Love the "wheatgrass" dialog!

I grew my own, and used the hand-crank juicer, and it was good.

But I'm such a committed Vitamix person, (GO GREEN SMOOTHIES! YEAH!) it made me think that perhaps just adding the grass to the vitamix was easier, and hey, it couldn't hurt.

So I did that for a while, but the mold continued to attack my crops, so I don't grow it or use it at all anymore.

I believe there is a place for juicing, but I just love that fiber!

My husband misses the wheatgrass juice, so he buys chlorophyll liquid stuff and he swears by it.

After the summer, when the humidity is at its worst here in south Florida, maybe I'll start another tray of wheatgrass for him.

Anyone else just throw it in the Vitamix instead of juicing it?

Let me know!

Hey Jackie, I've read here that some people do that with the wheatgrass with some water then they strain it... I don't think I've read about anyone just tossing it in a smoothie.

I'm thinking of trying to grow my own. I've done the frozen cubes route (EXPENSIVE! and I'm not sure about the quality) and the fresh at the juice bar thing (EXPENSIVE! and inconvenient) and am thinking maybe if I can grow sprouts I can do this.

Sorry 'bout your humidity. That's the one wrinkle I read about the most in regard to growing wheatgrass. But, I'm sure if there is another way to screw up, I'll find it.




Lee

[www.dhamma.org]

"My religion is kindness."

Tenzin Gyatso

jackie Wrote:
<snip>
> But I'm such a committed Vitamix person, (GO GREEN
> SMOOTHIES! YEAH!) it made me think that perhaps
> just adding the grass to the vitamix was easier,
> and hey, it couldn't hurt.

When you juice wheatgrass you separate the juice from the cellulose making the nutrients are more accessible.

Grass eating animals can digest cellulose because they #1 chew their food twice (after the first chew it goes down to their stomach and then they bring it back up and chew it a second time) and #2 they have a symbiotic relationship with a special bacteria that produces the enzyme cellulase to further breakdown down the cellulose.

The Vitamix might mimic chewing your food twice but humans don't have the same bacteria for the second half of the processing.
The digestion isn't as thorough? and nutrients aren't as accessible??



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2008 08:03PM by hyldemoer.

Lee,
I was just making a list of things people have done to try and improve on nature. Steriods and hormones to get stronger, have larger muscles. Pesticides and fertilizers to increase food production. Farmers like it because it pays the bills, a lot of people like conventional food because its generally more affordable, at least in what you pay at the check out. You might end up paying for it later through disease or other problems.

Gmos, I hear a number of people promote that because it 'improves' crops in some way, higher yields, faster growth, easier production, disease tolerance. At least that is what is presented as the benefits. They say the critics don't have much evidence that whats being produced is really dangerous.

There probably are worse things to consume than wheatgrass. If you look just at the content of vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll, it seems pretty impressive. That is one reason I tried it, because I was told it was 'good for me'. Even if I didn't have anything particularly wrong, it was supposed to be beneficial.

Sprouted grains are used in chinese medicine, its true. But like any herb, its good to know why and when it should be taken, and any contrindications. MAI YA is said to reduce food stagnation and stengthens the stomach. It inhibits lactation, facilitates smooth flow of liver qi.

In cautions sections, it says if this herb is taken long-term it may injure the kidneys, citing the Materia medica of Diet therapy. Although wheatgrass juice isn't the whole sprouted grain, thats enough for me to question long term intake, or taken in large amounts.

Modern machines can extract juices of all types, some have questioned its use for a number of reasons. But especially used for something like wheat grass, or barley grass. I used to consume that without questioning it. But we aren't cows. I don't think I could ever eat the amount of whole grass it takes to produce a 2 oz shot of wheatgrass juice. I think it might be physically possible, but I would have to significantly override my bodies, instinct that says not to eat it. The taste, the texture is something which would keep most people from even trying.

I'm not even that opposed to juicing. But why not use cabbage, kale, lettuce, spinach or any other type of green. I can see eating a big bowl of those things, and not producing that horrible taste sensation. Its also within the natural human biology. Regular people eat these greens, sometimes just because they like it, not for the vitamins, minerals, or any other nutrient or benefit. I believe that a number of other items can satisfy any need for the taste of bitter, even a more appealing taste of bitter.

