Wheatgrass and Your Teeth

I just read an article saying that making wheatgrass juice and gargling it will relieve a toothache. I've never tried it, mostly because I never get toothaches, but if I did,I would surely give it a go. I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, but if anybody out there can vouch for it, let me know. Here is the article: http://keralaonline.com/life-style/sore-tooth-remedy_41827.html

Expert Opinion on Wheatgrass

A couple of weeks ago, I went to hear a talk by Michael Greger, MD, who is an internationally recognized expert on nutrition and health issues. He reads through every scientific study on food that he can get his hands on, and shares his findings. Surprised by some foods that I thought were healthy, but showed up as harmful in the latest studies, I specifically asked him about wheatgrass. His answer was that it definitely was healthy to drink wheatgrass juice, but that it was just as healthy to drink a shot of juiced kale instead. He says that the more green leafy vegetables we eat the healthier we are, and since wheatgrass is essentially a leaf, then it is good for us. If you want to take a look at Dr. Greger's website, here it is. My take on all this is that since I don't usually eat any vegetables before lunchtime, wheatgrass juice is a good way to sneak in a few extra servings of the green leafy stuff into my diet in the morning without having to even chew.

The Wheatgrass pick-me-up and other energy boosters

Enduring a groggy morning or the mid-afternoon energy sag is a daily occurrence for many people. Many people claim that drinking some wheatgrass juice first thing in the morning enables them to forgo their cup of coffee. Although there seems to be little scientific evidence so far on wheatgrass juice, I have heard countless people say that wheatgrass juice in fact does give them a boost of energy. What causes this energy boost? We all know that coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate contain caffeine, which is known to provide an energy kick, but what does wheatgrass have? Some think that it has to do with the raw, simple way that your body can absorb and put the nutrients present in wheatgrass juice to work right after you drink it. Many foods require your body to work quite hard to get the nutrients out of the food, but wheatgrass juice is one of the simplest things to digest.  In addition, wheatgrass is considered an alkaline food, and consuming an alkaline diet helps to balance the body's pH. By drinking wheatgrass and other green alkaline drinks, you are giving your body to achieve optimum performance.
Wheatgrass juice definitely isn't the only option for that energy booster though. Here are a few more ways to get you through your days:

1. Exercise -- When you exercise and breathe hard, oxygen is sent rushing throughout your body, giving you an energy boost. Even a few minutes will make a big difference. Can't go outside? Walk or run up the stairs.
2. Drink tea -- Tea has a lot less caffeine in it than coffee, and it contains lots of anti-oxidants. Natural tea is a great drink that can boost energy levels.
3. Go outside -- Your body is designed to be alert during the day and sleeping at night. If you are stuck indoors all day, your body will naturally start to feel drowsy because you aren't in the sunlight. Solution: get outside for a short break anytime you can, and lift up the shades in your office. If you can't do any of these, get a "daylight" light bulb which mimics sunlight. This one by philips only costs $3.99 This method also works well for people who need to work at night.
   
4. Eat right -- Your body performs best when it is given the right kinds of food. Human bodies thrive on things that are fresh, so eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. For an afternoon snack, bring some fruit to work.
5. Get enough sleep -- Everyone knows this one, but for lots of people, this is the main reason why they feel drowsy during the day. If you aren't sleeping for 7-9 hours a night, you will naturally feel tired. Do whatever it takes to make sure you can get to bed early enough to get your sleep, and you will enjoy your days a lot more!

Increasing Your Energy With Raw and Living Foods

Including more raw and living foods in your diet is a great way to increase your energy level, lose unwanted weight, and cleanse your body. Wheatgrass is considered a raw, living food since it is still growing until the moment you put it into the juicer, and then into your body minutes later. In fact, there is a drug treatment center that gives its patients wheatgrass juice to help with the cleansing of their bodies.
As for other raw and living foods, most seeds like alfalfa and almonds are dormant and need to be activated. You can eat them in their raw state, but in order to turn them into a "live" food, you soak them in water to awaken them. Raw foods have a number of advantages including:

• Countless people including myself report a major boost in energy levels after switching to a mostly raw diet. I am absolutely convinced that a living, raw diet is far superior in nutrients and vitamins than eating processed, cooked food.
• Humans are the only animals that cook, and process our food. Thousands of other animals, including our close relatives (gorillas and chimpanzees) thrive on entirely raw food diets.
• Cooked and processed foods often lose a large percentage of their nutritional value when they are heated. Raw foods retain these nutrients until the moment you eat them. In fact, many studies have found that certain substances are carcinogenic when cooked.
• The human body evolved to consume a raw food diet. Before we figured out how to make fires (and for thousands of years after that as well), humans ate what they could find growing outside--fruits, plants, and nuts. It wasn't until very recently that humans started cooking nearly everything they eat. Evolution takes a long time to catch up!

