#Superfood Friday- Wonderful Wheatgrass!
- Carmen Deacetis
- Jun 12, 2015
- 2 min read
Wheatgrass
Wheatgrass has been hailed as a SUPERFOOD by many health advocates and for good reason. Wheatgrass contains all nine essential amino acids and is loaded with chlorophyll, vitamins, and minerals.
Wheatgrass is a gluten-free food prepared from the young shoots of the wheat plant. It does not contain gluten because it is harvested once sprouted but prior to growing wheat kernels. Through the sprouting process, the grass is packed with energy, high levels of nutrients, and live enzymes that help humans digest the grass when consumed, allowing nutrients to enter the bloodstream quickly.
Wheatgrass has been harvested for years, dating back to ancient Egypt, however it was only introduced to the Western world in the 1930’s. The reason for such hype over this green sprouted grass is due to its higher nutritional content than any other vegetable. Wheatgrass contains chlorophyll, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E, iron, calcium and magnesium. These high levels of nutrients have been shown to protect against inflammation, build red blood cells and improves circulation.
Some research suggests the chlorophyll in wheatgrass makes it effective at fighting off cancer-causing compounds in the body. This is due to the powerful effect of chlorophyll; when it enters the bloodstream, it boosts haemoglobin, because both chlorophyll and haemoglobin have similar structures. Each cell in the body is enhanced with oxygen and helps remove harmful substances such as carcinogens that have entered the body.
Wheatgrass can be consumed in several ways: as a juice, powder, tea, pill or tablet. All forms will provide the benefits of wheatgrass however, some of the vital nutrients may be lost during processing into powder, pill or tablet form. Fresh grass juice contains healthful enzymes not found in dried grass powder and is likely to be higher in just about every phytonutrient.
Some people grow their own and juice it with a masticating juicer, but if time is not on your side, which is the case for most of us, you can purchase freeze dried packets of wheatgrass that can be conveniently ingested as a drink or added to a smoothie. A couple of trusted brands right here in Canada are:
If you are hesitant about giving wheatgrass a try and do not want to commit to purchasing a large quantity, many juice bars offer it, so go on in and take a shot! You will be glad you did.
Enjoy
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