Nutritional Grasses
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By Sirah Dubois
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Nutritional grasses, commonly known as cereal grasses, are the young green sprouts that grow into cereal grains such as wheat, barley, oats and alfalfa. The nutritional profiles of these grasses are similar to or better than many dark green vegetables, although the human gastrointestinal system cannot digest them by merely chewing and swallowing them. Instead, you must juice them with a special extractor or dry and pulverize them into fine powder before the nutrients are made available to your body.
Nutritional or cereal grasses have been used as a food supplement in the United States since the 1930s, when it was observed that farm animals thrived on them. When fed nutritional grasses such as wheatgrass and alflalfa, hens lay more eggs and cows produce more nutritious milk, according to "Nutritional Sciences for Human Health." Initially, the cereal grasses, particularly wheatgrass, were pulverized and offered as powdered supplements, but now juicing is more popular because of the widespread availability and affordability of extraction devices.
Nutritional Content
In general, cereal grasses are very good sources of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, chlorophyll and enzymes, which has led some nutritionists to label them "superfoods." Wheatgrass, for example, contains more vitamin C than oranges and twice the vitamin A of carrots, according to the book "Superfoods: The Healthiest Foods on the Planet." Barley grass contains more calcium than cow's milk, nearly five times the iron of spinach and especially high levels of vitamins C and B12. Oat grass contains up to 30 percent protein by weight and is loaded with lecithin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamin B5.
It's important to harvest cereal grasses at the jointing stage, which is when the plant reaches its peak nutritional value. After the jointing stage, concentrations of vitamins, amino acids and chlorophyll decline dramatically. With proper light and hydration, it takes one to two weeks before nutritional grasses should be cut and juiced. A grass juicer needs to have blades specifically designed for cereal grasses.
In addition to providing high levels of nutrients, cereal grass juice and powdered supplements are used as folk remedies for a variety of health concerns. For example, cereal grasses have alkalizing effects on body tissues and fluids, which may deter the proliferation of pathogens and reduce the symptoms of heartburn, according to the book "Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy: Modern Herbal Medicine." Other anecdotal claims include detoxification of the blood, relief from constipation, improved digestion, enhanced metabolism and reduced inflammatory reactions.
Grasses Are Not Grains
It is important to understand that the young cereal grasses are not the grains of the plant. Consequently, nutritional grasses are gluten-free, unlike the grains of wheat, rye, barley and oats. Gluten is a composite protein found in the endosperms within the seeds of wheat, rye and barley. If you are gluten sensitive, you don't need to worry about consuming nutritional grasses.
Nutritional Sciences for Human Health: Stanislas Berger, et al.
Superfoods: The Healthiest Foods on the Planet: Tonia Reinhard
Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy: Modern Herbal Medicine: Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
Sirah Dubois is currently a PhD student in food science after having completed her master's degree in nutrition at the University of Alberta. She has worked in private practice as a dietitian in Edmonton, Canada and her nutrition-related articles have appeared in The Edmonton Journal newspaper.
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