Wheatgrass: A healthy shot to your system

I’ve been hearing a lot about wheatgrass shots, but something about them always made me hesitate. It’s not the green color – I enjoy a good salad and broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables – and it’s not that I’m afraid of trying new things, but the idea of taking a shot of something with “grass” in the name brings to mind cows at pasture rather than a healthy boost for humans. Plus, I’m sensitive to gluten, and taking a shot of pure wheat sounds like a recipe for disaster.

My curiosity always wins out over any reservations I have about anything new, however, and with the amazing health benefits wheatgrass provides, it’s definitely something I’m going to have to check out. Tons of vitamins and goodies and nutrients to keep me healthy and strong this summer…the benefits are hard to pass up. Not only that, but wheatgrass is actually gluten free!

Wheatgrass has been around since the 1940s as a commercially available supplement, but research on it began in the 1920s after researchers found that cattle grazing on wheatgrass in spring had impressive improvements in health, including weight gain and increased milk and butter fat production. Agricultural chemist Dr. Charles Schnabel led initial research efforts, harvesting wheatgrass and mixing it with chicken feed. The hens Dr. Schnabel fed the wheatgrass to had a significant increase in egg production, some as much as 90%.

Wheatgrass benefits aren’t limited to livestock, however. Humans can get an amazing variety of nutrients, too.

As more and more research was conducted, wheatgrass was found to possess Vitamin D, A (thanks to the beta-carotenes), K, C (more than both oranges and carrots) and E. Wheatgrass also has a ton of chlorophyll, meaning that it has a high concentration of green pigmentation and its nutrients are heavily saturated.

What this means is that you don’t need to have a lot of wheatgrass in order to get all the benefits, and because wheatgrass is made from the grass of the wheat plant rather than its seeds, it’s gluten free – almost anyone can try it.

It has been said and proven by many people that wheatgrass can cure acne, lessen your chances of white hair, provide a body detoxification, and can even help you gain red blood cells. It is also said that the drinking this substance often can lessen your chances of getting cancer or other serious illnesses. The verdict is still out on a lot of these claims, but they’re creating enough buzz about wheatgrass that it’s worth trying at least once!