If you want to learn more about raw food, this site is great, or get yourself a raw food book to show you the ropes.

The Healing Powers of Wheatgrass

There are many rumors floating around about the benefits of wheatgrass, so I thought I would write a little on this subject. Some claim that drinking wheatgrass can heal all kinds of illnesses and health problems in humans. Others claim that it doesn't really do anything at all. To help answer this question, we can take a look at the one place that has focused on wheatgrass juice: The Hippocrates Health Institute. This place carries on where Ann Wigmore left off, providing guidance for healthy living that focuses on wheatgrass, raw and vegan diets, and a healthy lifestyle. The institute sees many people suffering from all kinds of sicknesses, and many have remarkable turnarounds. Take a look at their testimonials page to read what patients have to say. The ailments that have been healed include cancer, brain tumors, gallstones, weight problems, bone density, arthritis, seizures, and many others health problems.

After reading through some of these, it makes me want to keep drinking wheatgrass juice. I guess my problem is that I am very healthy, so I can't see the effects so well! But I haven't been to the doctor for years, and am in great shape, so I am going to keep drinking the juice to make sure I stay that way!  It is worth mentioning that wheatgrass juice is only one of many of the so called superfoods that can keep your body running at full seed.  These include acai berries, green tea, oregano, himalayan goji juice, and many other natural foods. 

If you are new to wheatgrass, this book gives you all the info you need about what wheatgrass is, what it can do for you, and how to grow it yourself.

Come On, Even A Kindergartener Can Grow Wheatgrass

That's right, I just read that a kindergarten class is growing, juicing, and drinking wheatgrass juice. There is a belief out there that growing wheatgrass is a daunting and complex task, but it is actually quite simple. I am pretty excited to hear this kind of stuff, since all I can remember eating at kindergarten was sloppy joes, pizza, and french fries--not exactly healthy stuff. In junior high school, our health & nutrition teacher actually taught us how to make fried donuts, ice cream sundaes, and spam sandwiches!!!

With a little direction from a local juice bar owner, 5 year olds are actually learning how to grow and juice wheatgrass. It is very important for kids to get a little lesson in eating healthy, since they are bombarded from all sides with junk food. I have been drinking wheatgrass juice pretty much every day for over 2 years now, and I haven't been to the doctor for that entire time. I also feel lucky to have been brought up by health-food crazy parents, and have grown into a healthy eater. If you haven't tried growing your own wheatgrass, give it a go! The worst thing that can happen is you screw up and try again!

Here is the article

Your mama's so healthy, she drinks wheatgrass juice!

I just came across this new website that is devoted to natural herbal medicines including wheatgrass. Apparently the guy who started the site, mamaherb.com did so because his mama was sick with cancer. He heard about wheatgrass juice, and decided to give it to his mama every day. I guess she didn't suffer any adverse side effects from the chemotherapy, and voila, mamaherb was born.  There are literally thousands and thousands of medicines that are known throughout the world to help people.  The problem seems to be that natural remedies have a hard time reaching other parts of the world.  Chinese medicine is just now becoming increasingly popular in the west, even though it has been around for thousands of years.  The same is true of traditional medicines from many other regions of the world. 
The site does list many natural remedies to various ailments, but it doesn't have a whole lot of information on wheatgrass for some reason. It's worth a look though, as there are all kinds of herbs that can be used as natural treatments for everything from obesity to diabetes to hay fever, and it says which vitamins can be found in each one.

Superfoods To The Rescue

Lately there seems to be much talk about called superfoods. Superfoods are foods that contain especially high levels of antioxidants or other nutrients. Some of the most well-known superfoods are

• Blueberries - rich in antioxidants and phytoflavinoids
• Green or black tea - also rich in antioxidants
• Wheatgrass - made up of 70% chlorophyll and many other nutrients and antioxidants
• Tomatoes - contain lycopene, thought to have antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties
• Oats - seems to help lower cholesterol levels
• Cacao (chocolate) - rich in many different nutrients
• Flax seeds - omege-3 fatty acids
  

There are many other foods that fall into the "superfoods" category as well. For a lot more info on superfoods, check out this wikipedia page.
These foods are meant to be eaten as a way to prevent things like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other sicknesses. They can also help bring you back to optimum health if you are sick. Many people use them as a Detox Cleanse. Additionally, none of the superfoods are processed. They are all in their natural, raw state. You never seem to see superfood chips or pizza!

