What Happened After I Drank Celery Juice for 1 Year
Over the last few years, there has been a lot of buzz about the benefits that drinking celery juice can have for your body. Many people who are searching for relief from autoimmune conditions, digestive issues, acne, or are just looking to detox are left wondering if the juice is really all it’s chalked up to be. Where’s the proof that it works?
I’m here to present a factual timeline of my results when I decided to commit myself to drinking celery juice everyday for 1 year. That’s right – on October 1, 2022 I decided to start juicing celery everyday, and have never missed a day since. So what happened to me?
In this blog post I am going to share with you:
My conditions that lead to me to start drinking celery juice (including autoimmune conditions)
The timeline of results that I saw from drinking celery juice daily
How I was consistent with drinking the juice daily (even when traveling)
The juicer that has gotten me through juicing daily (and it’s only $130!)
Where I purchase my celery (I know the best, most palatable kind!)
So, if you want to hear about this habit that I picked up that led me to being medication free and changed my life for the better, then read on – and maybe I’ll convince you to give it a try too.
My autoimmune conditions and why I decided to start drinking celery juice
My story begins about 8 years ago, when I was a sophomore in college. Up until this point, I was a pretty healthy kid and teenager, with some food allergies and occasional digestive upset (like most millennials). My world was rocked when I quickly lost about 20 pounds, had severe abdominal pain and bloody stools, and had no energy to go to class. My roommate convinced me to go to the doctor, who ordered an emergency colonoscopy. I was diagnosed with pancolitis (ulcerative colitis that affects the entire colon, an autoimmune disease, read more about it here if you’re curious) with ulcers that were precancerous in nature. The options were surgery to remove much of my colon or immediately begin an infusion/pill combo treatment akin to chemotherapy. I was young, terrified, and of course went with the less scary option which was the treatment.
Fast forward about 6 years – my colon is relatively healthy, symptoms under control after years of heavy biologic medications and a careful diet. Every year I got a colonoscopy to ensure no major issues, but no colonoscopy was ever free of ulcers or inflammation. My skin was constantly itchy and broken out with hives and acne, likely due to build up of medication and a poor immune system. The disease always lingered. Then, I got bit by a tick while camping. You guessed it – I got Lyme disease from the tick bite, yet another autoimmune condition. I was prescribed many rounds of antibiotics to kill off the bacteria and parasites, sending my gut into another frenzy and causing a host of neurological pain and symptoms.
After years of my body being subject to heavy medications and poor disease and pain management, I knew something had to change. I didn’t want to be bound by pill bottles and hospital visits anymore. That’s when I saw a Medical Medium video about the benefits of celery juice and I bought this book.
After watching a few videos and reading a couple chapters about what could happen if I started drinking celery juice, I thought, “Why not? What do I have to lose?” There was no way that celery juice could cause any more damage to my body than all that medication already did. So I went for it.
My timeline of results from drinking celery juice daily
On October 1st, 2022 I juiced 14oz of celery for the first time, and I HATED it. I don’t even enjoy celery as a snack to begin with, so that was a struggle all on its own. But, I gulped it down and would do activities in the morning while drinking it to distract myself to get me through it. It should be noted I drink celery juice on an empty stomach, about 30 minutes after drinking a glass of lemon water upon waking. You can read more about my morning routine in this blog post.
Trust me, there were days I didn’t want to drink the celery juice but I fought through it because I wasn’t going to know if it worked unless I stuck with it. The moment you’ve been waiting for – a timeline of my results.
2 weeks - 1 month: No major differences initially. I noticed I was overall less bloated and was having more regular bowel movements. Overall, I was experiencing less headaches than normal as well. Both of these could be attributed to being better hydrated by kicking off the morning with 30oz of liquids between the lemon water and celery juice.
2 months: Here’s where the magic begins. I was scheduled for my annual colonoscopy to check up on my ulcerative colitis. I went in feeling pretty good and noticed that my bowel movements had been regular, no stomach pain, and no bloating. I woke up from the colonoscopy and my doctor was at my bedside and the first thing she said was “What have you been doing?” In a sleepy state, I asked her what she meant. She said, “Your colon was perfect. No inflammation, no bleeding, no ulcers. It’s perfectly healthy. What are you doing differently?” I told her I was drinking celery juice. She laughed and they sent me on my way.
4-6 months: My stomach has been the best it’s ever felt. Regular bowel movements daily, no pain. The chronic rash/acne I had on my chest and face that no dermatologist ever figured how to treat out started to fade away. The nerve pain in my face and arm that appeared after my Lyme disease diagnosis starts to subside.
6-8 months: After a follow up with my gastrointestinal doctor (the one who did my colonoscopy), she approved me to stop using Humira (a biologic medication for Crohn's/Colitis) if I wish after a clean bill of health. Blood panels show no anemia, normal blood cell counts. I stop using all prescription medications.
9-12 months: The side effects of the prescription medications go away and my immune system strengthens. I am successfully off medication and have seen no changes to my gut health and have more energy than I ever have. I train for and successfully complete a marathon. I am the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been.
How did I keep up with juicing daily?
Clearly, consistency and commitment with juicing was the key component to my success. I don’t think I would be telling you my success story if I had only juiced a couple times per week or skipped it altogether some weeks. Here’s how I kept up with it despite travel/busy days:
Road trips / Camping: Juice celery ahead of time and store it in containers in a cooler. It will keep for a couple of days and is better than not juicing at all (even if it’s not quite as effective as fresh juice)
Flying / Vacations: Stock up on Suja brand celery juice from grocery stores for the duration of your trip and keep it in the hotel fridge/with a family member/etc. Suja is widely sold in grocery stores around the U.S. (I found it even in my cousin’s small town in Wisconsin).
Early mornings: If you know you’re going to have a busy/early morning and can’t spare 10 minutes to juice, then make it the night before and keep it in the fridge until the morning.
The best, most effective juice is pressed and consumed right away or within the hour. Whenever possible, drink your celery juice this way!
The juicer
My investment for juicing celery was low because I had no idea how long I’d stick with it, or if it would even work. My goal was to spend around $100 for a juicer and I landed on the Ninja Cold Press Juicer. The fact is you DON’T need an expensive juicer to get going on this. I’m a year into juicing and I’m still using this juicer, and it’s holding up great. I don’t have plans to buy a better juicer until this one breaks, and it’s going strong.
The celery
I have purchased A LOT of celery to keep this habit alive, I’m sure it’s literally a dumpster truck full of celery that I’ve used in a year. That being said, I’ve purchased celery from local grocery stores, farmers markets, Costco, etc. The BEST celery out there is the prewashed, precut, organic bags of celery at Costco. It is the least bitter and it even tastes a little sweet. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ve come to enjoy the juice from the Costco celery. Do yourself a favor, if you live near a Costco stock up on their celery. I buy 8-10 bags at a time depending on the expiration date. Yes, I have a drawer full of celery at home. It’s worth it to not have to buy celery multiple times per week, it’s the best bang for your $. I use about a half of the bag per juice, so 8 bags could get you through 2 weeks of juicing.
The starter kit
If you want to take control of your digestive health, clear up your skin, or detox your body and just feel better, I encourage you to give this a try. If your timeline is anything like mine, you could start seeing some major results in just 2 months. Here are the two products I ordered to jumpstart my healing:
Are you juicing? Are you going to start? Let me know in the comments. I want to hear about your journey and your success too!
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