What's Wrong with Wheatgrass?

[RawSar]

Allo!
Just wondering if anyone has read this article and what your thoughts are on it...

Wheatgrass: Nature’s Perfect Food?

Wheatgrass used to be the big "superfood" promoted by popular raw-food authors. Nowadays, you don't hear much about it since they are too busy selling raw chocolate and other more lucrative items. But the wheatgrass craze has never totally died.

Jamba Juice sells it.

You can find frozen wheatgrass juice in most health food stores and most of the popular raw food rejuvenation centers offer wheatgrass juice as part of their therapy.

Why would you want to drink such a nasty beverage?

Let's look at the claims made by wheatgrass proponents one by one.

1-Chlorophyll

One of the big claims made about wheatgrass juice is that because it's rich in Chlorophyll, and that chlorophyll is similar to hemoglobin in structure, that somehow it helps "build your blood". There is of course no research that proves that.

I mean, according to the same logic, the best way to build your blood would be to drink human blood, or the best way to build muscle would be to eat human flesh. It's not because a compound is similar in structure to human hemoglobin that eating it will help your own blood.

But the big misunderstanding about grass as part of the human diet is that we're simply not grass-eating creatures.

wheatgrass.jpegAccording to the DeKalb Medical Center:

Only cud-chewing animals with multiple stomachs can properly digest grass to absorb its nutrients. Even though we can decide to liquefy wheatgrass into a juice we still cannot benefit from it.

Contrary to what wheatgrass proponents maintain, simply juicing the grass does not make it much more digestible.

Ruminants like cows actually don't even chew that much. They graze all day and all of that green mass goes through a process of fermentation in the ruminant stomach. Specific types of bacteria break down the plant cell walls so they can use it for energy. In the process the micro-organisms also produce several vitamins such as E, B, and K.

So you see even if we can manually juice grass, we still can't properly digest it and get the benefits from it because we lack the complex digestive system and fermentation process of ruminants, who by the way have to eat this stuff *all day* just to stay alive!

2-Enzymes

Perhaps you should drink wheatgrass juice for enzymes?

As I explained before, enzymes are molecules produced by organisms (plants or animals) to use on their own for certain chemical reactions.

The plant produces its own enzymes to digest the nutrients that it needs! You produce your own enzymes for your own needs. Taking it plant enzymes will not benefit you in any way, as these enzymes are not compatible and are destroyed anyway in the stomach.

3- Most Nutritious Food

The biggest claim about wheatgrass is that an ounce of wheatgrass juice is worth more than 2 pounds of fresh green vegetables. This is a blatant lie.

Wheatgrass is actually a low-quality food, and that's why cows have to eat so much of it to meet their nutritional needs.

For example, one ounce of broccoli juice contains 22 times the beta-carotene, 8 times the vitamin C, 3 times the magnesium, 3 times the potassium and 3 times the calcium as one ounce of wheatgrass juice!

So make up your own conclusions about wheatgrass. To me, it's not worth a cent as a food or as a supplement.


The link for the article : http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/blog/?p=253

Thanks :)

[T-Bird]

I counter with:

http://www.amazon.com/Wheatgrass-Natures-Finest-Medicine-Revitalize/dp/1878736981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247775011&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Wheatgrass-Book-Maximize-Health-Vitality/dp/0895292343/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247775011&sr=1-2

[chilove]

I completely agree with it. It never made sense to me that something that makes so many people sick to their stomach when they drink could be good for us.

Blessings,

Audrey
www.rawfoodtalk.com

[Veronica01]

Haha I was wondering if anyone on this forum would agree with that article. :) I've always stuck to green smoothies rather than force myself to get used to wheat grass. I've actually felt quite sick when i had really strong green smoothies all day. Too many greens really upset my stomach and made me naseous. And it doesn't make sense to only be able to achieve optimum nutrition from juicing grasses and eating raw. I don't think you need it. Sure some frugivorous animals chew on grass but i don't know that we should be when we have an abundace of raw fruits and greens at our disposal, unlike our jungle friends.

[ruffsongraw]

no offense to the OP, but this kind of topic frustrates me--b/c as with ANYTHING we eat one can find pro and con articles online to support or go against eating it and oftentimes the author is selling a competing product of some sort.

everything we eat or supplement with is a personal choice. you cant believe everything you read and you cant believe a person's opinion over long term facts and results.

i get organic raw wheatgrass powder. i read Ann Wigmore's info on it and that was all i needed to be convinced of its benefits. it doesnt make me or my husband nauseous at all and never has. i mix it in my fresh OJ each morning. my husband drinks it mixed w/plain water and it probably tastes awful that way.

jen

[sport]

I have tried to get into wheatgrass so often. A week ago I decided to try again and bought 2 trays. I still have them. I am finally going to give up trying. It is not for me but that does not mean that it is not for someone else. I do believe that we are all different and our needs are different.