I have gone around in circles on the forum over what is natural and what is not. Including not using any tools at all, wearing clothing, living in houses, driving cars, or using a computer. People can be very selective as to what they think is natural and what is not. Most people aren't ready to give up any human invention, or any information obtained by human inventions. I don't think that is wise. I am suprised how far back one would have to go to really get to a trustly pure and sustainable earth again. The best information I have read on the topic was actually very depressing. One would have to go back 50,000 to 150,000 years. The dawn of agriculture is what really changed the earth forever. Even early agriculture was very destructive, and some say irreversable in terms of its impact on the earth.

Mislu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wheatgrass yogi,
>
> Knock yourself out. I just don't think its really
> human food. How many thousands of years did people
> live without a juicer. People are usually not
> drawn naturally to eating grass of any kind.


Actually, that is exactly how wheatgrass got started... Ann Wigmore when she was about 18 got hit by a car and after being in the hospital, started getting gangrene of both legs. The doctors recommended amputation but Ann, having seen gangrene in the soldiers that her natural healer grandmother treated, knew gangrene could be recovered from, given the right conditions. So she spent the several months lying in the sun, and in her quest to find something green to eat, settled on just ordinary grass and flowers, since that's what was available to her.

Years later she began researching edible weeds and wild plants but found that a great deal of botanical knowledge was needed to distinguish the edible from the poisonous... which is when she saw a passage in her bible where God had instructed a sick king to

Mislu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wheatgrass yogi,
>
> Knock yourself out. I just don't think its really
> human food. How many thousands of years did people
> live without a juicer. People are usually not
> drawn naturally to eating grass of any kind.


Actually, that is exactly how wheatgrass got started... Ann Wigmore when she was about 18 got hit by a car and after being in the hospital, started getting gangrene of both legs. The doctors recommended amputation but Ann, having seen gangrene in the soldiers that her natural healer grandmother treated, knew gangrene could be recovered from, given the right conditions. So she spent the several months lying in the sun, and in her quest to find something green to eat, settled on just ordinary grass and flowers, since that's what was available to her.

Years later she began researching edible weeds and wild plants but found that a great deal of botanical knowledge was needed to distinguish the edible from the poisonous... which is when she saw a passage in her bible where God had instructed a sick king to quit meat and go out and graze on grass like the sheep. That's what gave her the idea to research grasses, and she was relieved to find that there were no poisonous grass varieties.

She researched many different types of grasses before deciding that wheatgrass was the most ideal, and when she compared notes with another doctor she found that he had also chosen wheatgrass.

I mean basically, one could eat anything green for healing purposes, as long as it's not poisonous. Ann Wigmore's research just made it easy for us. Also I personally have found wheatgrass preferable due to its lack of oxalic acid, which can make the eating of leaves potentially dicey in large enough quantities.

Wheatgrass Yogi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> warm-glow Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > There are many varieties of wheatberries grown
> in
> > various climates in North America.
>
> Warm-Glow....Would you provide me with a Link
> to your favorite supplier of Wheat Berries? My
> favorite
> source (Crystal Organics) has gone 'under'. Their
> seeds
> were the Best I've ever found, but I'm running low
> and
> need to re-order soon. Much obliged.....WY



Natural Way Mills and get their red spring wheat.

Price List: [www.naturalwaymills.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2008 12:03AM by warm-glow.

>
> Natural Way Mills and get their red spring
> wheat.

Thanks Warm-Glow. I'm ordering 25 pounds of the Hard Red Spring
Wheat Berries. It's a comforting feeling to know I have a reliable source
now. I like the fact that they only sell their Bulk Wheat Berries in 25 lb.
and 50 lb. lots. That tells me they're the Producer and not a Middleman.....WY

WY, how long do you think it will take you to go through 25#?

How much wheatgrass do you drink per day on average?

Just curious --

Lee

Wheatgrass Yogi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Natural Way Mills and get their red spring
> > wheat.
>
> Thanks Warm-Glow. I'm ordering 25 pounds of the
> Hard Red Spring
> Wheat Berries. It's a comforting feeling to know I
> have a reliable source
> now. I like the fact that they only sell their
> Bulk Wheat Berries in 25 lb.
> and 50 lb. lots. That tells me they're the
> Producer and not a Middleman.....WY

WY be sure to post in this thread your HONEST feedback once you juice your first flat. I'm confident you'll be ecstatic with the yields per flat and ultra sweet taste. They aren't the grower. They have a coop of local farmers whose grains they sell...whole and milled.

warm-glow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> WY be sure to post in this thread your HONEST
> feedback once you juice your first flat. I'm
> confident you'll be ecstatic with the yields per
> flat and ultra sweet taste.

