texture to be a little different once thawed.
Well, it can if you aren’t used to the fibers that can still be present in juices. If you experience any sort of diarrhea after drinking juice, then juicing might not be for you. Or, you may wish to start with a small amount, like just a few ounces. You may also try avoiding having juice on an empty stomach or straining it through a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag to get rid more of the fibers. Of course, speak to your doctor if you have additional concerns about fresh juice and your digestive system.
More Juicing Resources You Might Like!
Summary
Refreshing and hydrating, celery cucumber juice is a deliciously healthy drink for most people. Low in calories and great for your digestion, it’s a convenient way to maximize your intake of these nutritious vegetables and enjoy the numerous benefits they provide.
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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with nearly 10 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.
Note: this post is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider for recommendations related to your individual situation.
