Wheatgrass

Why Wheat grass?

Information taken from Medical News Today

• Antioxidant
• Anti-infammatory
• Contains vitamins A, B6, C, E, K, zinc iron, selenium, manganese
• Some studies suggest wheatgrass can help fight infections
• Great source of fiber (if you eat the whole plant)
• Good source of protein (though like all plant material is not a complete protein on its own. Pair with

***It is possible to be allergic to wheat grass. Those with allergies to other grasses should proceed with caution.***

Risks?

• Since it is high in fiber it can cause constipation so consume with plenty of fluids.
• As with all greens and raw food there is the potential to consume the plant with mold or mildew on it. Be sure to clean your produce thoroughly and purchase from a trusted source if  you are eating it in pill form.
• Online you can find many people saying wheat grass is an effective treatment for many diseases including arthritis and cancer. Many studies have been performed the medical source linked above says that while wheat grass has a lot of potential, the studies were not thorough enough to satisfy the medical community. While this may be the case, there is also no danger for people to consume wheat grass (unless you are allergic to it), and it is a good source of many vitamins.

How to Eat it?

Wheatgrass can be eaten in the powdered form, it can be juiced and strained (just be aware this removes the fibre) or the whole plant can be blended into other foods such as smoothies.

How to Juice?

With a juicer:

Just put clean wheat grass through a juicer! Note that the juicing community will say that cold pressed juicing is best. This is best because juicers that heat as they rapidly spin have the tendency of essentially cooking some enzymes, meaning that you are breaking down some of the good parts of the plants.

With a Blender:

BUT I don’t have a juicer and we try to make do with less STUFF. So I just put clean wheat grass in a blender for 5 or so minutes with enough water that the blender is being effective. Be careful you don’t burn out the blender!

When you are satisfied you have broken up all the wheat grass strain the fiber out of the juice. I use my hands to remove the big chunks of fiber and then put the remaining through my french press or a fine sieve.

This is a fair amount of work so some prefer to do up a big batch and freeze ice cube sized portions. Then each morning you can pop one or two cubes out of the freezer. (Though freezing, just like heating, will destroy some of the goodness in your juice.) The juice will also keep a couple days in the fridge.

What about smoothies?

If getting the fiber is important to you or, like me, if you think that juicing is a lot of work you can opt for the smoothie route. Keep you eye on our blog or sign up for our newsletter to see some of our favorite smoothie recipes!