Can You Eat Wheatgrass Raw?

People have a lot of questions about wheatgrass. One of them that I've been hearing a lot lately is about whether you can eat wheatgrass raw. While most people generally agree that it would pretty much kill the nutrients in wheatgrass if you cooked them, people still ask that question. I think what they really mean is whether or not you can simply eat the wheatgrass straight, without juicing it. The answer is yes, but there are some things you should know. As I have previously stated in this post about eating wheatgrass, it is possible, but there are some things to keep in mind.
First, human stomachs are a lot different than those of cows and horses.  Hoofed animals have stomachs that have evolved to break up and digest grasses.  Our stomachs, on the other hand, just aren't capable of breaking apart the cellulose in wheatgrass, so it just comes out the other end of our bodies looking very similar to how it went in.  You see, wheatgrass is different from other plants that we can digest, such as broccoli and spinach.  Our stomachs can break down the cellulose in those plants and extract the yummy nutrients.  The best way to get the most out of wheatgrass is to juice it with a masticating juicer.  You can get a cheap manual wheatgrass juicer for only $40 or so.
Take a Look at Good Wheatgrass Juicers Here on Amazon

If you don't have one of these juicers yet, here is what you can do:

1. Grab yourself a handful of wheatgrass that has been cut just above the roots.  
2. Insert wheatgrass into your mouth.
3. Chew on the grass in your mouth while sucking out the juice and swallowing it. (this can take quite some time)
4. Spit out the dried wad of wheatgrass and repeat if your jaw is strong enough to handle more!
   

Metal or Plastic? Which Manual Wheatgrass Juicer is Better?

If you are going to buy a manual wheatgrass juicer, you pretty much have two choices -- metal or plastic. Most people just starting out with wheatgrass tend to go for the plastic juicer like this one:
Yes, the plastic one is cheaper-- only 43 bucks, but if you are serious about wheatgrass, I would suggest you fork over double the price for a stainless steel juicer like this one:

The stainless steel juicer is much better for two big reasons: First, it is almost impossible to break. You can shove a whole handful of wheatgrass into it and really crank on the thing and it won't break. You will break your table before you break the juicer. With the plastic juicer, I was always afraid that I would break the handle off if I wrenched on it too hard.
The second reason why the metal one is better is because you can squeeze a lot more juice out of the wheatgrass. I have used both kinds, and I can get about 30% more juice from the same amount of wheatgrass using the stainless steel juicer. The reason why you can get more juice is because you can put the pulp in a second time and squeeze out a bunch more juice. When I tried to put the pulp back into the plastic juicer a second time, it felt like the juicer was going to break and it wouldn't turn. This works out to a whole lot more juice per tray if you use the hurricane juicer.

Battle Of The Hand-Crank Wheatgrass Juicers

When it comes to manual wheatgrass juicers, you generally have 2 main choices: Plastic or Stainless steel


Each has certain advantages and disadvantages, and since I have used both kinds, each for a long time, here are my thoughts.

The plastic one is light and easy to move around. It is also cheaper, so if you aren't sure if you will stick to growing wheatgrass, you can use this kind at first to try it out. The disadvantages of the plastic kind are that they aren't as durable, and won't last as long. I started out with the Healthy Juicer, a plastic one, and it worked fine for me. That said, I now use a stainless steel manual juicer and it is definately better.
Here are the advantages of using a stainless steel juicer like this one.

1. It is virtually indestructible, and will last a long, long time. I don't think I could break mine if I tried. I expect it to be around long after I am around! This makes the price worth it. It will however break your other dishes if you accidentally drop it in the sink!
2. It extracts the juice better than the plastic kind. I can put the pulp in 2 or 3 times to make sure I get most of the juice out. With the plastic kind, it gets stuck if you try to put the pulp in a second time. The amount of extra juice you can squeeze out with the metal juicer is quite a bit--about 20%-30% more. If you get 15 ounces out of a tray, this will give you 4 extra ounces--Sweet!
3. Stainless steel won't rust, and it stays very clean.
4. It builds up your amr muscles, since it takes some effort to crank it around. (If you can't crank it around, consider an electric wheatgrass juicer)

In my opinion, the stainless steel juicer wins hands-down. Happy Juicing!

Which Type Of Juicer Do I Need To Make Wheatgrass Juice?

Since there are many, many juicers on the market, and I have read of people making wheatgrass juice all sorts of strange ways (including putting it in the blender and straining it), here is a brief guide of what you need to get you juicing your own wheatgrass.

The type of electric juicer that works great for fruit unfortunately doesn't work for wheatgrass. This type of juicer is called a centrifugal juicer. A centrifugal juicer has a shredder that spins very fast--3,000 to 6,000 RPM's (revolutions per minute), and this spinning forces the juice through a strainer. A juicer like the Magimix le duo juicer is NOT good for wheatgrass because 1) The super-fast speed produces heat from friction, and that damages the nutrients in wheatgrass. 2) The fast spinning churns lots of air into the juice, which decreases also its nutrient content from oxidation. 3) The shredder doesn't break down the cell walls of wheatgrass very well, and not much juice comes out.

The type of juicer that works great for wheatgrass is called a masticating juicer. The masticating juicer has a screw-like auger that spins at very slow speeds. A manual type of masticating juicer spins as fast as you can turn it by hand--not very fast at all! An electric masticating juicer also spins slowly--about 80 RPM's. This type of juicer crushes the wheatgrass to break down the cell walls of the plant, and mechanically pushes the juice through a strainer at the bottom. The juice falls from holes in the bottom, and the pulp gets pushed out the front hole.

Most manual wheatgrass juicers have similar designs, but vary according to the materials they are made from--stainless steel, plastic, or cast iron. There are a few different types of electric juicers, including ones that have two augers or screws.

While you might be upset to learn that you can't use the juicer you already have for wheatgrass, you can get a decent manual juicer for under $100, and an electric one for double that amount.