10 Health Benefits of Wheatgrass

In my quest to get back to my normal body weight and into my favorite jeans (finding a pair of jeans that makes my butt look good is definitely a challenge! Am I right, ladies?), my focus has now shifted. Sarah, my friend and mammahealth.com co-editor, gave me a needed push in the right, healthy direction.

She’s a real health nut (in the best way). The other day she came over with flax seed, an enormous bag of almonds, tons of organic veggies, and some gluten free products.

Anyways… It’s not so much lose weight, must lose weight, how much do I weigh now, weigh myself in the morning, weigh myself at night.

My mind is now on being healthy. When you look at your body from a “be healthy” perspective, everything changes. I started looking at my bad habits. We all have them. Don’t say you don’t. I love cooking.. and eating. I LOVE eating with friends and drinking a few glasses of wine and talking about everything and anything. Pan dulce with a big cup of Abuelita hot chocolate…. Drooooooling!

Keeping these minor bad habits in mind, I know I can do better. And I should. After all, I have little five-year-old eyes watching, and she follows by example… Eeeeek!

Introducing my next experiment: Wheat Grass.

Yes, it looks like the grass growing outside on your lawn. I’m not a doctor. I’m not a nutritionist. There’s actually not much scientific evidence (yet) to prove all its wonderful benefits.

Health benefits of wheatgrass

Wheat grass supposedly:

1. Lowers blood pressure by opening the blood’s pathways
2. Cleanses the blood, restores the blood’s alkalinity, protects the blood
3. Increases one’s metabolism by enriching the blood
4. Detoxes the liver and other organs
5. It has also been linked to increasing red blood cell counts if one soaks in it
6. Helps to fight some cancers
7. Eliminates toxins by neutralizing them
8. Lessens the effects of radiation
9. Acts as like an anti-inflammatory, preventing cellular damage after a heart attack
10. Is helping to slow down the aging process

and more…

You might be familiar with wheat grass as a shot that you take at the juice bar. That’s one way, but there’s also wheat grass as a powder form. However you decide to take it, it’s your choice. But DON’T cook it or you will kill all the important, supercharged enzymes.

Is wheat grass really a super-food?

When you consider that wheatgrass is packed with these natural goodies:

• Chlorophyll – a super potent anti-oxidant that protects from candida, accelerates healing and helps cleanse the body
• All nine essential amino acids
• Balanced complex of minerals and vitamins A, B, C, E, and K in their most natural form

Then I’d say that it is a true super food without further questions.

Does wheatgrass have gluten?

It is a little bit complicated. The thing is, that only pure wheatgrass or the barley grass do not contain gluten. With pure grass, I mean just the grass, with no seeds whatsoever. It is because gluten can be found only in the grains.

That means the manufacturer must make sure that no seeds are present in the process. It is possible to achieve but at the same time extremely difficult as you can imagine. For this reason, nutritional experts recommend avoiding wheat grass products for celiacs. The risk of cross-contamination is just too high. It is unfortunate but better stay on the safe side if you are sensitive to gluten. You can reach out to other greens that have similar benefits as wheatgrass – green spinach or broccoli, for example.

Wheatgrass nutrition facts

The most important substance of wheatgrass is chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll is the nutrient that gives wheatgrass its characteristic green color. Similar to the other nutrient-dense greens, it is used in our bodies for a handful of vital processes.Wheatgrass is also loaded with amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks that proteins consist of. 

Nutritional content of Wheatgrass:

• Chlorophyll
• Amino Acids
• Antioxidants –  flavonoids and phenolic acid
• Proteins – less than one gram per 28 grams
• Electrolytes – Magnesium and Calcium
• Vitamins – A, B6, C, E (as alpha-tocopherol), K
• Also Thiamin, Riboflavin and Niacin
• Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese and Selenium

How to grow wheatgrass

It is actually very simple to grow your own wheatgrass at home. It will give you a nice plant and you will save money in the long term. Just make sure you soak the seeds overninght before you plant them in the potting mix.

You will need just a few things to do it successfully:

• Wheat grass seeds (make sure they are organic)
• Shallow container
• Organic potting mixture
• Glass jar
• Spray water bottle
• Scissors for harvesting

For the detailed how-to, check out this article from Miracle Gro.

A bottle of wheat grass powder cost roughly $30 dollar. Inside you get also a convenient measuring spoon. Add one spoonful to an 8-ounce glass of water or juice. I mix it with peach mango juice to dilute its flavor a bit. It tastes great until I got to the bottom. It doesn’t fully dissolve, you see. And I got a good taste of the raw, grainy, BLEH bottom. I have learned to add more juice and keep stirring until finished. I’m substituting a glass of water for a glass of wheat grass juice a day. So far, I don’t see any changes except my pee is more yellow now.

By knowing just some of the benefits of wheatgrass, it’s for sure worth a try. Until my next experiment…