[ZPT1]

Would that mean the same for Chlorella powder

[carlye]

I've been listening to Doug Graham's Raw Food Series this week and he definitely says no to wheatgrass.

He says "If you can't make a meal out of it why would you have it, and if you can't eat it in it's natural state and it makes you sick, why would juicing it make it any better for you?" or words to that effect. also, if one food is super high in one nutrient, vitamin etc, it is probably lacking in other nutrients and vitamins that we need and can easily get from a varied raw diet.

Personally I've never had it, and am now in no hurry to try it.

just the opinion of a humble newbie :)

[boocake]

i take a shot or two of wheatgrass every now and then or add it to a smoothie for a little kick. it doesn't make me sick, but i'm not sure i've had any positive effects from it either...
overall, i just like the bitter taste of the grass... it's a nice change once in awhile!

[Silveretta]

Wheatgrass is bad?!

I was planning on enjoying it every morning of my upcoming trip to NYC (already found the closest Jamba Juice to my hotel) thinking it will help with detox...:eek:

[LuvMyTwins]

I juice fresh wheat grass every morning and love it. Now, I don't juice it for the taste, but for all of the research supporting the use of it.

I do follow the 8-1-1 diet and this is the first thing I take in the morning. After a workout, it's on to fruit for B/L and salad for dinner.

I've found that with wheat grass it's most beneficial (and easiest on the stomach) to drink and wait 15 minutes. I have (had) a host of stomach issues (IBS, candida) and have done fine with wheat grass.

Yet, again, it's a personal choice and I do believe we can find just about any article going against a method IMO.---LMT

[gmq]

No, good quality grass is very, very powerful, especially if taken in therapeutic dosages for a while to clean and build. I can speak of this firsthand after only a very short time. My plan is to continue to rebuild at therapeutic dosages, fill all deficiency with it's undeniable top-of-the-pack nutritional quality and qi-building capability, and then use it every other week, a bit every other day, to maintain.

It's truly good stuff. After you take a sufficient amount of it, you just know of it's very special effect. The whole "if it makes you sick then it couldn't be good for you" is bologna, in my humble opinion. :). A lot of that (not all) is in the mind, for one, some people are simply more reactive mentally. Most herbal formulas (which are life-changing) prescribed by TCM doctors and herbalists are sickening to many as well. They are very, very, very, very good for you and your inner harmonies, though. Just my take.

[T-Bird]

No, good quality grass is very, very powerful, especially if taken in therapeutic dosages for a while to clean and build. I can speak of this firsthand after only a very short time. My plan is to continue to rebuild at therapeutic dosages, fill all deficiency with it's undeniable top-of-the-pack nutritional quality and qi-building capability, and then use it every other week, a bit every other day, to maintain.


Sounds great! Would love to hear how this works out.

So - one week nothing, the next S T Th Sat?

Can you tell how you picked this schedule? It's very interesting!

[T-Bird]

It's truly good stuff. After you take a sufficient amount of it, you just know of it's very special effect. The whole "if it makes you sick then it couldn't be good for you" is bologna, in my humble opinion. . A lot of that (not all) is in the mind, for one, some people are simply more reactive mentally. Most herbal formulas (which are life-changing) prescribed by TCM doctors and herbalists are sickening to many as well. They are very, very, very, very good for you and your inner harmonies, though. Just my take.

I know lot of kids gagging on spinach!

I used to be one!

Now I love it!

[RawKnitster]

There is nothing wrong with wheat grass. If I'm at the mall with my daughter and need a pick-me-up, a shot of wheat grass from Jamba juice suits me just fine. I'm good to go for a few more hours after that. That is all the research I need to do about it.

I don't mess with fresh wheat grass at home, but I do put a spoonful of wheat grass powder in a smoothie a couple times a week.

I used to get frederic's emails, but I disagreed with so much of his take on raw that I cancelled my subscription.

[LuvMyTwins]

I hope that we can post this......

There's a place in Vermont called Gourmet Greens (it's on the web). I get 2 lbs. of fresh wheat grass every three weeks for 36.00 (this includes shipping--I'm in CT). They will ship anywhere and it is done overnight.