If it's that good, I'll start a new Topic. My old,
now Defunct, supplier (Crystal Organics) will be hard to beat.
Thanks again......WY

P.S. To Lee_123....I plant 3/4 cup of Wheatberries every other day
to yield approx. 2 1/2 ounces of Wheatgrass Juice everyday.

Sunshine,
Eating special plants for healing purposes is a bit different from regular foods. I don't imagine that a shot of wheatgrass now and then is harmful, if it appeals to you. I can't think of a moment when i ever found it appealing, every single time I have thought of having some it was because it was 'good for me'.

I don't know about the part of no poisonous grass varieties. Bambo is a grass, and there are types of bamboo that have toxic levels of cyanide. But I might be thinking botanically, not of what people typically think of 'grass'.

I have heard that there are no types of poisonous willow. I do caution on that one however, as there are types of plants with the name willow that are not willows botanically. (salix) Also there is a notion people have about willows being any small tree or shrub, something like that. Because someone was telling me about some toxic willow, and I said there aren't any. I asked him to describe it, and it didn't sound like a willow at all.

I would agree that there probably is a great deal of nutrients and healing potential in wheatgrass. I have read about people curing themselves of various ills with it. I have heard that sick animals often eat grass. But that doesn't mean its an ideal food for these animals. Even vegetarian animals don't get much nutrition from grass, if they aren't designed to eat grass.

I am reading this thread with great interest. It is so good to hear reasoned arguments put in such a clear way on all sides with no rancour. thank you everybody who has been involved.

Umm - i'm in an interesting position. I had my first shot of wheatgrass juice last week and have ordered a kit to get me started with growing my own. (I didn't realise about different varieties; I'll be on a learning curve I think)

But the arguments for and against are fascinating and I'm wobbling away on the fence!!

Lee maybe we should start a new post about first attempts at growing wheatgrass. Any advice would be good. I'm a gardener by profession so I should be o.k. but I'm not used to growing things in trays in the house so we will see.

I've even bought myself a manual masticating juicer so lets hope I don't decide that wheatgrass is a bad idea!! Oh yes and I have also ordered Ann Wigmores book so I expect that will convince me at least for the time being.

look forward to hearing more
Philippa

I just ordered 25 pounds of Hard Red Spring Wheat Berries from Natural Way Mills. It is interesting that the cost of the Wheat was $16, and the shipping charge was $25.
If you're going to do anything....Do It Right!!!......WY

Wheatgrass yogi - 50lb bags will still be sold by a middle man of sorts. the producer will be selling by the ton - arctic loads!!

flipperjan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wheatgrass yogi - 50lb bags will still be sold by
> a middle man of sorts. the producer will be
> selling by the ton - arctic loads!!

LOL. Yes, I guess the Grower is too busy
growing to deal with small orders. Still, 25 pounds of
Wheat Berries for $16.25 is a good price from a Middleman.....WY

yEAH WHO INVENTED WHEATGRASS JUICE?

suvine Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> yEAH WHO INVENTED WHEATGRASS JUICE?

I don't know who invented Wheatgrass Juice....
probably no-one knows. Ann Wigmore and Victoras Kulvinskas
popularized it in the 1970's. Both wrote several books touting
its benefits.....WY

Wheatgrass Yogi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> suvine Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > yEAH WHO INVENTED WHEATGRASS JUICE?
>
> I don't know who invented Wheatgrass Juice....
> probably no-one knows. Ann Wigmore and Victoras
> Kulvinskas
> popularized it in the 1970's. Both wrote several
> books touting
> its benefits.....WY



It was Ann Wigmore, circa 1961 or 62 - she writes about it in her autobiography... I'll post it tomorrow when I have more time.

sunshine79 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It was Ann Wigmore, circa 1961 or 62 - she writes
> about it in her autobiography... I'll post it
> tomorrow when I have more time.
She may have been the first to write about
Wheatgrass Juice, but that doesn't mean she 'invented'
it (as Suvine says). No matter.....WY
P.S. Also SS79....I'm sure there will be others, besides me,
who will be looking forward to your post on how Ann Wigmore
first used Wheatgrass Juice. That will be a lot of work for
you. How will you copy the Text?

