Wheatgrass Juice: What’s So Good About It?
WHEATGRASS JUICE: WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT IT? (Issue 32)
By Diane Gold
It’s no secret that many people ingest wheatgrass juice in one- to two-ounce shots on a daily or twice a day basis. They obtain it at the health food store, the juice store or, if they have know the merits of it, they do it at home.
What’s so special about wheatgrass is the question often asked.
1) It is one of the most alkaline foods known to us, and current research shows that foreign cells in our body, such as cancer cells, cannot live in an alkaline environment.
2) Secondly, it is high in oxygen, and current research links high oxygen with the death of cancer cells.
3) It is 70% chlorophyll, which cleans, heals and energizes. With the selenium that is present, it helps build the immune system.
4) Wheatgrass contains loads of nutrients: 13 (or more) vitamins, minerals, trace elements; all 20 amino acids and 30 + enzymes. There are not many foods this rich for our body.
5) Wheatgrass can balance the appetite because makes the body feel full, thus minimizing cravings.
6) Wheatgrass destroys free radicals by converting them to extra oxygen molecules.
7) In liquid form, wheatgrass is easily absorbed by the body, so it can add all those available nutrients without losing them in digestion.
8) Wheatgrass is a great detoxifier. With all the chlorophyll, it helps to purify the body. It’s almost like an internal deodorant.
9) Wheatgrass, with all its chlorophyll, rebuilds the bloodstream. Animal studies have shown that anemia has corrected itself with the administration of chlorophyll.
10) Scientific studies show that chlorophyll, the major component of wheatgrass, arrests the growth of unfriendly bacteria.
There are many other claims that have been attributed to wheatgrass: including that it regulates blood sugar, is good for acne, restores fertility, dissolves scarring, purifies the liver, regenerates tissue, prevents tooth decay and more.
It has been, at least, a year since I started a daily regimen of drinking wheatgrass juice.
I was lunching with a friend, and we decided that, if I researched the best wheatgrass extractor, he would spring for one machine for each of us, and we could do an individual wheatgrass regime as a team in our own homes. I came up with my choice and ordered the machine. In the meantime, my friend decided to go with another machine that did not process wheatgrass. But that got me started on my routine.
The most striking feeling I get from ingesting wheatgrass juice is that I feel like a truck, every time I do it. Almost instantly after I drink my morning shot, which is usually two ounces, I feel powerful. It’s not the same kind of strength I feel from kung fu, tai chi, hanging from some exercise machine or doing an ab workout that makes my muscles feel good. It’s different.
It feels as if I am strong because I have been purified. No kidding. As if the wheatgrass has sucked out some of the toxin from my body. I even wonder whether it is providing harmony to my life and my body. For anyone who is fighting with her body, I would highly recommend doing wheatgrass for balance.
One of the things drinking wheatgrass does is that, because of its alkaline properties, it makes us more able to enjoy the healthy foods like fruits and veggies, mushrooms, soybeans, rather than the very acidy colas, meat, smoking and coffee. (I just read a food chart that said stress is on the Acidic PH side.)
An interesting thing happened to me a little over a year ago. I went to the dentist to get my pearly whites cleaned. As usual, the session took 30 minutes because I produce plaque which takes time and skill to clean. When I went back in three months for my next appointment, the session took 20 minutes, and the hygienist said that I must be brushing my teeth more or getting the hang of it.
It is possible that my skill, after half a decade with this hygienist, has improved. But then I realized what it was. The only routine I had changed was adding wheatgrass to my diet. Because of that, I have to say it has been helpful in keeping my mouth clean, personally proving 9), above.
Over 50 years back, Ann Wigmore, The Wheatgrass Queen, and Viktoras Kulvinskas founded Hippocrates, a wellness center in Boston, where they used living foods to treat disease. Wheatgrass was given several times a day with great results. Years later, many current wellness centers continue in the same way.
In West Palm Beach, at Hippocrates, which is the Boston inspired wellness center, they grow their own wheatgrass in their own organic greenhouse, and they have a master grower to oversee it. For clients who stay for a week or longer, wheatgrass juicing is strongly encouraged often, such as several times a day and is thought to be a necessary part of healing. (For those who come for the Saturday tour and lunch only, which is what I did, wheatgrass is available during the tour and then there is lunch, which, to my delight, consisted of sprouted beans and vegetables, all uncooked.)
CONCLUSION
Based on the many healing properties that this plant has, wheatgrass juice consumption gives us a simple way to balance our alkalinity, get our veggies, get our fiber, get extra healing oxygen.
They say a balanced body makes for a balanced mind. Also, there is minimal caloric intake for this superfood.
ACTION STEP
HOW TO START WITH WHEATGRASS JUICE USING A WHEATGRASS EXTRACTOR
1) THE JUICE EXTRACTOR
Get a wheatgrass extractor. They start at $30 for a manual device. If possible, go up to $50 and get the Lexen Manual GP27.
There are two different philosophies. Some say it’s better to put your whole self into juicing and will only go with the manuals. If you are willing to spend time, go with the manual. It’s good work for the body and saves electricity.
If money is not an issue and you have interest in an electric, I use a Lexen. For me, it is important to minimize time, and the electric is quick.
2) THE WHEATGRASS
Go to the store and purchase wheatgrass in a flat. This grass must be cut down with scissors or knife before use.
If it’s bought in a plastic container or bag, it is already cut. It is always best to buy the flat, because it stays alive until you cut it. I do not make time for this step.
3) FIRST THING IN THE AM
Because the wheatgrass enzymes are alive, more of the nutrients will be absorbed if the stomach is empty. Therefore, it should be the first food of the day. Then wait 20-30 minutes so that it can properly digest before eating breakfast.
4) STRAIGHT WHEATGRASS JUICE
According to the experienced wheatgrass juicers, the wheatgrass juice is not supposed to be diluted for best results and to get the full absorption of the live enzymes. No exceptions, unless you will fold and stop the wheatgrass juice altogether if you are forced to be a purist.
I went to a relative’s Day After Wedding Day Brunch. It was very beautiful and at a posh hotel with all the bells and whistles. To my joy, they had wheatgrass juice for the guests. To myself, I called it designer wheatgrass juice. Why? It was 50% apple juice.
Of course, it is better to have a wheatgrass and apple juice combo than not to have any wheatgrass juice at all. But, when possible, drink it straight.
5) BREATHING THROUGH THE MOUTH
If needed , it’s OK to breathe through the mouth, closing the nostrils for a few minutes before beginning the juicing process all the way through to several minutes after you have consumed the juice – until you get used to it. This prevents any queasiness from the juice’s aroma, which is similar to freshly cut grass. It definitely smells fresh.
It’s been about a year that I have been juicing every morning, and I still use this breathing through the mouth method, more or less. I had to figure out some way not to deprive myself from such great food. I did, and it was well worth it!
Most people will not need this step, because they love the smell.
6) CONGRATULATIONS
You have just embarked on the health of your body. This juice will do you well for a long time.
Good for you; good to you; spread the word.
FEEDBACK
Let us know what you think of the article in the comment section below.
DIANE GOLD, AUTHOR
Diane Gold, Founder of Warriors of Weight, Moms For Healthy Daughters, is a mentor in tai chi, kung fu and meditation, a music, fitness and stress expert and a dedicated mom. She has been doing an average of two ounces of wheatgrass juice daily for a year and is excited to share her experience with this naturally wonderful grass, so good to and for the body. She says,
“Who would have thought that such a gentle and weightless food would carry so much power in each use including being an aid to weight loss!”
