Wheatgrass

I recently researched the benefits of wheat grass and started taking a wheat grass supplement.  So here's the scoop...

What is wheat grass?  

"Wheatgrass is the young grass of the wheat plant, Triticum aestivum...Wheatgrass is a natural source of vitamins and antioxidants, including:

• Vitamins A, E, and B-12
• Calcium
• Selenium
• Magnesium
• Iron

One ounce of wheatgrass juice is equivalent to the vitamin and mineral content of one ounce of fresh vegetables."
From: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/wheatgrass


Some credit to Ann:
"The woman credited with bringing wheatgrass into the modern health mainstream was the late Ann Wigmore, a holistic practitioner who got turned on to wheatgrass and other natural foods while battling colon cancer and wanted to spread the word. Though Wigmore's credentials have been questioned, and her ideas are considered unorthodox by much of the medical establishment -- the Massachusetts Attorney General sued her in the 1980s for making false health claims -- wheatgrass caught on and became a sort of health food phenomenon."  (Check out http://www.annwigmore.org/)
From: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/wheatgrass

What can wheatgrass do?
"They say it can strengthen the immune system, detoxify the body, and ward off disease. Folk medicine practitioners once used wheatgrass for everything from treating constipation to easing the pain of rheumatism."

"People use wheatgrass to combat a number of everyday health conditions, including colds, coughs, fevers, digestive ailments, and skin conditions. Wheatgrass has also been used to prevent and treat more serious conditions, from cancer to AIDS. Some people even claim that a wheatgrass diet can shrink cancerous tumors and improve survival.

Many people who swear by it say that the potent ingredient in wheatgrass is chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants their green color. They claim chlorophyll acts like hemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen) and increases oxygen levels in the body."

From: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/wheatgrass

How is it used?
"Most people don't eat the wheatgrass itself, because it's tough to digest. Most often, the leaves are crushed and squeezed to make wheatgrass juice. Wheatgrass leaves also can be dried and made into tablets or capsules. Some people mix wheatgrass with water and use it as an enema to cleanse the digestive system."
From: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/wheatgrass

I purchased 100% Wheat Grass Juice Powder  - Now Certified Organic brand - from DrugStore.com, $14.99 (http://www.drugstore.com/now-foods-wheat-grass-juice/qxp320153?catid=183319).  It has Vitamin A, Iron, Calcium, and Vitamin K.

I originally tried it as suggested on the bottle - 2 teaspoons in 8 ounces of water - and it was very difficult to get down as it tasted TERRIBLE!  It literally tastes like liquid grass.  Also, no matter what I did, my breathe smelled HORRIBLE for the next 24 hours and, even though I was not in pain, I could tell that my stomach was struggling to digest it...let's just say that I felt very uncomfortable.

So, instead, I changed the way I take it.  I now put approximately 1 teaspoon into my shakes/smoothies and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon into my oatmeal and yogurt+granola.  You may still need to brush your teeth and/or chew some mint gum afterwards, but your breathe won't be nearly as bad as taking a full dose straight.