The Many Benefits Of Drinking Celery Juice
Over the last couple of years, celery juice has become the latest wellness drink to mark the start of everyone’s healthy-girl era. From Pinterest mood boards to side table aesthetics and countless influencers lauding its benefits, it seems like everyone has something amazing to say about this refreshing, nutrient-packed beverage. And with all the praise and touting, it makes you wonder: is it really worth the hype?
Well, it just might be.
Celery is a veggie that might have gone more years being slept on had it not been for its recent spike in popularity. Now that health and fitness gurus have found that it’s best consumed in juice form, its source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant compounds has gotten the spotlight.
Although it does have lower fiber content compared to raw celery, and there hasn’t been conclusive research that backs the popularized health effects of celery juice, there are still undeniable benefits of incorporating celery into your diet, and here are a few:
Celery juice is rich in antioxidants:
One of the main benefits of celery juice is that it is rich in antioxidants, which are compounds that protect your body from damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants in celery juice can help prevent oxidative stress, which can cause chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease, and promote overall health.
Celery juice supports digestion:
Celery juice can help improve digestion by increasing the production of digestive juices and enzymes, which can improve nutrient absorption and prevent digestive issues like bloating and constipation.
Celery juice can lower inflammation:
Another benefit of celery juice is its ability to reduce inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation is linked to many health problems, including arthritis, asthma, and autoimmune diseases. The anti-inflammatory properties of celery juice can help reduce the risk of these conditions and promote overall health.
It supports heart health:
Research has shown that the intake of celery extract can aid in stroke prevention, blood pressure reduction, and artery plaque reduction. Because celery juice is rich in potassium, it can help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, and keep your blood flowing.
Celery juice can boost your immunity:
If you’re not already sold on the powerhouse nature of celery juice, I can’t forget to mention that it’s packed with vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium, and folate. These nutrients can help improve bone health, boost immunity, and support heart health. Additionally, celery juice is low in calories and high in water content, making it an excellent choice for those looking to lose weight or stay hydrated.
So if you’re looking for ways to incorporate celery juice into your diet, one of the simplest ways to do it is to drink it on its own in the morning before breakfast. This can help jumpstart your digestion and provide a boost of energy for the day ahead. You can also add celery juice to smoothies or use it as a base for soups and stews, or enjoy celery sticks throughout the day for a healthy and refreshing snack.
When making celery juice, it is important to use fresh, organic celery to ensure maximum nutrients and flavor. Wash the celery thoroughly and remove any dirt or debris. Then, chop the celery into small pieces and blend it in a juicer or blender until smooth. You can strain the juice to remove any pulp or enjoy it as is for added fiber.
So whether you drink it, snack on it, or blend it up with your morning smoothie, the benefits of adding celery to your diet are endless. We all want to feel and be our healthiest selves, and if a cup of celery juice a day can help us get there, then I say it’s worth a try.
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Aley Arion is a writer and digital storyteller from the South, currently living in sunny Los Angeles. Her site, yagirlaley.com, serves as a digital diary to document personal essays, cultural commentary, and her insights into the Black Millennial experience. Follow her at @yagirlaley on all platforms!
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Oprah Winfrey On Never Experiencing Imposter Syndrome: 'I Had To Look It Up'
If you’ve ever wondered what type of mindset it takes to reach icon status like Oprah Winfrey, it’s probably best to start by knowing which one she’s managed to avoid over her long-standing career.
And let’s just say imposter syndrome didn’t make the cut.
While promoting her new book, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier, with her co-author Arthur C. Brooks, Oprah shared in an interview with People that when it comes to imposter syndrome, it’s one emotion she hasn’t experienced.
"I don't have any of that imposter feelings that so many people have," she says. "I didn't even understand it, I had to look it up."
According to the acclaimed talk-show host and media mogul, she attributes this to her early life experiences, specifically the impact of her father's influence as a child. "I remember as a young girl being a strong orator in the national competition for speaking and winning the local championships, then the state championships. And then placing, I think it was No. 3 or something, in the nationals," Winfrey shares.
"And I remember after every contest, the families whose kids were just in the contest were going to celebrate and their families were all excited. My father's thing was, 'Get your coat.'"
She continues, "I learned, in all these years, every exciting thing that would happen to me it was always, that's good, get your coat. Get your coat. I don't know if that was ingrained in my personality or I just learned that nobody's going to be excited about it, so you might as well just get your coat and go. I don't have high highs and I don't have low lows. Which is a good thing, because no matter what I'm going through, I know I'm going to come out of it and be okay."
Impostor syndrome, also known as impostor phenomenon, is a psychological perspective of persistent self-doubt and the feeling of being a fraud despite evidence of one's competence, skills, or accomplishments. People experiencing imposter syndrome often believe that their success is due to luck or external factors rather than their own abilities and fear that others will eventually discover that they are not as capable or knowledgeable as they appear to be.
With over 40 years of accolades and history-making impact, it’s clear that Winfrey doesn’t shy away from the fact that her success is due to her hard work and diligence, with everything in her life being that of what she earned — which she finds deep value in: “the ability to live in the space of true appreciation for a life, not just well lived, but well-earned."
From coming from the lineage of an enslaved great-grandfather who earned 80 acres of land in exchange for labor, to becoming the first Black woman billionaire in the world without the foundation of generational wealth, Winfrey beams proudly at her ability to shift her and her family’s legacy for the better.
"I didn't have a grandfather, a great-grandfather who could give me land. But now...I am able to have my own and to know that I work for it. And it wasn't a husband that did it. It wasn't a brother or an uncle, or whatever did it, but I did it," Winfrey says.
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