Will a Vita-Mix work for wheatgrass?

[So Delightedly Raw]

I hate to pay for a wheatgrass juicer if my Vita-Mix will work.

Ann Wigemore said you couldn't successfully blend it, but a Vita-Mix is so much stronger than a blender; and she didn't mention the Vita-Mix.:confused:

I much prefer Vita-Mixing to juicing because it gives you all of the vegetables and fruit, wasting nothing.

Has anyone used a Vita-Mix to extract the nutrients from wheatgrass?

[spicyfull]

No I haven't tried it in the Vita=Mix but I am putting that on my to do list. I think the problem is she wants the Juice Squeezed out not so many rpm.........

[laurabfig]

I posted a question on this board a few weeks ago about this. Supposedly, Ann Wigmore says that it is better for us to juice it rather than just blend it....easier to get all the chlorophyll that way and supposedly the fibers are hard for the body to break down. (these are the answers that I got from other posters here) I say supposedly because it really just does not make logical sense to me. I'm not a biochemist or nutritionist or physiologist by any means, but it seems to me that if I just throw some wheatgrass into my smoothie in the morning, that should give me the same health benefits as juicing those same blades of grass. I hvae a vitamix too and when i was throwing some wheatgrass in my smoothie, i couldn't even tell it was there. so how hard can it possibly be for my body to digest when it is so broken down for me already?

just what i've heard. now i've probably confused you more!

[Rawkinlocs]

I did it before...I blended in a little water and then strained in a nutmilk bag. I'm sure it may not be as potent as juiced, but then again... *shrugs*

[rawsurfer]

i dont think that is the best idea, especially to eat it. it is very hard to break down digestively, and you wont get as much good stuff oout of it as you would when you juice it. juicing is the easiest way to get nutrients.

[So Delightedly Raw]

Thanks everybody! I guess getting more nutrients is worth it in the long run. While I'm saving up for the juicer, I see that I can use the Vita-Mix.

[jaurequi]

I believe, also, that the fiber from wheatgrass is not good for us, from what I've read.

I would blend it and then strain, if that's all I had at the moment; however, I recall reading from one of the power blender manufacturers (not sure which) not to do this, as the wheat grass ties itself around the blades, gets stuck, and causes some sort of damage.

If you want a basic wheatgrass juicer (or one until you've saved up for a better one, if that is what you want), why not get a manual juicer? The prices range, but most basic ones are under $100, many as low as $70 total (I remember seeing one for $59 once). You'll have to do a search and choose, but you can also find them in stores.

Best,

[laurabfig]

If you have a craigslist.com in your area, check on the for sale section. i found a used miracle juicer for 50 there. good luck!

[Bethanie]

If it is where is it located?
That would really be helpful.
Thanks
B.

[laurabfig]

If it is where is it located?
That would really be helpful.
Thanks
B.

To my knowledge there is not a "for sale" section on rawfoodtalk.com. I was referring to craigslist. If you go to craigslist.com and click on your area/city, you can search for sale postings there. It functions like a community bulletin board. The only problem is if you are in a rural area, there may not be a craigslist board for your area. Where do you live?

[Morn]

At a Vitamix demonstration the guys demonstrating were asking where they could get wheatgrass because they wanted to do a demo with it. You may want to call vitamix directly to ask this question cause I think you can do it in the newest model of the vitamix. I have never tried it personally though.

[rawperson]

Hi So Delightedly Raw,

Surprisingly, the Vita-Mix does very well with wheatgrass. It works in a 3600 (Plus & Super,) 4000, and 5000. (btw, the 3600/4000 all have the same power — 7 Amps, so save your money on craigslist & eBay by getting the 3600-family models.) Another note: the 5000 is 11.5 Amps, but its ‘smoothness’ of a blended smoothie is only slightly-better than the chrome models (plus, they have ‘reverse’, which is really nice.)

If you make the green smoothies that Victoria Boutenko espouses, simply add a 'round' (1" circular bunch of grass blades) of wheatgrass to the blender. That’s ~ the amt used to get 1 oz of juice. The blender does so well with it, that there is no detectable 'pulp' in the smoothie. One day my Mom back in NY told me she’d put it into her 3600. I was surprised she did that! Anyway, I have done it in all 3 types now and believe it's an excellent addition, just as aloe gel, cactus, dandelion, thistle, stinging nettle, plantain, baby springtime pine needles, etc... are to a green smoothie.

I have a few Norwalks, an Omega 8000, GS and a Champion juicer, and always listened-to/believed the pulp was an undesirable remnant of the process. However, obtaining 35-45 grams of fiber a day is challenging. Victoria Boutenko's research found that the pulp actually holds a significant percentage of a plant's total nutrient density of. Think about how the Norwalk company/Gerson Institute stress the use hydraulic pressing to obtain maximum nutrients and enzymes. This implies there are still nutrients in the pulp – the Vita-Mix simply goes one step further by breaking-down the cellulose cells completely, rather than hydraulically-squishing them. Put the same ingredients into a high-speed blender and compare the result: juice from a juicer will turn dark before your eyes, although it won't from a high-speed blender. That makes the 'oxidation' from 'high-speed' blenders-claim (empirically) appear to be without merit.

The high-speed blender breaks the strong cellulose membrane of a wheatgrass blade and makes the chlorophyll bio-available in a bright green drink. Plus, the fiber is now so smooth that you can't even detect it in the smoothie. That was amazing to me. Coming out of a juicer, wheatgrass pulp is hard like rope. Chew on it and it doesn’t break-down. From that, it’s easy to see why only ruminants with 4-chambered stomachs can digest grass, in nature. The ‘pulp’ so fine, in a Vita-Mix, that it doesn’t seem apt to irritate the colon, such as psyllium husks could. We’re mechanically getting the end result of a complex stomach, by using the high-speed blender. Having this extra fiber is nice for many reasons, to include: sponging/detox, feeding flora, sweeping the walls, resistive-exercising the intestinal muscles and bulking-up the stool. You will feel lighter and know personally what truly being green/clean inside means.

Growing your own grass, with ocean-grown solution, worm castings, rock dust, diatomaceous earth, organic compost and willard’s water will make it nutrient-dense, and grow a couple inches higher that the flats you see in the health food stores. It doesn’t taste so overpoweringly-sweet, as well.

It is many people’s experience that probiotics, digestive enzymes, clays and some fermented foods work in conjunction with soluble/insoluble fiber to potentiate the digestive tract. A hygienist would disagree, although such dogmas may not always be 100% absolute. The only thing I proceed extra carefully, and somewhat unconventionally with, are those which pertain to fermentation. For me, the fiber is not an issue; fungal mycotoxins and lactic acid considerations are paramount. A healthy digestive tract is unaffected by fiber, although introduction of fungi and yeast can result in many chronic and/or acute ailments.

So, yes, give wheatgrass a try, if you’ve been contemplating it! Experimentation will make you more in-tune with the things your body appreciates and positively-responds to.

Take care,

[Veganforlife]

From what I have read and learned wheatgrass is best when consumed alone on an empty stomach. So adding it to a green smoothie using a blender may not give you the most nutrition and if that is what you are after...
Revvell sells manual wheatgrass juicers, which I have the same model and love it. Very easy to clean and works well.
I suggest reading Ann Wigmore's book, "The Wheatgrass Book" and decide for yourself the best way for you to consume wheatgrass.