Although some so-called health experts warn people that there is no such thing as superfoods, I disagree. My reasoning is that these days any anything that promotes the eating of fruits and vegetables is a good thing. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for junk foods like burgers, pizza, and candy. When was the last time you saw a tv commercial for broccoli? Probably never. Some critics of superfoods seem to think people will try to live on blueberries and wheatgrass alone. This is doubtful. Of course the best diet in my opinion is a vegetarian healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, with foods that fit into the "superfoods" label mixed in whenever possible as well. Juices are one of the best ways to get more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Check out these juicing recipes for some great ideas.

1 shot o' wheatgrass = 2 kilos of vegetables

There are claims on many websites that 1 shot of wheatgrass juice gives you the same nutrients as 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) of fresh vegetables. The source of this claim seems to come from a guy named Charles F. Schnabel, who allegedly said that "Fifteen pounds of wheatgrass is equivalent to 350 pounds of the choicest vegetables". Many websites and juice bars claim this on their websites. I have pondered this for quite a while, and I think this statement is very misleading. First of all, they don't tell you which fresh vegetables they are comparing wheatgrass to. Secondly, they don't tell you which nutrients they are measuring. Different vegetables have different amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Here is the nutritional data of wheatgrass tablets and powder that I found on a website that sells wheatgrass stuff. It seems to me that wheatgrass juice does in fact contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, although none in extraordinarily high concentrations. In addition, many vegetables contain a lot of these same vitamins and nutrients as well.

So what do we conclude from all of this? My feeling is that there is something else about it that makes wheatgrass healthy for us. Maybe it is the fact that 70% of wheatgrass juice is chlorophyll. Chlorophyll sure makes plants grow quickly, but can it work for people? Another idea to ponder is that cows and horses live almost entirely on grass. If you watch a horse graze, you will notice that they don't really like the old, tall grass. They prefer to eat the newly grown shoots because these contain the most nutrients and taste better. The fact that cows and horses can grow to be huge and full of muscles just from eating grass is in itself proof enough for me that wheatgrass juice works. Somehow grass contains enough vitamins and nutrients for them to grow big and strong, so I am willing to add it to my diet of other healthy foods.

Healthy Travelling

How do you eat healthy food while travelling? If you are going somewhere you can buy anything you want, it is easy. But what if you are going to countries where you aren't supposed to eat raw vegetables? I have spent years travelling around South America and Asia, and here are my suggestions:

1. Eat heaps of fruit. Luckily, many of the places where you have to watch what you eat are loaded with yummy exotic fruits. Places like this include India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia, nearly all of Central and South America, and many other places. The safest fruits to eat are ones you can peel that grow on trees--Oranges, papayas, bananas, mangos, lychee, rambutan, etc. Be careful of watermelons and other melons, since they grow on the ground and suck up whatever water they are grown in. Studies have shown that melons can contain the same bacteria that the water has. Eating lots of fruit can give you most of the vitamins you need.


2. Drink fruit shakes. Just make sure the water they use bottled water and the ice they use is made from filtered water.


3. Since you can't eat salads, take along some wheatgrass powder or a super green vitamin powder to mix with water and drink everyday. If you are used to eating lots of green stuff at home, suddenly stopping for a while will have an effect on your body and health.


4. Eat lots of cooked vegetables. Cooking vegetables will pretty much kill any bacteria on them and render them safe to eat. You will still get a lot of nutrients from cooked vegetables. Restaurants everywhere love to put raw lettuce and tomatoes on your plate, but these are better left untouched.


5. Choose restaurants that look clean and are busy. Take a look at the people working there. If they look healthy and happy, that is a good sign that their food is probably safe to eat.

Should you drink wheatgrass when you are pregnant?

Our first baby is due to make her debut in this world of ours in a few more months, so I have been researching this question a bit lately. Just like many other aspects of wheatgrass, there are conflicting opinions on this topic as well. If you read the views of many doctors, even those who specialize in alternative medicine, they will tell you to avoid wheatgrass during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. It seems to me that the reason they don't recommend it is because there have been no scientific tests on this subject so that I know of so far. Doctors are pretty cautious about telling pregnant women to take things that haven't been thoroughly tested yet. They may also be afraid that you somehow drink wheatgrass that wasn't grown in sanitary conditions, which could possibly make you sick.

