I often tweet when I'm about to indulge my cells in a shot of wheatgrass at Fresh restaurant in Toronto because I immediately feel more alive. I can hardly contain my excitement knowing that my cells are about to receive a megadose of sunshine. Unfortunately my juicer at home doesn't have the power to turn those green grasses into a juice. But let me assure you, the $3 bux I spend for a shot of green is worth every penny!
Putting my love and passion aside for wheatgrass for just a moment, I'm going to share with you the science behind wheatgrass (and many greens for that matter ).
MAGNUM OF MINERALS. Calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulphur, cobalt and zinc
BLOOD BUILDER. 70% chlorophyll, an incredible blood builder. Chlorophyll is the first product of light and contains more light energy than any other element. It is the basis of all plant life. Incredible for building the blood especially in cases of anemia. Dr. Bernard Jensen stated "...Nothing I can tell you will build blood as fast. It is one of the best blood builders we have."
CLEANSER AND DETERGENT. A powerful detoxifier and liver protector. The enzymes and amino acids found in wheatgrass can protect us from carcinogens. It strengthens our cells, detoxifies the liver and bloodstream, and chemically neutralizes environmental pollutants.
ALKALINIZING & GUT HEALTH. Most people are very acidic and this is evident with the rise in cancer rates and disease overall. Cancer simply cannot thrive in an alkaline environment. The juices abundance of alkaline minerals (as mentioned above) helps reduce over-acidity in the body. It can be used to relieve many internal pains, and has been used successfully to treat peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, constipation, diarrhea, and other complaints of the gastrointestinal tract.
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flickr: Marcus Emmanuel[/caption ]
There is no one food that is the magic potion to solve all our health issues, but reaching for a shot of wheatgrass once a week instead of a shot of espresso is certainly a step in the right direction to joyous health.
Here are some studies for your interest about the benefits of wheatgrass:
1. Breast Cancer Patients Drink Wheatgrass Juice To Help Offset Chemotherapy Side Effects
Bar-Sela Gil, Tsalic Medy, Fried Getta, Goldberg Hadassah. Wheat Grass Juice May Improve Hematological Toxicity Related to Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study. Nutrition and Cancer 2007, Vol. 58, No. 1, Pages 43-48.Division of Oncology, Rambam Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Conclusion
It was found that drinking the green healing juice helped produce healthier blood levels while receiving the chemotherapy thus decreasing the need for blood building medications. Wheatgrass juice was found to not diminish effectiveness of chemotherapy. These preliminary results need confirmation in a phase III study.
2. Terminally Ill Cancer Patients Drink Wheatgrass Juice To See If Their "Quality Of Life" Is Improved
Dey S., Sarkar R., Ghosh P., Khatun R., Ghorai K., Choudhury R., Ahmed R., Gupta, P., Mukhopadhyay S., Mukhopadhyay A. Effect of Wheat Grass Juice in Supportive Care of Terminally Ill Cancer Patients -- A Tertiary Cancer Centre Experience from India. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2006 ASCO Meeting Proceedings Part I. Vol 24, No. 18s (June 20 Supplement), 2006: 8634.
Conclusion
Improvements in health of blood were noted. Also, performance status was improved from 50% to 70%. It was concluded that wheatgrass juice is an effective natural alternative for blood transfusion. It's use in terminally ill cancer patients should be encouraged.
3. Wheatgrass Juice Is Combined With Carcinogens In Vitro - In A Test Tube - To Determine If Antioxidant Juice Has Cancer Preventive Properties
CN Lai, B Dabney and C Shaw (1978) Inhibition of In Vitro Metabolic Activation of Carcinogens by Wheat Sprout Extracts. Nutrition and Cancer, 1 (1):27-30 and CN Lai (1979) Chlorophyll: The Active Factor in Wheat Sprout Extract Inhibiting the Metabolic Activation of Carcinogens In Vitro. Nutrition and Cancer,1 (3):19-21.
Conclusion
In 1979, Dr. Chiu Nan Lai, of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, presented information at a meeting of the American Chemical Society which suggested that wheatgrass may have cancer preventive properties. Some of her published scientific papers dealt with the antimutagenic activities of wheatgrass and chlorophyll. Using the standard Ames Test, she showed that an extract of wheatgrass, when applied to known chemical mutagens (compounds that cause cells to become cancerous), decreased their cancer causing ability by up to 99 percent.
4. Wheatgrass Juice Is Used To Treat Gastrointestinal Conditions
Ben-Arye E, Goldin E, Wengrower D, Stamper A, Kohn R, Berry E. Wheat Grass Juice in the Treatment of Active Distal Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial. Scand J Gastroenterol 2002 April;37(4):444-9.
Department of Family Medicine, The Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa. [email protected]
Conclusion
Treatment with regenerating green juice was associated with significant reductions in the overall disease activity and in the severity of rectal bleeding.
5. Cereal Grass Juice Is Given To Children With Thalassemia - A Hereditary Form Of Anemia
Marawaha RK, Bansal D, Kaur S, Trehan A. Wheatgrass Juice Reduces Transfusion Requirement in Patients with Thalassemia Major: A Pilot Study. Indian Pediatric 2004 Jul;41(7):716-20.Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatric Center, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160 012, India. [email protected]
Conclusion
A beneficial effect of wheatgrass juice was defined as a decrease in the requirement of packed red cells by 25% or more. 16 cases were analyzed. Blood transfusion requirements fell by >25% in 8 or 50% of the patients, patients with a decrease in transfusion needs of >40% were also documented in 3 of these. No perceptible adverse effects were recognized.
