Eat Your Grass

Eat Your Grass!

By Casey Adams, Ph.D.

Oats, wheat, and barley make for some of our favorite foods. Before these grains go to shaft and seed in the field however, the nutrient level of their tiny thin grass strands climax into perfection. This renders a family of nutrient-dense foods we call cereal grasses. The most popular of these are wheat grass, kamut grass and barley grass. Oat grass and other grains are also worth considering, although they are not as commercially available.

For many years, nutritionists have realized that the tender grass family provides potent nutrients not realized in many other foods. For maximum nutrient benefit, the grass is harvested within just a few weeks from sprouting. The tender grass leaf is cut and juiced or dehydrated. While dehydrated cereal grasses are nutrient-rich, the juice retains more water-soluble nutrients, giving it a greater range of nutritients and a sweeter taste. The state of the art cereal grass processors are now dehydrating juice concentrates from the raw cereal grasses. The grasses are first juiced and then concentrated followed by freeze-drying to preserve heat- and light-sensitive nutrients.

Some analyses have indicated that an ounce of wheat grass has the nutritional content equal to over twenty ounces of vegetables. Because the cereal grasses are picked young, they also supply many enzymes that mature vegetables do not provide. Cereal grasses contain a whole array of antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin K, vitamin E, vitamin A as beta-carotene, vitamin C, various B vitamins, chlorophyll, and the detoxification enzyme superoxide dismutase. SOD has been shown to neutralize and protect cells from superoxide radicals, which can be particularly destructive to joints, organs, and blood vessels. Superoxide radicals have been implicated in many cancers, atherosclerosis, and osteoarthritis, among other ailments.

To give an idea of the tremendous quantity of nutrients provided by the cereal grasses, one-half ounce of dehydrated wheat grass provides about 18,600 units of vitamin A as beta-carotene, over 100 grams of vitamin C, and more than five grams of protein. Kamut grass, often called the “ancient grain” and another member of the wheat family, can have even more protein content. As far as protein quality goes, most of the cereal grasses contain all the essential amino acids. This makes the humble grass one of the best sources of high quality digestible protein around. How else do all those huge grazing animals get so big and strong?

Cereal grasses also contain a number of minerals such as calcium and selenium, as well as iron. Its deep rooting system will draw a large array of trace minerals from the soil as well. As a result, wheat grass is a good way to enhance the various metabolic and nervous processes of the body. Trace elements are critical for just about every enzymatic function in the body. For this reason, cereal grasses also provide energy and mental stamina. They are extremely helpful for staying calm and energetic in stressful situations.

Cereal grasses will contain up to 70% chlorophyll. Chlorophyll has been shown by laboratory and clinical studies to be antiseptic and bacteriostatic. In other words, chlorophyll kills or repels various types of bacteria, making it useful for various internal infections. Chlorophyll has also been shown to increase hemoglobin levels in cases of anemia, especially in combination with supplemental iron. For this reason, because the grasses contain iron, they make great blood content builders. For this very reason, many athletes have found that eating cereal grasses gives them a competitive edge when it comes to endurance and speed.

Wheat grass, barley grass and kamut grass have been used with success for various healing and detoxification purposes. Nutritionists and alternative health professionals have recommended cereal grasses to alkalize the body--increasing the blood’s ability to detoxify while boosting the productivity of the immune system. The combination of chlorophyll and antioxidant nutrients makes it the perfect way to protect the body against the stresses of our toxic world.

Cereal grasses have been shown to reduce inflammation and have beneficial effects upon the cardiovascular system as well. As the inflammation cascade is central to many disorders, cereal grasses are a great way to help deter or reduce the incidences of autoimmunity, allergies, and heavy metal toxicity.

Making cereal grasses part of our everyday diet is not hard. There are various juice grass powders available on the market. Look for dehydrated juice powder instead of simply dehydrated grass. To avoid the grassy taste simply blend the powder with a citrus drink or with a fizzy vitamin C citrus powder. Grasses are okay on either an empty or full stomach. One to two teaspoons per day is enough to provide a wealth of health and energy.

For the quintessential wheat grass connoisseur, wheat grass can be easily grown in the kitchen or pantry. There are many small kitchen wheat grass kits available. One small tray of wheat grass can last for weeks, as the grass can be harvested (clipped with scissors) multiple times. Wheat grass is very sweet when fresh. It can be juiced or added to salads or sandwiches.