Take The Pressure Off
I see SO many patients who take medication to lower blood pressure. High blood pressure can result from many factors including diet, lifestyle, heredity, or age. High blood pressure is a big deal because it puts you at risk for things like heart attack, stroke, or kidney problems. So, of course your doctor is eager to lower your blood pressure, often by prescribing medication. Unfortunately, such medication has a lot of side effects including coughing, digestive problems (diarrhea or constipation, or both), dizziness, and erection difficulties. The good news is there is a LOT you can do to help manage your blood pressure through diet and lifestyle including incorporating one simple food. Celery juice helps to lower blood pressure - keep reading to find out how it works and how to use it!
How Celery Juice Lowers Blood Pressure
Celery contains active compounds called phthalides; these compounds help to reduce blood pressure by relaxing the muscles in and around the walls of the arteries. This causes the vessels to dilate which creates more space for the blood to flow at a lower level of pressure. Phthalides also lower levels of stress hormones, which in turn can have a positive effect on your blood pressure as well as many other areas of health.
Celery also contains other compounds to assist in lowering blood pressure including apigenin, coumarins, and potassium. Apigenin in celery is known to lower blood pressure by dilating blood vessels. In studies it has been shown to have a relaxing effect minus any feeling of sedation. Coumarins also can help to lower blood pressure by reducing stress levels and toning the vascular system. Potassium is an essential mineral for regulating your body's electrolyte balance -- celery contains almost 310 mg of potassium per cup!
How To Use It
To help lower blood pressure, you should aim to consume 8oz of celery juice per day. Juicing celery is as simple as running several stalks of celery through a juicer and drinking the extracted juice. Don't have a juicer? Most juice bars are happy make a cup of fresh-pressed celery juice for you, even if it's not on the menu (I highly recommend getting your own juicer if you plan to juice consistently).
So, celery juice by itself can taste kind of ... intense. If you're a juicing newbie, or you don't love the taste of celery juice alone, I have good news for you! Celery juice lends itself well to mixing with other vegetable and fruit juices. Just make sure you use celery juice as the base (i.e. main ingredient) in your juice and use organic ingredients when possible. Here's one of my favorite juice recipes:
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 bunch of celery (or more if needed)
- 1/2 large English cucumber
- 1 green or fuji apple
- 2 lemons
- 1 thumb ginger
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup fresh mint
- Fresh turmeric root
DIRECTIONS
- Begin by juicing celery and ensure you have at least 4oz of celery juice
- Juice cucumber, apple, and lemons
- Fold parsley, cilantro, and mint into a tight bunch, then feed to juicer (this helps you get more extraction from these tender herbs)
- Mix all of the juices together - grate fresh turmeric on top of your juice consume within 30 mins
- If you are drinking celery juice to lower blood pressure, make this twice per day to ensure you get 8oz celery juice.