My wife used to drink wheatgrass juice every day, but as soon as she was pregnant she couldn't go near the stuff. Pregnant women suddenly love certain foods and can't stand others, and she can't even take the smell of wheatgrass juice right now for some reason.

On the other hand, some women have taken wheatgrass during and after pregnancy and say that they were just fine. Additionally, some of the manufacturers of wheatgrass tablets and powders say that it is fine to consume their products during pregnancy. They even say that babies can take it too. My wife isn't drinking wheatgrass juice, but she is definitely eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and other healthy vegetarian foods. If you are unsure about whether or not you should take wheatgrass while you are pregnant, ask your doctor.

Supershots Review

I finally got my hands on Dr. Wheatgrass Supershots - Bottle of Stabilized Liquid Wheat Grass Juice at a friend's house and took a capful, which is the recommended dose. I couldn't get myself to buy a bottle since I have trays and trays of my own wheatgrass growing and waiting to be consumed.
Here is my review of the stuff: Supershots is an extract of wheatgrass juice. I am still not sure what it is that they extracted, and how they did it, as it is apparently a secret. It is clear instead of green because it doesn't contain chlorophyll. They claim it is stabilised, and therefore can last up to 2 years without even needing refrigeration.
It doesn't look or taste like wheatgrass juice, and just from trying a little bit, I couldn't really tell how it really compares to the fresh stuff. It has a lemony taste. Supershots claims to work solely on the basis of the grass juice factor. It has no chlorophyll, which is what many other people claim is the potent ingredient found in wheatgrass juice. The claim that it can sit out for years and still work is a little questionable to me as well. Virtually all other wheatgrass authorities out there say that you need to drink wheatgrass immediately after it is juiced, or take wheatgrass powder. Virtually everything that Supershots claims to be is completely different than what pretty much everyone else says to do with wheatgrass. I guess one thing it has going for it is that it is made by Dr. Chris Reynolds, who is a so-called wheatgrass expert from Australia.
I am not convinced yet that it works, but I am willing to take a bottle travelling with me and see how I feel after taking it daily for a while. Until then, I am sticking to my home grown grass!

Water Quality And Sprouts, Wheatgrass

I want to write a bit about water quality while growing sprouts and wheatgrass, since I have searched and haven't found any substantial information on this subject. I live in Taiwan now, and everybody here either buys bottled water, boils the tap water, or has an elaborate and expensive water filter. I used to grow a lot of sprouts, but I quickly found that this required lots and lots of water. It was too expensive to soak, rinse, and wash all of the sprouts in bottled water, and I didn't have a great filter, so I just used tap water. Even though I love sprouts, I decided to stop growing and eating them here because I couldn't trust the quality of the water. Many people in this and other countries with questionable water quality grow and eat sprouts, and I'm sure most use regular tap water. I am just too afraid of parasites invading my body.

When I grow wheatgrass, I still use regular tap water to water the soil. After I cut the grass, I use bottled water to rinse and soak it for juicing. My theory is that there is one main difference between sprouts and wheatgrass when it comes to the quality of water used. While growing wheatgrass, the seeds grow in soil, and thus take nutrients from the watered soil. When you grow sprouts, they grow on trays or in jars without soil, and take everything they need directly from the water. This should mean that the quality of the water used is a lot more important for growing sprouts than wheatgrass.

That said, the water quality where I live in Taiwan probably isn't as bad as it seems. The government actually says it is fine to drink without treatment, but nobody believes them. I have actually heard that they overtreat the water here so much that it has too much chlorine and other chemicals in it. I'm sure the water quality is worse in many other places and people still grow wheatgrass and eat sprouts there as well. I'm also sure many other people are in the same situation as I am here--constantly wondering if it is ok or not to use the tap water. Unfortunately nearly all of the wheatgrass and sprouting sources are written with the assumption that you live in a country with reliable, safe drinking water coming out of your tap.

I will post another article if I find more information on this subject, as I feel it is an important one. In the meantime, if anyone has any hints, leave a comment here. Thanks

Fresh Grown or Powdered: Which is best?

