Occasionally a food fad will sweep through in a summer and is gone before most of us truly understand what all the hype was about. Sometimes, though, when the “fad” seems to be a little more substantive, it graduates to a higher status in our minds, shared with other accepted parts of alternative or holistic medicine. Frequently, this tends to be the case when the remedy or practice is actually well-known and even commonplace in another part of the world but has only recently made its way into American culture. Such a path seems to be the case with the wheatgrass phenomenon. A few summers ago, wheatgrass seemed to explode into the smoothie and juicing market. Almost overnight, juice bars and health food stores nudged the charcoal over to make room for this bright green contender in the limelight. It’s been a few years and wheatgrass doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. So, what’s all the fuss about?
Wheatgrass is the young grass of the common wheat plant Triticum aestivum. It is very high in chlorophyll, flavonoids, and an assortment of vitamins and minerals. It’s also known for its iron, calcium and amino acid content. It can be frozen but it’s usually juiced and taken in smoothies or in “shots” of a few ounces at a time. It’s reputation for being anti-cancer and generally healing seems to come from its high chlorophyll content. Chlorophyll is thought to have antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties. Fans suggest uses from drinking it to cleanse the liver to rinsing with it to eliminate a toothache.
Some of the claims of wheatgrass users may be a bit of a stretch but what we do know is that drinking wheatgrass does seem to induce synergistic benefits to chemotherapy and might assist with the mitigation of chemo side effects. There is also evidence that the anti inflammatory properties may help with arthritis, diabetes, colitis and other inflammatory diseases. Also, while a shot of this might contain a lot of the nutrients you need from a diverse helping of veggies, it will not replace the phytochemicals and complete nutrient profiles you would get by eating a variety of veggies. There are also a few drawbacks. If you have a gluten allergy or are pregnant, it is recommended that you avoid wheatgrass. The first group for obvious reasons and the second group because this supplemental food is unregulated and you could be exposed to contaminants and unexpected toxins.
At the end of the day, it looks like wheatgrass may be healthy and even helpful though not a replacement for a balanced diet. Some of the claims are not rooted in the facts but other benefits are pretty straightforward. If you decide to try wheatgrass as a way to improve an inflammatory disease, remember that it is supplemental and not meant to be in place of regular care. As also, we do not intend the information here to be used in diagnosis for prescription purposes but only to inform as you make your own dietary decisions. Buy local (sometimes you can even grow this at home yourself) and if we can help you in your product research, don’t hesitate to reach out!
RESOURCES:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26156538/
https://thechalkboardmag.com/50-benefits-of-wheatgrass
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-wheatgrass#2
https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.14224
https://www.organicauthority.com/energetic-health/benefits-of-wheatgrass