Celery juice. It’s the new kale (but worse)

The humble celery is the latest vegetable to be lauded by celebrities, writes Katy Hall. If people want to eat more vegetables go for it, but don’t pretend that something endorsed by a movie star will cure your health issues.

If the thought of drinking half a litre of pure celery juice first thing in the morning sounds far from appealing, chances are you’ve not yet succumbed to the latest social media-driven wellness trend.

Trust me when I say that’s a good thing.

The brainchild of Anthony William, an American author and health psychic better known as the Medical Medium, celery juice — potentially one of the least appealing ideas of all time — is certainly having a moment.

Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner are promoting it. Miranda Kerr and Pharrell swear by it. Even tennis champion Novak Djokovic credited the humble water-dense veggie with playing a part in his 2019 Australian Open win.

Novak Djokovic credits celery juice for his Australian Open win. Picture: Instagram

Actor and dancer Jenna Dewan has also endorsed the Medical Medium’s celery juice diet on social media. Picture: Instagram

“If people knew all the potent healing properties of celery juice that I’ve observed, it would be widely hailed as a miraculous superfood. In my opinion, celery has an incredible ability to create sweeping improvements for all kinds of health issues,” William wrote for Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop in 2018.

Not to burst his bubble or anything, but people do already know that.

Nutritionists and dietitians have been singing the praises of green vegetables for decades.

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Governments around the world spend billions of dollars on promoting better nutrition and improving education around healthy eating. Celery has always been included in that.

The “potent healing properties” William speaks of, though, is where the ‘just another kale 2.0’ trend ends and something far more worrying begins.

Consuming more vegetables is good for you, but so is going to the doctor. Picture: Supplied

Despite a lengthy disclaimer stating he has no qualifications and that the information he shares should not be taken as medical advice, William lists many conditions that can benefit from someone consuming 500mL of pure celery juice on an empty stomach every morning.

The list is as staggering as it is unbelievable.

Bloating, tiredness, fogginess and skin conditions like acne will all be helped, he says, which is believable and backed by scientific studies that show higher rates of vegetable consumption leads to better health.

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According to William, celery juice could also help with ADHD, autism, pancreatic cancer and auto-immune diseases too.

It’s claims like that — when considered alongside the fact that he’s literally a self-appointed mystic who chooses to diagnose health conditions instead of just talking to the dead like every other medium out there peddling their questionable skill set — makes for disturbing reading.

Actor Selma Blair, who was recently diagnosed with MS, supports the celery juice diet. Picture: Instagram

Musician and producer Pharrell has also endorsed William’s diet. Picture: Instagram

In an age where medical advances are greater than ever before, where people actually stand a chance of surviving life-threatening illnesses and beating cancer, we’ve somehow as a society become more and more obsessed with people like William.

We clasp at the notion of going ‘back to basics’ and eschewing the incredible medical advancements others have dedicated their working lives to make — all for a product we can grow in our backyard.

The commonality in all of this is, of course, that not a single person promoting the “global movement” as William refers to it, has any medical or nutritional qualifications.

In ‘alternative facts’ promotions like this, they never do.

And when you’re someone like Kim Kardashian or Novak Djokovic, who both seem very healthy and not suffering any long-term, chronic or life threatening illnesses, sure, go wild, drink the juice and bask in the glorious feeling of having more energy.

But for those people who do have long-term, chronic or life threatening illness and decide to pin all of their hopes and desperation onto a pint glass in a celebrity’s Instagram feed because the other option — reality — is too hard to bear, there ought to be some greater accountability. A lengthy disclaimer is far from cutting it.

@katyhallway