I want to write a bit about about whether it is better to grow, juice and drink your own wheatgrass or buy Wheatgrass Juice Powder. Many people say that you need to drink it fresh within minutes of cutting and juicing it to retain the vitamins. I grow my own wheatgrass and drink it fresh every day, but I am not a chemist, and don't analyze the nutrients of my own wheatgrass. All I know is that it tastes pretty good and I feel fine drinking it.
That said, I have come across a few websites that say that growing wheatgrass in trays gives you far less vitamins and nutrients than wheatgrass grown in the ground. This website claims that wheatgrass should be grown for 200 days in a cold climate, planted in the fall and harvested in the spring when it is 7 inches tall or so. They say this way provides the ultimate in nutrients and is far superior to wheatgrass grown quickly in trays. The website also claims that the grass has been exposed to the sunlight for 200 days so it has a lot more chlorophyl. My logic tells me however that it is only exposed to sunlight once the snow on top of it melts, the seeds sprout, and the grass grows. This period of time probably isn't very long, although it is most definately longer than the grow-in-a-tray method. Another inherent problem with this method is that the wheatgrass can only be harvested for a few days each year, so it is impossible to get it fresh for about 362 days of the year!!! They cut it, juice it, make it into powder, or bottle the juice.
The big question to answer is this: Is it better to grow, juice, and drink fresh wheatgrass that just grew, but has fewer nutrients, or is it better to drink wheatgrass powder that was cut nearly a year ago? I guess I would like to see someone who know what they are doing do a comparison study of these two. For now though, I will keep on growing and drinking my own stuff, mostly because it is more fun and meaningful to me. I figure I can easily drink twice as much if I have to, thus doubling the nutrients I receive, and probably narrowing the gap between my home grown grass and the powdered stuff. Like always, feel free to comment if you have any input on this subject.

Does Wheatgrass Really Work?

So here is the big question that bugs drinkers and non-drinkers of wheatgrass for constantly~~ Does the stuff really work? In my opinion, yes it does. Some people feel as though wheatgrass juice can cure pretty much any ailment known. Ann Wigmore thought this way. Personally, I believe it has great power, but it is not the only thing that matters. There are plenty of examples where an unhealthy person eating unhealthy food gets sick, suddenly switches to eating healthy food and drinks wheatgrass juice daily, and gets better. I have met a number of people who have recovered this way. What is hard to figure out is weather or not the wheatgrass did the healing or if it was the switching from junk-food to healthy food. I believe it is a combination of these things. Drinking wheatgrass juice while eating junk everyday probably won't do much for your health. It isn't strong enough to counteract all the harm that bad food does to your body. But drinking wheatgrass juice AND eating great food does work, and it is easy to see the results.
My next question is how do we know which foods are healthy? Personally, I strongly believe in eating a simple vegan diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and simple grains like brown rice and quinoa. I try to stay away from foods that I know are not meant for human consumption, such as processed foods, white flours and white rice, high sugar foods, deep-fried stuff, chemicals, dyes, etc. Anybody with their head on straight should be able to tell which foods are healthy and which aren't. An easy way is to look at the ingredients of something, and if it has all sorts of stuff in it that you have never heard of and don't know why it is in the food, it probably isn't too good for you.
So here is my conclusion: For those of you who eat bad diets, drinking wheatgrass juice and switching to a healthy diet will almost surely show you quick results. For those of you who already eat very healthy food, you probably won't see so much of a difference, although some people clearly do. Nonetheless, nearly everyone I speak to who habitually drinks wheatgrass juice says it helps them. It definitely doesn't hurt to try!

Juice in a bottle

I have been reading about a company in Northern Ireland that is developing a packaged shot of wheatgrass juice mixed with apple and lemon juice. Since most of what I have read about wheatgrass seems to say that it is best to drink it right after you juice it, I'm not sure how it will compare. It will most likely take weeks to reach the customer. I checked out the company's website, but they don't even mention it yet. I'm sure it won't hurt anybody, but so far the concensus seems to be that it doesn't stand a chance against a fresh-cut-and-juiced shot. Here is the link to the news article if you want to read it yourself. Please add a comment if you have any more info on this one!

Wheatgrass as a part of overall health

I just wanted to point out that drinking wheatgrass is great by itself, but it is even better when it is combined with other healthy habits. For me, the best way to keep healthy and in good shape is by sticking to a plant-based diet. There are many, many resources that show how beneficial a vegetarian diet can be, and I personally feel as though I am a living and breathing example of this. If you have never eaten good vegetarian food, see this wonderful guide to vegetarian restaurants. There will most likely be at least one restaurant near you, no matter where in the world you live. And of course it is really easy to cook vegetarian food as well.