This Vegetable Juice Is One Of The Most Hydrating Drinks You Can Have

Staying hydrated can be surprisingly difficult, especially as we age. While we usually had our parents and elders remind us to drink water, after we are all grown up, we lose that luxury. We get caught up with work and something as insignificant as drinking water can slip our mind. Statistics show that a big portion of the population suffers from chronic dehydration, with older adults being a lot more vulnerable. In fact, studies show that a large percentage of Americans are chronically dehydrated, and this an even bigger issue among the senior citizens of US. Even younger people can struggle to maintain optimal hydration levels due to various factors like busy lifestyles, inadequate water intake, and also the consumption of dehydrating substances like caffeine and alcohol. While carrying a water bottle is a good start and a constant reminder to sip throughout the day can be easily missed, while there are apps that can help you with this, a better way is to find a substitute drink. There are other ways to boost your fluid intake and improve overall hydration and one of those is with a vegetable that is often overlooked and surprisingly effective juice, celery juice.

Most people think of celery as a crunchy snack, a vegetable that is often used in cooking, or a simple addition to salads, but it can also be juiced. And the juice version offers a wealth of hydrating nutrients in a readily absorbable form. Unlike solid celery, which contains fiber that slows digestion, juicing removes the fiber, allowing for quicker absorption of the liquid and its dissolved nutrients. This makes celery juice a particularly efficient way to deliver hydration directly to the body’s cells. While it may seem like an unnecessary step to many people, drinking water like this allows you to have a larger quantity of celery’s hydrating components than you might in its solid form. By extracting the juice, you concentrate the water and other beneficial compounds, making it a powerful tool for boosting hydration.

Celery is primarily water, composed of approximately 95% water. Juicing it removes the fiber but retains the water and other beneficial nutrients, most notably potassium. Potassium is a crucial electrolyte that plays a vital role in balancing fluids within the body according to the American Heart Association. The electrolytes that are present in celery like potassium are essential for maintaining proper cell function, nerve impulses, and muscle contractions. And the potassium helps prevent fluid retention which is a condition that can interestingly contribute to dehydration as er MedlinePlus. When the body retains excess fluid, it can disrupt the delicate balance of electrolytes in your body and that can lead to cellular dehydration, even though there's an overall excess of fluid in the system. Therefore, regular celery juice consumption can not only directly hydrate you but also improve your body's ability to effectively utilize fluids from all sources, optimizing hydration at a cellular level.

Beyond hydration, celery juice offers other potential health benefits due to its rich composition of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. These compounds contribute to various aspects of health and well-being.

Research shows that celery juice acts as a natural therapeutic agent due to its high antioxidant content according to the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017. Antioxidants help protect the body against damage that the free radicals can cause, as well as the unstable molecules that can contribute to aging and various diseases. The antioxidants in celery juice can help neutralize these free radicals, reducing oxidative stress and promoting overall health.

Celery juice contains phytochemicals, such as apigenin and luteolin, that can help you reduce inflammation according to WebMD. Chronic inflammation has been linked to a lot of health issues, and these phytochemicals may give you a natural way to mitigate its effects.