Wheatgrass is becoming much more popular in health trendy circles. Wheatgrass bars are popping up in cities and are instantly popular.

But, is it really worth the hype?

What is Wheatgrass Good For?

Wheatgrass is being used as a detox drink and healthy all-around supplement. Trendy wheatgrass and smoothie bars are adding this little grass bud to help people become healthier. It’s being added to supposed health food-like products to catch the eye of the health conscious.

Many people, especially new age health coaches are attributing all sorts of healthy and miraculous properties to this little sprout. Cancer, diabetes, weight loss, headaches, and digestive complications are all being ‘cured’ with wheatgrass.

It’s promoted as a very healthy detox drink, one that can pull out all sorts of toxins and junk from the body.

Wheatgrass History

Back in the 1930s, agricultural chemist Dr. Charles F. Schnabel promoted wheatgrass powder as a cure-all for just about everything. He promoted, he did studies, but those studies were never published or archived.

Then, in the 1940s, housewife Ann Wigmore began promoting wheatgrass as a cure for cancer, believing herself cured by it. Her claim is that since animals eat the grass, it must to be good for humans. There were no studies or facts to back up this belief.

Since then, the Hippocrates Health Institute has promoted wheatgrass as a cure-all. While they claim multitudes of studies proving the benefits, they do not have links to these studies, nor provide citations. Additional research to locate the studies referenced failed to return a single study. In fact, there are no current studies available that show wheatgrass has any benefit to people, despite over 200 studies performed on it.

Plus, when the wheatgrass is harvested it is at the lowest nutritional point of growth. It is just after all the nutrients are used up for initial growth and root development, but before the chlorophyll and root uptake systems are fully functional.

The nutrient wheatgrass has going for it is chlorophyll. This component of the plant is helpful to people by stimulating the detoxification pathways in our body. However, most people are made sick by the level of chlorophyll required to stimulate the detox. The recommended amount and the safe amount do not match.

But, again, wheatgrass isn’t the greatest. You get the same amount of chlorophyll from a fresh salad as from a single serving of wheatgrass.

You will find varying information on other websites, including the ridiculous statement that 2 oz of wheatgrass juice is the equivalent of 5 pounds of vegetables.

The problem is, there a huge difference in nutrition in the way the plants are grown. The commercially grown crop is the lowest nutrition you can get, and most of the wheatgrass consumed is this commercial crop. In order to be in top nutritional for, the wheatgrass needs to be organic *, harvested within 1 hour of use, and be slightly older than what is considered tasty.

Possible Wheatgrass Side Effects

Can you take too much wheatgrass? Yes, most definitely. Many people experience diarrhea and nausea from too much wheat grass. People who use wheatgrass for extended periods of time begin developing the same symptoms of people who eat white bread.

Initially, nausea and headaches are common. These are not detox side effects, despite the popular opinion of the internet and certificate health coaches. Medical doctors, nutritionists, and naturopathic doctors all confirm people are having serious physical reactions to the wheatgrass.

Digestive complaints are also very common. Nausea, diarrhea, gas, ulcers, and other digestive problems occur frequently. The chlorophyll is the cause of this. We are not able to handle concentrated doses of chlorophyll. We are physically unable to do it. We lack the proper enzymes to digest it and obtain a top benefit.

Can wheatgrass make you sick? Yes, you can become sick.

People who are sensitive to gluten and/or wheat products should not consume wheatgrass because it does contain gluten. People can have reactions ranging from swelling to breathing issues to full anaphylaxis.

How Much Wheatgrass Should I Drink?

If you are going to use wheatgrass, we recommend you stick to 4oz or less of whole wheatgrass per day. Unfortunately, that means all those drinks from the trendy places are off limits. They can be 8, 12, even a horrific 16oz of wheatgrass.

Powdered wheatgrass * can contain 4 to 6 oz of wheatgrass concentrate per teaspoon. Using the standard scoop, this means that you are getting too much wheatgrass.

See our answers above. This much wheatgrass can harm your body.

What Does Wheatgrass Taste Like?

If you go out and chomp on a mix of old hay and lawnmower cut grass, that’s what wheatgrass tastes like. It is a bitter green with slightly acidic undertones.

It’s grown to be bitter and unappetizing. As people bred the good grain content into the wheat, they also bred into it the ability to survive bugs and grazers to survive until it produced grain. That meant making it taste bad.

It’s the reason many wheatgrass bars add tremendous amounts of super sweet fruits to the drinks. They are trying to cover up the bitter taste of the wheatgrass. Of course, adding all these sugars negates the health benefits of the wheatgrass.

Wheatgrass Detox

The Big Problem with Wheatgrass

Proponents of wheatgrass ignore the biggest problem with wheatgrass: the way it’s grown.

Wheat is a very slow growing crop and requires 12 hours of sunlight to grow properly. Growing correctly, the sprout is highly bitter and tough.

In order to soften the sprout and reduce the bitterness, GMO wheat is used and the sprouts are grown in the dark.

There are no links to wheatgrass directly helping your eyes. As a green and containing chlorophyll, the blood pressure reduction could help reduce eye pressure and other eye problems.

Wheatgrass & Your Brain

There is no evidence to show wheatgrass can help your mind or concentration levels.

The opposite is nearly true. Too much chlorophyll can cause brain fog.

Wheatgrass & Pregnancy/Breastfeeding

It is not recommended pregnant women or breastfeeding women consume wheatgrass.

Where Can I Buy Wheatgrass?

Growing Your Own Wheatgrass

The best way to ensure your wheatgrass is the best is to grow it yourself. You actually don’t need a kit or expensive equipment.

The hardest thing is to obtain non-GMO and organic seeds. You just won’t find them in the store or at a farm outlet. You will need to order them online, from a certified source.

Other than that, just a large mason jar, a cheese cloth, water (preferable clean, spring water), and abundant sunlight (6+ hours per day).

Instructions:

Put 1/8 cup of seeds in the mason jar. Fill jar with water. Cover with cheesecloth. Let sit overnight.

The next day, drain and sit in direct sunlight.

Wash seeds with fresh water every day and keep in direct sunlight.

Once sprouts stop fast, obvious growth, use as desired.

What’s Better than Wheatgrass?

Nearly all other sprouts are tastier and healthier than wheatgrass. We actually recommend using legumes (beans and peas) or the cruciferous vegetable seeds (cabbage, broccoli, cress).

Smaller seeds produce sprouts faster. The legume sprouts are sturdier and have a higher carbohydrate concentration. With the higher carbs, the sprouts are sweeter.

Mung beans are typical of Chinese cooking. Lentil sprouts are often used in Middle Eastern cooking. Broccoli sprouts are often used in Northern European cooking. And in the Americas, all sorts of sprouts are eaten in the spring. There is a huge variety.

For top nutrition, go with fenugreek and alfalfa sprouts. They have the most nutrients and phytonutrients.

If you liked our article, please share it and use the comment section below for any questions. Thank You!