WELLNESS MADE SIMPLE: WHY YOU SHOULD PUT DOWN THE CELERY JUICE & GRAB A LEMON, STAT.

Welcome to Wellness Made Simple, a first taste of some big, exciting changes coming to Kale & Caramel over the next few months. Wellness Made Simple is a series that takes wellness and self-care from being

• inaccessible,
• unfounded,
• gimmicky,
• expensive, and
• fad-based

to being

• accessible,
• reliable,
• simple,
• affordable, and
• solution-based.

This series returns wellness to its rightful place in the common denominator with vibrant, affordable, and scientifically reliable practices for all. In each post, I will take one notable “wellness” or “self-care” fad and break it down in clear, understandable language. Then I’ll provide an alternative that I’ve found to be effective, affordable, and scientifically sound.

It’s wellness made simple.

In light of the latest celery juice craze (my thoughts are summarized by this article, particularly the author’s closing sentiment: “Your liver doesn’t need detoxing, and please: you wouldn’t take legal advice from a ghost, so don’t take nutrition advice from a guy who claims he can speak to spirits”), I’m starting with the best liquid morning ritual I know—warm lemon water.

First of all—what exactly is up with this celery juice mania? It was started by a guy with zero medical or nutritional credentials, who refers to himself as the Medical Medium, and swiftly propagated by Gwyneth Paltrow’s (historically under-researched) website goop. The Medical Medium claims to receive breakthrough insights about healing and wellness (and science!) before they reach other earthlings. In this case, he claims that celery, when juiced, releases “cluster salts” that “detoxify” your liver and other organs. The article I linked above, penned by a dietitian, tells you all you need to know about why these claims are truly bonkers—and that “cluster salts” are most definitely a thing of the (potentially never) future.

Meditating on the celery juice craze, I can’t help but think about Virginia Sole-Smith’s pithy piece on the “Thin White Men Who Rebranded Dieting as Wellness”. Any coincidence that the Medical Medium is yet another thin white man out to help women lose weight? This passage is particularly profound:

It is a revelation to exactly nobody that a thin, white man can eat whatever he wants and not hear anything beyond some gentle “maybe try a salad sometime!” joshing from loved ones, restaurant staff, doctors, and strangers. In contrast, women—especially if they’re middle-aged, not white, or less educated—experience weight stigma much more frequently than their male peers, and at lower body weights, says Rebecca Puhl, PhD, who studies the implications of weight bias at the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. We can’t “just eat whatever we want” because we’ve been conditioned since childhood to view our bodies as unruly, undisciplined, and in need of constant vigilance. And so we blend smoothies, cut out gluten, and start January diets because we long ago internalized that whatever we’re really hungry for is wrong.

Speaking of wrong, none of this is to say there’s anything bad about celery, or its juiced form. I love celery! It’s hydrating. It’s delicious. And it certainly harbors antioxidant properties. As do all vegetables, a fact mindbodygreen food director Liz Moody pointed out in an Instagram Story rant last week. So why do hundreds of thousands of people seem to have such miraculous results (clear skin! no bloating! more energy!) from the celery juice first-thing-in-the-morning routine?

Most likely because they’ve turned their previous morning routine on its head by starting with hydration. But guess what? Water, too, has extraordinary antioxidant, hydrating, and anti-inflammatory powers—no “cluster salts” needed.

So today, I’m turning attention to my personal favorite liquid morning routine: Warm lemon water. Correct, it’s nothing new. Correct, it doesn’t boast miraculous ahem non-existent “cluster salts”. And correct, it will deliver some fantastic hydration and digestive regulation to your body.

Here’s why it’s a powerful first-thing-in-the-morning ritual, based on actual science:

Lemons contain a high volume of flavonoids, or plant compounds, and vitamin C, which work together to bring a number of healing, anti-inflammatory benefits to the body. Some of the specific benefits include:

• flavonoids contribute to anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and neuroprotective effects
• vitamin C improves immune health
• vitamin C increases your body’s absorption of plant-sourced iron, decreasing risk of anemia
• citrus flavonoids and vitamin c reduce risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol
• anti-oxidizing effects may improve skin quality
• prevent kidney stones from forming

While many people feel that drinking warm lemon water in the morning helps keep their bowel movements regular (and I myself experience this benefit), there’s no scientific evidence that lemons are responsible for this. Instead, it’s warm water that takes the lead here. Here’s why:

• Warm water has a vasodilating effect, which widens blood vessels to increase circulation and blood flow through the body.
• Water is the body’s natural lubricant, so drinking warm water on an empty stomach allows the liquid to flow through to your digestive tract and get things moving.
• Moreover, drinking water can increase your metabolic rate (through a function called “water-induced thermogenesis”).

Just remember to drink your warm water beverage before you take in any other food or liquid in the morning, and you’ll be good to go.

It’s nearly absurd to include a recipe for such a simple morning ritual, but I won’t leave you hanging. Happy hydrated mornings to you.

** Author’s note: Many commenters arrived at this article with concern over the information I shared about the Medical Medium. This series simply offers an exploration of the background, science, and story of the trend, and an easy alternative. In regards to celery juice itself, I state nothing but my appreciation for its taste and vegetal powers. If you love it, enjoy it. Warm lemon water is simply an easy and affordable morning routine that I enjoy.