Last week, I was on my way out of the gym after a workout and spotted free wheatgrass shots. I shot it quickly, not wanting to experience the taste because I had heard how gross it tasted. Apparently, I didn’t shoot it fast enough because all I could taste was grass and it actually wasn’t too bad at all. The way I’ve started this post has probably already turned you off to trying the grass but read on and you may think otherwise. This grass is being promoted at health food stores, juice bars, places like Jamba Juice and Robek’s, etc. This grass is everywhere, which provoked me to explore even more.
What is the deal with wheatgrass?! Aside from this grass being a great source of beta carotene, it also contains most of the B, C, E, H and K vitamins, and also contains over 90 different minerals and 19 amino acids. Here are some other health benefits of ingesting this grass:
- Contains many amino acids (essential for cell regeneration) – Wheatgrass juice is alkaline which will help detoxify both the blood and lymph cells – Improves the digestive system – Reduces blood pressure – Helps prevent tooth decay – Detoxifies metals from the bloodstream
When conducting your own research on wheatgrass, you will run into a whole slew of health benefits. I only listed benefits I could find research and data to support.
The only way to reap the healthy rewards is to either juice the grass or chew on the grass. Chewing will take you awhile to get the actual juice so I do not recommend doing this. You cannot blend it either. There are sharp fibers in the grass that will hurt your stomach if you do so.
If you don’t have the time to be growing actual wheat grass, you can find it at Whole Foods in the produce section. Juice the grass within 4 days of purchasing or the grass will turn stale, marked by it’s new yellow color. I haven’t had any luck finding the grass elsewhere. There are kits you can purchase online as well: http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/ However, here is an instructional video on how to grow wheatgrass:
Fast Tube by Casper
I just bought my wheatgrass juicer two days ago and it should arrive by Thursday. The juicer I purchased is only $41 and received great reviews. There are various types of juicers, so I recommend doing your own research and decide which best suits your style.
Cheers!
Sharon
I can tell you put a lot of time into the research and I think this is just so great!! You will have to come food shopping with me one day and drop some more knowledge on me
So random question for you, what are your thoughts on Naked Juices and the like? There’s a naked juice called “green machine” that I’ll get sometimes, it’s got all sorts of algae, grasses and such in it along with fruit juice to give it a bit better flavor. Not sure if mixing the two kind of negates the health benefits. In general I gotta figure if I’m drinking something green with lots of grass in it it must be healthy right?
Sharon, I was completely prepared to take a shot of wheatgrass with you tonight and cheers to the pursuit of alkaline blood. But I guess that will have to wait…
Very important and insightful article. I’m looking forward to using the juicer with you soon!.
Love, Frank
Hey Sharon,
I am allergic to many things, one of the many being grass. I was in Atlanta for business a few months ago, and I saw a Robeks (which I totally love!), so I decided to stop in and get a healthy treat. At home I always wanted to get the wheatgrass shot, but just couldn’t justify spending the money on it, especially if I didn’t like it. But, since I was on business in Atlanta, at Robeks on the company dime, I went for it. I got the wheatgrass shot. I also got my usual smoothie. So I went about my day feeling normal, but by the end of the day I wasn’t feeling very good. The next morning, the whole next day, and the day after, I spent throwing up, severely nauseus, and you don’t even want to know what else. I couldn’t eat anything which is very rare and I couldn’t even keep down Sprite or Gingerale.
Do you think my body was having an allergic reaction to the wheatgrass? I don’t know if it was or if it wasn’t, but I will never have another shot of wheatgrass ever again!!!
Hi Ann,
I particularly like some of the naked juices. In particular, the “green machine” is one of my favorites but it took me a little while to grow acclimated to the taste. The fact that you are mixing the naked juice with fruit juice certainly wouldn’t negate the health benefits since you are still going to absorb most of the minerals in the naked juice. However, you are adding more sugar. Naked Juices have lots of sugar but it is the good sugar (unrefined), however there are on average 50 grams of sugar per bottle which is a lot for your body to handle anyway. Mixing the Naked Juice with other juice which most likely contains a refined sugar of some kind, does make this habit unhealthy. Taking in a lot of sugar all at once will cause your energy levels to spike and crash. Try adding some seltzer, as this might reduce the sweetness of the drink since the “green machine” tends to be on the sweeter side.
Hope this helps and thanks for your post!
Hey Kristen,
Thanks for the post!
People with known grass allergies should stay away from wheat grass. There isn’t anything you can do to adjust the wheat grass. Are you allergic to mold? Based on your symptoms it seems as though you had a reaction to mold which is commonly found in wheat grass that is not grown or stored properly. I cannot tell you if you had the reaction to the grass or the mold but I would stay away from it for now. Ask your allergist or nutritionist before consuming anymore wheatgrass.
There are also numerous studies found that consuming wheat grass helps with allergies (pollen and mold in particular) since the body needs all the nutrients to combat allergens.
Hope this helps!
I have read the amazing benefits that wheat grass has to offer. Check out my post on the benefits of wheat grass (http://www.naturalrawliving.com/2009/04/15-health-benefits-of-wheat-grass-juice.html). There are so many benefits until its unbelievable.
I’ll be purchasing a manual wheat grass juicer soon. I can’t decide on which one I want, but you may have helped me make my decision. I’d love to see post review on your new juicer when it arrives.
Take care and thanks again for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I am now a follower of your blog.
oops..I see you’ve already received your juicer. Didn’t realize this was an older post. Anyway..I ‘ll check out your past posts.
i know wheat grass is good, ive heard its good but i am a barley man. i take it in supplement form, it’s all about alkalinity, although i would love to try some wheat grass juice.
Thanks for the link recommending your article on wheat grass. I’m impressed and inspired! I’ve subscribed to your blog; looking forward to more.
Thanks, Evelyn, Malachi and Huckdoll for the nice comments and support!