WY, and others who this applies to --

How much wheatgrass juice do you drink per day on average?

I'm curious. I'm also currently under a lot of stress and experiencing brain fog and so if I asked this elsewhere (I thought I did...) please forgive me and perhaps respond nicely.

Dental problems, work issues. All is either ok or going to be ok... just a lot going on right now.

Thanks.

Lee

Lee_123 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WY, and others who this applies to --
>
> How much wheatgrass juice do you drink per day on
> average? Approx. 2 1/2 ounces a day (first
thing in the morning).
> I'm curious. I'm also currently under a lot of
> stress and experiencing brain fog and so if I
> asked this elsewhere (I thought I did...) please
> forgive me and perhaps respond nicely.
Sometimes a Kind Word when we're down makes all the
difference in the World.
> Dental problems, work issues. All is either ok or
> going to be ok... just a lot going on right now.
It's difficult to 'do' Wheatgrass when there's
no 'Peace' in your Life. May we all find what we need is
my Prayer.....WY

Thanks WY. I appreciate it.

I'm drawn to the wheatgrass thing and think I will eventually grow my own... probably not until the fall. I have a lot going on now, it's the busy time at work, and then I'm traveling a lot this summer. Fall is a good time for me to start new habits.

In the meantime, I'm reading up, drinking some frozen (from Whole Foods) and some fresh from a juicebar wheatgrass juice.

I don't really have much of a green thumb, or much spare time, but I've been growing my own sprouts for a couple of years now and that has gone well.

Thanks again.


Lee

warm-glow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Natural Way Mills and get their red spring
> wheat.
W-G.....I was just surfing on YouTube and saw a clip on
a Professional Wheatgrass Grower in Orlando, FL. He buys his
seed from the same source you did (Natural Way Mills). He also, like
you, recommends the Hard Red Spring. The Hard Red Winter was popularized
by Ann Wigmore. I've also heard that the Winter Wheat stays in the
ground much longer (don't ask me how much longer) than the
Spring, so contains more nutrients. Since Natural Way Mills doesn't
produce Hard Red Winter Wheat, there's no way to make a comparison
test. It's fun watching Grass Grow.....WY

[www.youtube.com]

Hard red winter wheat is planted in the fall. It gets going and then is buried under the snow for the winter. It is extremely cold hardy and survives this well, ready to resume vigorous growth with the spring thaw.

Hard red spring wheat is planted early in the spring, some varieties right into the still snowy ground.

All wheat likes the cold. Many problems wheatgrass growers have with mold are due to overly warm conditions.

The hard red winter wheat is sometimes planted early in the fall and is used to pasture livestock. Once cropped it grows back well. You can do the same with your tray of wheatgrass. Let it regrow after you harvest it.

When the farmer plants his wheat in the fall, instead of letting livestock graze it he could mow it, juice the grass, and then freeze or dry the juice for sale. A few years ago wheat was selling for about 6 cents a pound. On a large scale farming operation, with the proper machinery, one should be able to produce wheatgrass juice at a similar rock bottom price



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2008 05:32PM by brome.

Its funny how one person can start a phenomenon generations later to be embedded in all our consciousness

Wheatgrass Yogi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> warm-glow Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > Natural Way Mills and get their red spring
> > wheat.
> W-G.....I was just surfing on YouTube and saw a
> clip on
> a Professional Wheatgrass Grower in Orlando, FL.
> He buys his
> seed from the same source you did (Natural Way
> Mills). He also, like
> you, recommends the Hard Red Spring. The Hard Red
> Winter was popularized
> by Ann Wigmore. I've also heard that the Winter
> Wheat stays in the
> ground much longer (don't ask me how much longer)
> than the
> Spring, so contains more nutrients. Since Natural
> Way Mills doesn't
> produce Hard Red Winter Wheat, there's no way to
> make a comparison
> test. It's fun watching Grass Grow.....WY
>
> [www.youtube.com]
> =related


Sometimes I get it right.

warm-glow Wrote:
----------------------------------------------------
> Sometimes I get it right.
You sure do. I've found a new source for
Wheat Berries, thanks to you. But that's why we're here
....to Help. And those of you in the Helping Mode......
Help. And those of you in the Learning Mode.....never
underestimate your Ability......WY

I have 5 trays of wheatgrass in my kitchen,and sometimes I have so much that I freeze them and make ice to put in my morning smoothies. Very good.