What Are Wheat Grass And Wheatgrass Juice?

Wheatgrass juice is literally condensed sunlight energy.
It is one of the most potent healing agents on the planet.

Steve "Sproutman" Meyerowitz
Wheatgrass Nature’s Finest Medicine

Wheatgrass juice is potent raw, living food. The grass itself comes from the common wheat plant (species triticum aestivum) when it is young, vibrant and full of rich green chlorophyll. When the grass is squeezed, a dark green liquid is expressed and this is called wheatgrass juice.

Wheatgrass is harvested for juicing when the grass reaches its nutritional peak. This is just before the jointing stage, when the plant is between 7 and 11 inches tall. At this point, it has accumulated energy which will soon power a massive growth spurt. It is this energy that is captured in the juice. When wheatgrass is juiced, it is volatile and will oxidize quickly. It is important to either rapidly consume it or immediately protect the juice from oxidation. DynamicGreens packages and flash freezes the juice in seconds which maintains the life force without compromise.

Research History

Grasses are the foundational food for most land based life. Wheatgrass was identified as the finest grass food of all after a series of intensive agricultural research studies spearheaded by Dr. Charles Schnabel and assisted by Dr. George Kohler, Dr. Richard Graham, Conrad A. Elvehjem and E. B. Hart in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Of particular note, they performed direct comparisons of wheatgrass against other well regarded vegetables including spinach, broccoli and alfalfa. While animals fed these foods exclusively began to waste away, those fed only wheatgrass thrived on it. This spawned further research which showed that wheatgrass contains a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, essential fatty acids and enzymes. In addition, their research also identified benefits that could not be associated with any of these known nutrients. The expression "grass juice factor" was termed to descibe beneficial powers in grasses that were distinct.

Juicing Origins

Juicing wheatgrass was started in the 1950's by Ann Wigmore independent of the agricultural research above. Her story is fascinating (check out "Wheatgrass Nature's Finest Medicine" by Steve Meyerowitz). The essence is that she was a Boston resident of Lithuanian descent who suffered from a variety of ailments in her early life. Drawing on her peasant background and the experiences of her grandmother (a self taught naturalist), she healed herself with wild weeds, herbs and greens. She consumed many different types of greens and also fed the same to her animals. Her observations led her to conclude that wheatgrass was the best source of greens. One day, at a local yard sale, she picked up an old cast iron meat grinder. With a few modifications, the first wheatgrass juicer was born. Ann Wigmore later formed the Hippocrates Health Institute in Boston and worked with thousands of people over the years. Visitors to the institute were thrilled with their results and many of the health retreats across the country were formed by former Hippocrates clients.

We Embrace And Enhance

Dr. Charles Schnabel went further than just identifying wheatgrass as potent, he determined how to grow it and when to harvest it. He stressed the need for organic farming, soil enrichment and proper timing to produce optimal wheatgrass. Our farming techniques use all of Dr. Schnabel's strategies while also incorporating new methods enabled by todays better engineered equipment. Ann Wigmore brought us juicing which breaks down the indigestible cellulose and gives us a powerful way to tap into the benefits of wheatgrass. We incorporate Ann Wigmore's juicing approach and are very careful to maintain the integrity of the juice through flash freezing. The result is that DynamicGreens brings the work of these two innovators together superbly and the juice quality is literally greater than the sum of its parts.

The Benefits Of Wheatgrass Juice

Wheatgrass juice is extremely bioavailable. This occurs because wheatgrass requires 50 times more pressure to juice than other fruits and vegetables. This force pulverizes the cellular structures and expresses out miniscule nutritional elements. The benefit of these tiny nutritional elements is that they are easy for the body to assimilate.

When you drink high quality wheatgrass juice, your body may produce spectacular results such as:

A physical and mental sense of well-being
More energy and better sleep
Stronger immune system
Detoxification on a cellular level
Reduced inflammation in the entire body
Lessened appetite cravings
Increased mental clarity
Steadier nerves
Improved eyesight and night vision
You suddenly start accomplishing more every day
Actively engaging in and enjoying activities you had been dreading in the past
Visually seeing results via live blood cell analysis such as the unclumping of oxygen-carrying red blood cells
and much more...

Our wheatgrass juice is potent because it is raw and living. Many of the products available to us today have been denatured through drying, oxidation, irradiation, pasteurization, bottling, canning, etc. Be careful to avoid products that show the right ingredients but have a format that has traded the living energy of the food for shelf life.

Why Is Wheatgrass Juice So Good For You?

Our history with wheatgrass juice dates back into the 1970's. As part of a group of early adopters, we were attending sprouting user groups and travelling across North America learning and sharing information. We can say with absolute certainty that the juice can do incredible things for people and also say with absolute certainty that we do not know why. Over the years, wheatgrass juice has developed a large following of people who have seen and experienced the benefits. Exciting results and genuine enthusiasm have created a number of bold statements about why wheatgrass juice is so good; including:

1 fl. oz. of wheatgrass juice is equivalent to 2½ pounds of the choicest vegetables
wheatgrass is mineral rich and contains 92 minerals needed by the body
it is a complete protein containing 20+ amino acids and has higher protein densities than any other food source
the magic is in the enzymes with more than 30 found in the juice
the juice is 70% chlorophyll and since the chlorophyll molecule is virtually identical to hemoglobin (red blood cells that carry oxygen), wheatgrass juice will oxygenate your body
an as of yet unidentified, tiny molecule is responsible for the positive effects

For the most part, these statements have been hypotheses not facts. Further developments have shown some of them to be partially or even entirely inaccurate. Although the explanations have not always stood up to rigorous scrutiny, the good intentions of the people, their experiences, and the benefits derived from the use of wheatgrass juice have never been in question. Although we do not understand the mechanics, you have got to get this juice, should certainly have high expectations and are advised to just be your own best observer as your body will know what to do with it.

