An Introduction to Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass is very popular at the moment, and is used as a food and a dietary supplement. Many claims are made about its health benefits, and it’s also added as an ingredient to soaps, shampoos, creams and sprays.
Any city or large town now has one or more juice bars which sell wheatgrass juice as a cure-all panacea, often mixed with other ingredients and colouring everything with its deep green hue.
But what is wheatgrass? Is it just a fad, or is there truth in the claims made about how good it is? Let’s investigate:
Wheatgrass contains a very impressive list of minerals and vitamins. It has four times as much vitamin E as broccoli, and also is an excellent plant source of protein. It’s comparable in nutritional terms to leafy green vegetables such as kale, and packs a decent punch when it comes to fibre too. It also contains several important and beneficial antioxidants.
Wheatgrass is, of course, sprouted from wheat, which coeliacs and people on gluten-free diets avoid. However, only the wheat kernels contain gluten, not the grass, which is naturally gluten-free.
It's commonly juiced, but also available powdered
Many juice bars in towns and cities serve freshly-juiced wheatgrass, which means they have to go to the trouble of soaking and sprouting the iundividual wheat grains – but this isn’t strictly necessary, as it’s also available to buy powdered in a way that means its beneficial nutrients are retained.
If you’d prefer to have a go sprouting fresh wheatgrass yourself, it’s not too difficult – you can find sproutable wheat grains (or ‘wheat berries’) here. The grass should be ready to harvest after around 9-12 days growing. It does help if you have a juicing machine, though!
It's very popular in raw food diets
Wheatgrass has been embraced by the raw food community for its very high concentrations of enzymes, minerals and vitamins. It’s seen as a powerful body detoxifier, and can boost the body’s immune system due to its impressive antioxidant profile, while its high chlorophyll content can cleanse the liver and purify the blood.
Have a look at our range of Wheatgrass options here.