At some point in your weekly excursion to the grocery store or natural food market, you may have come across a product in the veggie aisle that looked a lot like someone had cut a big chunk out of your front lawn – a big chunk of grass in a little plastic container. You might have thought, Why are they selling rabbit food here? If so, let me be the first person to introduce you to the highly beneficial and healthy food (for humans) called wheatgrass.
For some, wheatgrass appears as a substance for livestock (as it looks exactly like the fodder food grown for animals discussed here) but for many others, it is a life-saving miracle elixir. Its juice is food, medicine, and an overall tonic for various ailments. Wheatgrass is the young green stalk of the wheat plant that is grown from the hard red wheatberry and is loaded with high concentrations of chlorophyll, active enzymes, vitamins, trace minerals, and other nutrients that feed your cells and help rid them of toxins. It’s also rich in protein, containing all of the essential amino acids as well as many others. Wheatgrass is perfect for dieters, athletes, people requiring extra energy, people who want to be healthy, and anyone who suffers from illness and disease. It is, in practice, a universally recommended food for a myriad of health conditions – as a preventive and to promote healing. Wheatgrass is a superior detoxification agent.
By drinking fresh wheatgrass juice, people have reported that they have more energy, better skin, stronger teeth, less gray and stronger hair, better digestion, and stronger immune systems. It can neutralize strep infections, heal wounds, hasten skin grafting, cure chronic sinusitis, overcome chronic inner-ear inflammation and infections, reduce varicose veins, and many other positive outcomes and results, both minor and major. Chlorophyll (found in wheatgrass) rebuilds the bloodstream, and studies of various animals have shown chlorophyll to be free of any toxic reaction. The red cell count was returned to normal with four to five days of the administration of chlorophyll, even in those animals that were known to be extremely anemic or low in red cell count. This has been shown to be true for humans as well.
For many people who have stored food and supplies, whole wheatberries are a big component of those stores. Many people have stored large quantities of wheat in anticipation of consuming it in the form of cereal or in baking, and don’t realize the other significant uses for this versatile grain. If someone has a gluten intolerance, then what is to be done with the wheat? Wheatgrass juice, of course! The issue of eating fresh foods and a balance of vital nutrients is essential for health and wellness, and especially in the event of a prolonged emergency, when one’s food reserves are being utilized. Maintaining proper nutrition is critical. Wheatgrass juice is the perfect solution and a key component of one’s health during a disaster and in resiliency planning. So if breads are off the menu for you and you are looking for a way to utilize that stored wheat, I invite you to try some homemade wheatgrass juice. It can be grown indoors in soil placed in trays or in special soil free growers. Once you have sprouted and grown your wheatgrass, the green grass stems are trimmed and juiced. Keep in mind, not all juicers will effectively extract the juice from the wheatgrass, so specially designed manual and electric juicers are available that can juice the wheatgrass efficiently.
Benefits of Wheatgrass:
- Science has proven that chlorophyll arrests growth and development of unfriendly bacteria.
- By drinking wheatgrass, digestion is improved.
- Wheatgrass juice benefits the skin, as it acts as a cleanser and astringent.
- Chlorophyll in wheatgrass also helps to purify the liver.
- A small amount of wheatgrass juice in the diet prevents tooth decay, and drinking wheatgrass juice helps in eliminating body odors.
- Wheatgrass juice held in the mouth for 5 minutes will help to eliminate toothaches and poisons from gums.
- Wheatgrass has a high amino acid content which promotes cell regeneration, and the potent source of enzymes maintains youthfulness.
- Wheatgrass juice can remove heavy metals from the body and is great for blood disorders of all kinds.
- Depending on your unique needs, wheatgrass can also be used topically to treat various skin conditions.
- Wheatgrass benefits the body as a whole. It is a body cleanser, rebuilder, and neutralizer of toxins.
- Wheatgrass lessens the effects of radiation. One enzyme found in wheatgrass, SOD, lessens the effects of radiation and acts as an anti-inflammatory compound that may prevent cellular damage following heart attacks or exposure to irritants.
Tips:
- I recommend using only organically grown wheatberries – varieties include hard red winter, hard spring, kamut, and einkorn.
- Drink your wheatgrass juice within 4 to 6 minutes after juicing to get the maximum benefit from the live enzymes.
- Consume only the juice from wheatgrass – not the whole plant.
- The taste can be strong and unfamiliar – it is an acquired taste. I highly recommend that you start drinking a small amount – ¼ to ½ ounce – mixed with a smoothie, or vegetable or fruit juice, and build up to 1 to 2 ounces. Each person reacts differently to the introduction of such a potent brew. Once your body adapts, you may even want to drink it “straight.” Remember it is a detoxifier.
- 1 ounce of wheatgrass juice is equivalent to 2½ pounds of green vegetables (minus the fiber, of course).
As a note to this article, I first promoted the use of wheatgrass in 1976 when I owned New Seed Natural Whole Foods in San Diego California. Ann Wigmore (The woman who introduced wheatgrass juice to America over 58 years ago) had her Hippocrates Health Institute nearby. I sold the juice in my juice bar and offered flats of wheatgrass to a very pioneering and grateful clientele. I have had many true believers personally share with me their experience and the significant value of wheatgrass juice. It works.
So the next time you are at your local health food store, farmers' market, or juice shop, try a shot of wheatgrass juice for better nutrition, health, and increased resiliency. Share your experiences with us – and cheers to wheatgrass.
~ Denis Korn
References:
The Wheatgrass Book: How to Grow and Use Wheatgrass to Maximize Your Health and Vitality by Ann Wigmore
Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine: The Complete Guide to Using Grasses to Revitalize Your Health by Steve Meyerowitz
Why Wheatgrass is a Great Source of Nutrients by Kerris Samson
Wheatgrass Juicers – Improve Your Health With Wheatgrass by Lyle Robertson
The Benefits of Wheatgrass by Morgan Hamilton
Benefit of Wheatgrass – Why People are so Crazy over Wheatgrass Despite its Nasty Taste by Ruth Tan
by sri