WHEATGRASS JUICE
Imagine that this is a conversation between a mother and
her child - except they're both me.
"It's time to drink some wheatgrass juice"
"Yuk! I hate wheatgrass juice!"
"I know you hate wheatgrass juice but you're having it anyway"
"YUK!"
The truth is, I really love wheatgrass juice,
but I and lots of other people
have a difficult time with the taste of it.
It is cloyingly sweet and naturally tastes and smells
like grass. Really sweet grass. Which is exactly what it is.
It is also 70% chlorophyll and therefore is strong medicine.
The odor of it fills the entire head cavity and usually makes
me involuntarily shudder for a few seconds when I down it.
However, it is worth it.
It is a very powerful cleanser and has to be drunk with,
or followed immediately by, other liquids to dilute it -
otherwise it can make you feel a little nauseous because its
cleansing reaction can be so strong. I have never had that
reaction when it is diluted. It just makes me feel alive
and clean and energized immediately. According to Bernard
Jenson it digests almost immediately.
Every time I try to write about wheatgrass
I get overwhelmed because there is so much information
to impart. I hardly know where to begin.
It contains vitamins A, C, the whole B complex including B12,
- good news for vegetarians - E, and K.
Vitamin K helps maintain healthy bones but also
clotting the blood so when using blood thinners or blood clotters
one has to consider the effects of dietary vitamin K. Coumadin
and Warfarin are drugs to prevent blood clots, and they
work by decreasing the activity of vitamin K.
Wheatgrass is capable of absorbing 92 of the 102 minerals
existing in soil, so it is important to get grass grown in good,
rich organic soil. Because of its high mineral content it is a very
alkalizing food. It's also kind of a miracle because most of those
minerals aren't in the seed. Life is so grand!
Because the chlorophyll molecule (70% of the juice, remember)
is very similar to the haemoglobin molecule in the blood, the body
is very easily able to transform the chlorophyll into haemoglobin
thereby increasing the red blood count with regular intake
of chlorophyll - and quite quickly. I am not now remembering the
source, of course, but I read that there have been experiments
with feeding wheatgrass to people with low red cell counts
and the return to normal count happening in days.
Because it increases red blood count it also therefore helps
the oxygenation of every cell in the body.
Chlorophyll is anti-inflammatory and helps heal wounds,
internally and externally. It also protects the body against
carcinogenic substances more than any other food. It cleanses
the liver, helps prevent tooth decay, prevents graying of hair,
and stimulates the functions of the lymphatic system,
helping it to wash out toxins, mucus, and crystallized acids
from the tissues.
Experiments with farm animals have proven that
wheatgrass can provide the full spectrum of nutrients
necessary to keep them alive and well for two years.
Of course the animals can eat the entire grass, and we,
lacking a few stomachs, cannot. We must juice it.
But the very fact that it is so nutrient rich makes it
a good indirect aid in weight loss. Cravings come from
various imbalances and deficiencies. Because of its
dense nutrient content, cravings from deficiencies are
relieved. Also, several of the 19 amino acids in
wheatgrass are specifically needed by the body for
digestion. Many cravings arise from improper digestion,
and regular wheatgrass consumption goes a long way
toward healing many digestive ills.
Did I mention that Midwest many farmers feed wheatgrass
to their cows and bulls to increase their fertility?
It also helps with constipation due to its high
magnesium content and helps with the removal of heavy metals.
The list goes on and on.
Because it requires an auger type juicer to extract
the juice from the grass, most people will not find
it easy to get fresh juice unless you live down the street
from Whole Foods or are willing to invest in an
auger juicer. I used to grow all my own wheatgrass,
and it's a lovely sight, but now living in this small place,
I have recently been buying it online.
Although it is not optimum,
you can buy it freeze-dried in capsules.
A few caveats about that.
1. Make sure it is the powdered JUICE, not the whole leaf.
2. It should be freeze-dried, not heat dried
3. Make sure it's organic
4. Make sure it is JUST wheatgrass with no other ingredients, not even good ones.
I hope I have encouraged one or two people
to begin incorporating another good habit.
I am sure there are places in this vast universe
where one does not have to worry about good habits.
I am planning to live there someday.
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