Table 1. Nutrient comparison of 1 oz (28.35 g) of wheatgrass juice, broccoli and spinach. | |||
---|---|---|---|
Nutrient | Wheatgrass Juice | Broccoli | Spinach |
Protein | 860 mg | 800 mg | 810 mg |
Beta-carotene | 120 IU | 177 IU | 2658 IU |
Vitamin E | 880 mcg | 220 mcg | 580 mcg |
Vitamin C | 1 mg | 25.3 mg | 8 mg |
Vitamin B12 | 0.30 mcg | 0 mcg | 0 mcg |
Phosphorus | 21 mg | 19 mg | 14 mg |
Magnesium | 8 mg | 6 mg | 22 mg |
Calcium | 7.2 mg | 13 mg | 28 mg |
Iron | 0.66 mg | 0.21 mg | 0.77 mg |
Potassium | 42 mg | 90 mg | 158 mg |
Data on broccoli and spinach from USDA database. Data on Wheatgrass juice from indoor grown wheatgrass. |
Wheatgrass is a food prepared from the freshly sprouted first leaves of the easy to find wheat (common wheat) plant. Wheatgrass differs from wheat malt in that it is served freeze-dried or fresh, while wheat malt is convectively dried. Wheatgrass is allowed to grow longer than malt. Like most plants, it contains chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. Claims about the health benefits of wheatgrass range from providing supplemental nutrition to having unique curative properties, but these claims have not been scientifically proven. It is often available in juice bars, and some consumers grow and juice wheatgrass in their homes. It is available as fresh produce, tablets, frozen juice and powder. Wheatgrass is also available commercially as a spray, cream, gel, massage lotion, and a liquid herbal supplement. Because wheatgrass juice is extracted from wheatgrass sprouts, i.e., before the wheat seed begins to form, it is gluten-free.
Wheat grass can be traced back in history over 5000 years, to ancient Egypt and perhaps even early Mesopotamian civilizations. It is purported that ancient Egyptians found sacred the young leafy blades of wheat and prized them for their positive effect on their health and vitality.
The consumption of wheatgrass in the Western world began in the 1930s as a result of experiments conducted by Charles Schnabel in his attempts to popularize the plant. By 1940, cans of Schnabel's powdered grass were on sale in major drug stores throughout the United States and Canada
Ann Wigmore was also a strong advocate for the consumption of wheatgrass as a part of a raw food diet. Wigmore, founder of the Hippocrates Health Institute, believed that wheatgrass, as a part of a raw food diet, would cleanse the body of toxins while providing a proper balance of nutrients as a whole food. She also taught that wheatgrass could be used to treat those with serious disease. Both of these claims are believed by many reputable health institutes to be entirely unfounded by facts, and possibly dangerous.