Wheat Grass was discovered in the 1930’s by Charles Schnabel a.k.a “Mr Wheatgrass” He used it to nurse dying hens back to health, they not only got better but started prodcuing more eggs. So what is it and is it as good for humans as it is for chickens?
Wheat grass is a mix of grains in their sprouting stage, its not always gluten free, so take caution over this if you are a coeliac.
Nutrition:
The claims are it has a higher nutritional content than any other vegetable (1 oz is better than 1kg fresh veggies), but actually tests show that claim in not correct, wheatgrass it is equivalent to lots of other green veggies gram for gram. It contains vitamins A, C and E – the antioxidants that fight disease, ageing and inflammation along with iron, calcium and magnesium. 2oz provides 10% of your folate and vitamin E and 20% of your iron needs for the day.
The research:
Only small scale studies have been done on wheatgrass and so athough there are sone positive results we have to say the evidence in inconclusive at present.
A small study showed positive results in ulcerative colitis but this really was a small study!
Conclusion:
There is no proof that wheatgrass is a miracle food or better than other greens but it does contain plenty of goodness and do if you like it add it in to smoothies and recipes to boost their nutritional content. To get the best from your diet aim to eat a range of different fruit and vegetables to get a range of micronutrients.