If you’re a fan of your smoothie and juice blends, you won’t be able to walk into a shop without seeing “wheatgrass” somewhere on the menu. Wheatgrass has become quite popular over the years, heavily recommended as a superfood you should probably add to your diet. But is Wheatgrass really as extraordinary as it’s being made out to be?

The short answer to that question is yes, wheatgrass is really awesome!

Just two ounces of wheatgrass has the nutritional equivalent of five pounds of the best organic vegetables, meaning that wheatgrass has one of the highest nutritional contents packed in itself than most veggies combined! Wheatgrass has the full spectrum of B vitamins, along with calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C and all of the essential amino acids. If wheatgrass isn’t the powerhouse of nutritional foods what is?

But the benefits don’t end there. Wheatgrass not only floods your body full of vitamins and minerals, it may also help you detox too, especially in the liver and blood. The grass might neutralize toxins and environmental pollutants in the body, which is why a lot of popular juice cleanses out there today have wheatgrass as an important ingredient.

A little science for you: wheatgrass helps cleanse and build your blood due to chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a wonderful little substance that contains more healing properties than any other element on the planet because it carries high levels of oxygen and having more oxygen in your body helps it to restore abnormalities and eliminate diseases.

The very best way to consume wheatgrass in order for it to reach its full potential in your body is having it freshly juiced and consumed preferably within fifteen minutes. If you ever wondered why your favourite juice place freshly cuts wheat grass before throwing it into the blender or juicer, that’s the reason.   

If heading to a juice shop daily seems like a bit of a hassle and a tad costly, you can grow wheatgrass yourself quite easily. There is a detailed step-by-step guide at Hippocrates Health Institute.  

For the best wheatgrass you can grow, here are a few more additional pointers:

• Harvest time is crucial, typically one week after you germinate the seeds.
• If you don’t want the wheatgrass to be extremely bitter, expose it to indirect sunlight instead of direct and pick the grass when it is harvest time, it’ll taste a lot sweeter.
• Keep a gentle breeze blowing and humidity low to avoid mold growth, which can make you sick if you eat it!
• Be careful of the amount of wheatgrass you consume every day. Too much can make you nauseous, so try to avoid drinking large amounts of it for a long period of time.

Reference:

"Benefits of Wheatgrass." Hippocrates Health Institute. 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. <http://hippocratesinst.org/benefits-of-wheatgrass-2>.

Hinde, Natasha. "What Is Wheatgrass? Health Benefits, Concerns And How To Eat And Drink It." The Huffington Post UK. 15 Oct. 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/10/15/wheatgrass-health-benefits_n_8294456.html>.

"How to Grow Wheatgrass." Hippocrates Health Institute. 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 29 Feb. 2016. <http://hippocratesinst.org/how-to-grow-wheatgrass-2>.

Mercola, Joseph. "The Potential Health Benefits of Wheatgrass." Mercola.com. 20 May 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2016. <http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/05/20/wheatgrass.aspx>.