Is it bad to "chase" your wheat grass shots with a little juice?
ReplyNo not at all. But try it with some ginger... and it will take the bitterness out :) It will have quite a ZING-A-LING though :)
Very informative. I drink a green monster on a regular basis, but maybe I'll throw in a shot of wheat grass now! I saw whole foods sells frozen pouches of wheat grass, maybe I'll invest in my health :)
ReplyI'm totally going to try this, my energy is so unpredictable these days... and I'm feeling soooo sluggish. Thanks Joy!
ReplyI have a juicer that juices wheatgrass so i really should do it more often. I used to get it from Loblaws at Queensquay and Jarvis. However, I was told my one alternative health professional that it overstimulates the body kind of like caffeine and your body can become dependent on it.. Not quite sure if I believe this.. Seems like a superfood to me - in a good way.
ReplyLucky you! What brand do you have? Mine is professional grade, but it still doesn't work as well as the juice bars - plus there are like 20 parts to clean up! I wouldn't actually agree with that - unless of course you were having it all the time, too much of anything isn't a good thing. It gives you a sustainable energy, but not in a caffeine sort of way. Caffeine promotes blood sugar imbalance, stresses the adrenals and acts as a diurectic which is both harmful to the body and depletes you of much needed minerals whereas wheatgrass puts nutrients in and has no negative effects whatsoever. I love it!
I have the hippocrates green power living food processor. I got it at the big carrot. It has twin gears, low rpm, and masticating as opposed to centrifugal. The only downside is that it is expensive and a bit more difficult to clean than other brands. I think mercola recommends the omega juicers that you can also get at the big carrot. I paid good money for it though so I will definitely continue to use it especially in the spring and summer. On Dr. Mercola's website he has a juicer comparison chart to help you choose the best juicer for your needs. And I agree with you Joy - wheatgrass is healthier than coffee and probably healthier than most foods on the planet but yeah too much is not good and can actually bring on very strong detox reactions especially if you aren't used to it. A little goes along way!
ReplyWhen is the best time to drink wheatgrass? Before or after eating breakfast? Or can I do it any time during the day? Has anyone tried wheatgrass from Jamba Juice?
ReplyI like wheatgrass on an empty stomach best for the medicinal qualities. I have not tried jamba juice. I prefer organic wheatgrass. I'm not sure where theirs is sourced.
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ReplyHi Joy! I've seen wheatgrass sold pre-juiced (can't remember the brand) and also as a powder (Amazing Grass). Are these products worthwhile?
ReplyHi Steph! I've seen it too, but I actually haven't checked it because it seems processed to me. Wheatgrass goes rancid very quickly and when you get a shot of it at a juicebar you need to drink it within 15 minutes. This would mean if it's packaged and sold, it would need a preservative added to it. That being said, it's probably best to drink it fresh.
[...] Wheatgrass: http://joyoushealth.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/wheatgrass-makes-my-joyous-cells-smiley/ [...]
Reply[...] rau ma, you know, the Vietnamese pennywort leaf drink. Here’s a recipe. For those who detest wheatgrass, pennywort is a great (and cheap) alternative to the stuff sold at Jamba [...]
ReplyFresh juice is wonderful for health. You should drink it daily. And for the wheat grass use a specific juicer, for example Green Star 3000 Juicer. With this juicer you can juice everything and keep the most enzymes and nutrients.
ReplyIt's grow best outside, it has a tendency to get moldy in trays and it's does not grow well above 90degrees, This may sound strange but chipmunks love it haha, I built a box with chicken wire tacked on top to protect it, The little monsters like to burrow around in it, the box works great. A 10x21 area produces a huge amount of juice at 2cups of wheat berries, For maybe a couple of bucks I'm getting 20 or 30 ounces a week,so worth it.
I went all in, I buy 50lb bags of wheat berries, I sprout and grow 2cups which = 1lb which gives approximately 20 or 30+ oz. I own a greenstar juicer/ twin gear type$$$ but Decided its too much work, it's great for juicing veggies but for the daily shot of wheat grass it's grueling, So I found a awesome manual type called the hurricane juicer or miracle, an dedicated whaet grass juicer, it takes a little muscle but not bad and 100 times easier to clean. I grow my grass outside in a 10in x 21in or so area in organic top soil with azomite a plant food. I grow it for 8 to 10 days then harvest and store in a special container that has some type of silver technology to preserve produce, yet I only store it for 7days after that it's considered done. Don't bother frozen or dry, it's highly perishable, live enzymes die too fast too drink it within a half hour or you only getting mineral water. This sounds like work but it's really not, I have a perfect system. I'm not unhealthy just taking advantage of a great super food while young, 2 to 6oz a day.
ReplyIm telling you if you know anyone who has colitis get them on the wheatgrass, its been a god send. After being in and out of hospital and countless medications for more than 2 years, wheatgrass has helped to totally turn my health around....and it tastes fantastic!!!!
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