Yes, You Can Eat Wheatgrass

I'm still amazed at the number of people who try to eat wheatgrass. I just saw a YouTube video of a guy munching on a mouthful of wheatgrass. While it is true that you can eat wheatgrass, it definitely isn't the best or most efficient way to get the nutrients out of the stuff. If you want to give it a go, put a handful of wheatgrass in your mouth, chew on it and swallow the juice, and then spit out the spent, dry leftover grass. Of course, the easier way to get way more juice out of it is to get yourself a wheatgrass juicer (starting at around $50) and drink a cool shot of wheatgrass juice.

Can you eat wheatgrass? Take two

I just got another comment from someone saying that they are putting straight wheatgrass into the blender with other smoothie ingredients and just blending it and eating it. Will this work? Yes and No. Of course, you can do this, and it will chop the grass into small pieces and you can drink it, but you still have one fundamental problem, which is:

Human stomachs can't break down the fibers in straight wheatgrass. You can eat/drink it, but you will just poop it out later. The extra fiber might be good for you, but you won't be getting very much of the nutritional benefits of the wheatgrass this way.

This is why people juice it. The juicer mechanically separates the juice from the undigestible fiber. I HIGHLY recommend juicing the wheatgrass before consuming it. I think some people just toss the grass into the blender because they don't have a juicer! If you don't have a juicer yet, it is a great investment that will only set you back $45 or so if you want the cheapest manual kind, or $150 + for a fancy electric one. Take a look here at the many juicers available to buy.
After you have juiced the wheatgrass, you can easily mix the juice into the blender with whatever you are juicing, and it will work great. This is wonderful for the many people who just can't stomach straight wheatgrass juice. It can be strong stuff!

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.