This week I decided to try something new. . . every morning, I've been juicing an entire bunch of celery (about 16 oz) and drinking it before eating anything else for the day (I use this juicer). Only 5 days in, I'm beyond intrigued, and borderline hooked. For one, it's definitely ramped up my digestive track (I'll spare you the details, ha!). . . but unlike any other cleanse, detox, or juicing trend I've tried, so far the negative symptoms have been mild- which is a huge win.
I had heard of drinking celery juice for it's health benefits long before I actually jumped in and tried it myself. In fact, it took multiple people prompting me to read a strange book before I decided to take a leap of faith and just try it. . . it's vegetable juice (actually it's an herb, who knew), so what could it hurt, right?
The beginning of the book basically set up what my personal journey (and many others like me who deal with similar illnesses like Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lyme Disease, etc. etc. etc.) looked like. The frustration of visiting doctor after doctor after doctor, all of the tests coming back "normal," and then ultimately being told you have some sort of psychosomatic issue causing all of your physical symptoms. Yep, been there. Second, one of the first things the book addresses from a "medical" standpoint is Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus. I'll write more on that later. But for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was given some hope- which leads me to the celery juice.
Below I'm providing two sets of information: the first set of info will be nutritional information about celery juice, and info that can be backed or identified by science or a medical professional. The second set of information will be what is provided by Anthony William’s website, and why he believes celery juice to be so therapeutic. Let's dig in!
First and foremost, let's look at celery's nutritional profile, as well as a few potential health benefits. In my search for science backed info, I came across a thorough article from an interview with Dr. Safdeih, MD at Parsley Health (you can read the whole thing here and find some sources for the info). It noted:

VITAMINS

• Vitamin K
• Vitamin C
• Potassium
• Folate
• Manganese
• Calcium
• Riboflavin
• Magnesium
• Vitamin B6

COMPOUNDS WITH ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

• Caffeic acid
• P-coumaric acid
• Ferulic acid
• Apigenin
• Luteolin
• Tannin
• Saponin
• Kaempferol

OTHER INFORMATION

• Celery's antioxidant properties help remove free radicals in the body; this could potentially decrease a person's cancer risk if consumed regularly.
• Prevents cardiovascular diseases
• Prevents jaundice and liver disease
• Prevents gout
• Prevents rheumatic disorders
• Reduces blood sugar levels
• Reduces blood lipids
• Reduces blood pressure (This is what the article said, but based on other things I've read, I would think that it's actually balancing blood pressure, not reducing it. This means it brings low blood pressure higher, and high blood pressure lower).
• Anti-fungal properties
• Anti-bacterial properties
• Anti-inflammatory properties

Okay, okay. Celery definitely has quite a lot going on nutritionally. Honestly, that's more than enough reason to occasionally chug down some celery juice in my humble opinion. The only thing I didn't love from the article with Parsley Health was that it eluded in two or more places that fiber is good for you and juicing celery removes the fiber. That is indeed true; fiber is good for you... but I certainly would never eat an entire bunch of celery. Even if I did, the chances of my stomach breaking it down well enough to get all of it's nutrients are slim at best. So that's why I believe juicing something like celery could be highly beneficial. . . taking the fiber out means easier digestion and better nutrient absorption.
Now, below will be the ten benefits listed by Anthony Williams (you can read his whole article here). There are no scientific sources cited, and you'd have to read his book to understand why:

1. Helps improve chronic acid reflux
2. Fights autoimmune disease
3. Helps restore adrenals
4. Contains undiscovered sodium cluster salts that reverse illness
5. Neutralizes and flushes toxins out of the liver
6. Helps eradicate strep bacteria
7. Kills Epstein-Barr & Shingles viruses
8. Brings down toxic liver heat
9. Powerful weapon against SIBO & bloating (SIBO stands for small intestinal bacteria overgrowth)
10. Repairs hydrochloric acid and liver bile production

Like I said, if you're intrigued by Anthony's info- read his book. It's definitely a "you need to read it for yourself and decide what you want to take away from it" kind of book (for instance, I’m not sure I believe the backstory), but it’s interesting to explore his thoughts and information on chronic illness. You can check out @celeryjuicebenefits on Instagram for some pretty incredible testimonies. People are sharing stories of acne, digestion problems, depression, adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, and more being healed. Which is probably what intrigues me most- it seems to be working for people.

So what do you think, would you try celery juice?

      About ten years ago, I started a journey. I didn't know how it would impact my life, how long it would be, or where it would take me. I didn't know the pain it would cause me, the lessons it would teach me, or the community it would give me. I had no idea all the things I would lose, or all the things I would gain. 
​
   Sometimes life throws HUGE curveballs. Most 25 year olds don't imagine having to step away from their full-time occupation- or figure out what that means for their life. Should I fight my way back to work? Should I accept that maybe it's just not the most suitable career when considering my health? Was going to college to work in full-time music ministry a waste? What's next? Is God asking me to completely shift gears? Or is this just a small redirection? Is it only a season of learning and preparing for something else?

     I still don't know the answer to any of these questions, but one thing I've become certain of is that regardless of the answers to any of them. . . I've been given an opportunity.
     
     An opportunity to try new things, learn new things, develop new skills, and dream new dreams. Yeah, of course there's always pain in letting go (or rather, laying something down), especially when you've worked almost half your life for it. However, wallowing in the pain isn't going to change. a. darn. thing.

So here's what's up. Over the past couple years, I've heard a lot of these phrases more times than I can count:

• You need to find a way to share your story.
• Would you share some of your recipes with me?
• You've learned so much- how can you use that to help others?
• I wish there was a way for you to use everything you've learned on your journey.
• Where did you learn so much about health and nutrition?
• Do you work in healthcare?
• You should start a lifestyle blog.

And of course, my favorite, and most terrifying suggestion: You should write a book.

Yeah, that's definitely not happening. At least not anytime soon.

      However, I do hope that in the midst of the limbo of "still trying to figure it all out," this becomes a place where I'm able to share things that help others. I wouldn't have learned half of the things I'll eventually be sharing if it weren't for the journey I've been on with illness. I wouldn't have this passion to encourage others to healthier lifestyles. I want to create a resource for not just healthy foods, but also healthy homes. As a culture, I think we've become sort of accustomed to, "you are what you eat," but very few of us understand the weight of, "you are what you live in."

      Besides providing resources, I also look forward to having a place to share my story and connect with others. I'll write more about this later, but I've been put in a pretty tough position with my health. I'm part of a group of people who are considered to be, "the canaries in the coal mine." I'm the warning signal. What's happening to me, does matter for you- and that gives me so much motivation to share what I've learned. . . I really do want to be a warning signal that can become a positive voice amongst all the noise before it's too late for our communities, or our environment.

    I also want to validate stories and share resources with others who are on similar wellness journeys: to create a community where maybe we don't feel quite so ​"different" after all. 

      So, thanks for joining me. I'm excited to cook together, learn together, grow together, and create positive and lasting change together. We'll probably be cooking together and sharing stories for quite a while before I'm able to launch some of the other portions of my site- but if you're anything like me, you probably believe so many friendships can be made over food and conversation! 

XX Des