I've tried growing it and it just didn't work out. So, I found this to be an inexpensive way of continually using.---LMT

[*RayRay*]

Am I the only one who likes the taste of wheat grass???

I don't know what all the fuss is over the taste of wheat grass, it tastes sweet to me....:confused::)


are leafy greens totally different from grasses? From what I've read, they both create alkalinity in the body, which I think we can all agree is a good thing....

[RawYorkCity]

What's wrong with wheat grass to me is: it taste yucky, it's too expensive, and it requires a special juicer. I'll just leave grass grazing to cows.

[DebB]

What's wrong with wheat grass to me is: it taste yucky, it's too expensive, and it requires a special juicer. I'll just leave grass grazing to cows.

Just tossing this in FWIW - I juice 2 trays every week in my BlendTec and strain it through a nut milk bag. I add in 4 ice cubes and then up to the 8-10oz mark and blend. I do use a wooden plunger for this.

I don't find it expensive to grow my own - once I got in the supplies like trays, etc. - yes, there was an initial expense, but really not too bad. *Ü*

[RawSar]

Thanks everyone for your response!
I was just wanting to hear some different opinions on wheat grass and see if anyone had any good info on it (good+bad). :)

Sorry ruffsongraw that this topic frustrates you I know we can find good and bad things on everything! I like to find out what other people have experienced with taking it and to maybe start an argument?? ;) *wheat grass is good, no wheat grass bad bad bad!!!!* :p

I agree with you sport that we are all different and need/like different things.

Peace.

[EZ rider]

I have found that when I have 4 onces of WG juice for breakfast it makes me feel good and calm at the same time. WG juice has become my preferred breakfast.

[Fethenwen]

Nah, I'm ready to try this wheatgrass thing. If it makes me feel good, then why not? :cool:

[MrsJohnnyG]

I was surprised the first time I drank wheatgrass juice to find that I absolutely LOVED it. It tasted delicious to me! The juice bar woman was amazed that I was sipping and savoring it... she said everyone usually throws it back like a shot!!

I drank it for several months. Then one day, I suddenly HATED it. It tasted totally disgusting and made me sick to my stomach.

I thought maybe that batch of wheatgrass had some hidden mold on it or something, but every other time I've drunk wheatgrass, I've still hated it.

I guess my body needed some nutrient from it for those few months, then I no longer needed it. I'm thinking of trying it again now that I'm trying to get over a major medical condition.

[Ilse W.]

I use the grass as the green part of my GS quite often. I just cut it into 1" pieces and put it in the vita-mix. Works great! Cheap! According to the article, you should then also avoid all other greens which we eat for the chlorophyll...spinach comes to mind.?? It's all chlorophyll, water, and cell walls/fiber, right?! That's all any green veggie is. Ann Wigmore's "Why Suffer" told me all I needed to know about wheatgrass.

[Fethenwen]

I was surprised the first time I drank wheatgrass juice to find that I absolutely LOVED it. It tasted delicious to me! The juice bar woman was amazed that I was sipping and savoring it... she said everyone usually throws it back like a shot!!

I drank it for several months. Then one day, I suddenly HATED it. It tasted totally disgusting and made me sick to my stomach.

I thought maybe that batch of wheatgrass had some hidden mold on it or something, but every other time I've drunk wheatgrass, I've still hated it.

I guess my body needed some nutrient from it for those few months, then I no longer needed it. I'm thinking of trying it again now that I'm trying to get over a major medical condition.
That's interesting, yes I also do think that you might have had a very need for the nutrients in the wheatgrass when it tasted so good.

[margoss]

I bought 2 discount containers yesterday..75% off..after reading all of this , I thought about just giving it to the sheep. THis am I put it in my reg juicer..wasn't thinking..it shot right out to catcher. It didn't smell appealing to me so I thought it wouldn't taste good. I gave it to the sheep.

[DopeRawAbundance]

I finally got my Vitamix runnin (after it blew a fuse in my kitchen) so I up'n'made wheatgrass juice, via nut milk bag straining method. I find the taste quite pleasant and I'm feeling pretty cool off it. This is from run-of-the-mill organic wheat berries bought at my local health food store, grown in my windowsill.

[margoss]

I finally got my Vitamix runnin (after it blew a fuse in my kitchen).....

that's one hard working machine!!!

[Mary Kay]

To disagree with Frederic's article a bit, I'd like to add that yes, grass is not readily digestible by humans, but the juice (without the fiber) is absolutely readily digestible. Even begins to be digested in your mouth. It's loaded with minerals, especially if grown on mineral- rich soil.

I personally do not like it either, so I dilute it with --whatever, water, a couple apples, carrots....put them in my juicer. I've even got my 6 1/2 y.o. twins drinking a little. We call it apple-grass juice. Just harvested a bunch of concord grapes and am making grape-grass juice.

For the poster who says that suddenly it made them sick, when they used to like it, I have heard Victoria Boutenko speak of this. Wheatgrass contains alkaloids, and some reach a level, to which they are no longer tolerant to it.

Our family does it in moderation. Some here, some there. I'll post in another thread eventually, about how too many high oxalate greens gave me a kidney stone and the beginnings of osteoporosis. Wheatgrass, alkalizes, with minerals, without the oxalates, and seems to be helping.

Growing it is a SO easy and cheap. I grow it outside in my garden except in winter, when I'll grow it in some glass pyrex 9 x 13 dishes.

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, however the thing I dislike about Frederic Patenaude is is die-hard opinionation. He doesn't simply say "many feel that xyz is bad..." He just says" xyz is bad. " He's quite opinionated often, and IMO, not very objective.

Once when I was doing a juice fast (feast.....whatever), I did a couple oz of straight wheatgrass. Literally got the cold sweats and ALMOST, but didn't throw up.

Because I was fasting, I was not pooping, and was doing enemas during the fast. One hour after drinking the wheatgrass, I did have a good-sized poop. This proved to me that it does "clean you out." Some feel that it cleans you out because your body is trying to get rid of the alkaloids. Either way, it made me believe in its power.

And then Paul Nison has an interesting take on garlic and onions that might be comparable to that of wheatgrass. You know how garlic/onions are an irritant to some? He feels that garlic and onions are good cleansers for those who aren't totally clean. Once you get "clean" you no longer need them and they become irritants.

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing. Just interesting. Maybe wheatgrass is something like that.

Anyway, I'll keep growing it, and have added, kamut, barley, and oatgrasses as well recently. Don't do it every day, and will even take a week off here and there. Recently, I've upped my intake to see if it helps with my muscle twitching/beginnings of osteoporosis thing, which I'm suspecting. It appears that it may be.

My ramblings/thoughts.....

Mary Kay

[sewrev]

I drink my wheatgrass in a tall glass of lemonade.. Doesnt upset my stomach at all. tastes like limeade.

[RawSar]

I drink my wheatgrass in a tall glass of lemonade.. Doesnt upset my stomach at all. tastes like limeade.

What a great idea ! I'm going to have to try this !

[Rawcstacy]

I was surprised the first time I drank wheatgrass juice to find that I absolutely LOVED it. It tasted delicious to me! The juice bar woman was amazed that I was sipping and savoring it... she said everyone usually throws it back like a shot!!

I drank it for several months. Then one day, I suddenly HATED it. It tasted totally disgusting and made me sick to my stomach.


First time I tried it was same experience, I savoured the flavour. Now it doesn't taste as sweet anymore as it used to. I don't hate it, yet.:)

[Stina]

I am my own scientist! Yes, drinking wheat grass juice to me is like swallowing a florescent green light bulb but I feel a wonderful, steady surge of energy afterwards. Kinda like a shot of espresso minus the irritability and come-down.

I run a little buyer's club and I'm able to buy flats of wheat grass juice at wholesale price. I wish I had a better juicer designed specifically for wheat grass but my expensive and wonderful Greenstar can make do with it.

We live in such a toxic world. I think it takes a little something to make up for that and my body really appreciates whatever it is that wheat grass juice supplies. My second favorite, but used much more, is green juice, the typical combination of celery, cuke and leafy greens, maybe lemon, and third choice is green smoothies.

80/10/10? Works tremendously well for some people. Unfortunately, disasterous for others. Apparently, some people thrive burning their calories from fat rather than fruit. My body goes through phases of needing/wanting to do that kind of formula, but never rigidly and dogmatically. That's why after four years of eating raw, I'm still hanging out here at this site. I believe in freedom of choice with eating raw and listening to your body.

[pnj]

The Optimum Health Institute seems to be working miracles with what they do using wheatgrass. Some pretty impressive stuff going on at their campus.

[Stina]

Oh, also I personally knew a guy who cured his prostate cancer by eating mostly raw and cleansing, which included wheatgrass juice rentention enemas. There's a protocol for it. Brenda Cobb talks about them at her healing center in Georgia.