The Reasons That Resonate With Us

There is a much discussion today about good health and body chemistry. This has spawned a broad movement toward achieving balanced pH. For most, this means consuming more foods that produce alkalizing effects and less foods that create acidifying effects. The rationale dates back to work done by Dr. Otto Heinrich Warburg who in 1931 was awarded the Nobel prize in Physiology / Medicine. Dr. Warburg looked at a complex relationship between acidic body chemistry, toxicity (caused by fermenting sugars), low oxygen states and corresponding sub-optimal performance of the body.

When pH Balanced » The Body Performs Optimally

Since most of us develop an acidic body chemistry over time, we need alkalizing foods to restore pH balance. Wheatgrass juice is a powerful alkalizer. It is also a preferred food because it seems to possess the ability to single-handedly change people's body chemistry when used in sufficient amounts. As a result, it is exactly the kind of food needed to help jump start the processes of the body. It is also the perfect food to consume when life's challenges (like travelling for work) get in the way of the lifestyle choices you prefer. For many, consuming wheatgrass juice is like have a license to exist in the world around us.

It is important to note that we don't want our bodies to be either alkaline or acidic; rather, we are trying to achieve balance. We love our wheatgrass juice; but don't think it appropriate to live on it alone. You can help your body build a solid long term foundation by using some wheatgrass juice and making great choices at the grocery store. Learn more about the acid / alkaline balance and see specific food lists here.

POTENCY: WHY FLASH FROZEN JUICE IS BETTER THAN FRESH

Flash frozen juice is far more potent than wheatgrass juiced "fresh" and the key reason for this is the quality of the plant. Most wheatgrass is grown in the controlled environment of greenhouses; however, wheatgrass needs to be grown outdoors in order to reach its full potential. Field growing dramatically enhances nutrition because the plant releases phytonutrients in response to changing environmental conditions and the benefits of natural air, rain, sun and soil create a level of purity that are obvious the moment you taste the juice. The key advantages of outdoor grown wheatgrass vs indoor / greenhouse grown wheatgrass are: Superior nutrition

6 x deeper root system
10 x longer growth cycle
50% higher chlorophyll levels
Zero simple sugars (in the outdoor plant, they convert to complex carbohydrates)
Higher phytonutrient levels

Optimal raw and living format

Flash freezing is key to capturing the raw and living power of wheatgrass juice
It allows us to harvest the best possible plant (field grown) at the optimal moment (nutritional peak)
Nutrition is fully maintained by flash freezing and the USDA confirms the retention of freshness, quality, nutrients, enzyme activity, etc. here
Other formats cannot provide the same nutritional power specifically:
- the tray grown plant juiced on the spot does not contain the same nutrient content
- powders and tablets are normally heat treated which destroys the sensitive organics
- cut wheatgrass will degrade quickly (for example, picked spinach loses 76% of its vitamin C in 48 hours)
- refrigerated juice does not work as the juice is too volatile and starts spoiling immediately or the organics must be deactivate (killed) through pasteurization (heat treatment) or cold pasteurization (irradiation)

No detectable molds

Field grown wheatgrass never has the mold issues commonly found in tray grown grasses (more here)
This means far better taste
It also ensures excellent tolerability as many people are allergic to the molds

Superior food safety

Freezing keeps food safe because it stops the biological clock, virtually elmininating the movement of molecules
This keeps nutrient levels intact and prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause food spoilage and foodborne illness.

There is never a good time to choose powders, tablets or refrigerated wheatgrass juice. However, it is important to note that tray grown wheatgrass does contain the power to change health outcomes. The difference is that drinking our field grown wheatgrass juice is like taking 3 steps forward in your pursuit of great health. In comparison, using tray grown wheatgrass juice is like taking 2 steps forward and then 1 step back due to the molds. You can't take the health benefits as far because the plant is inferior and molds also limit the intake possibilities. In addition, tolerability issues caused by the molds make it impossible for many to drink the juice at all.
Incidentally, greenhouse growers concur that they have molds, they just say that they are non-pathogenic (read more here) and that ingestion won't harm you. DynamicGreens sees no reason why anyone should ingest wheatgrass juice that may be contaminated with mold and it should never be consumed by pregnant women, nursing mothers and non-verbal children. On the other hand, DynamicGreens wheatgrass juice is always a clean, pure source of juice and can be consumed with total confidence as discussed in our Wheatgrass Juice Usage Protocol.

The Importance Of Nutrition

Our bodies orchestrate endless biochemical reactions that create and maintain life. Some are called enzymatic processes and they are characterized by changing a molecule from one substance into another. This is how the body converts the foods we eat into into things like bone, ligaments, finger nails, hair and tissue. You can read more about this at Wikipedia.

Each process requires a precise combination of nutrients to function properly. When a vital component is missing, a process will either be abandoned, require excessive amounts of energy to complete, or simply become dysfunctional. When all components are present, the processes occur much faster and consume a fraction of the energy of un-catalyzed reactions.

Click on the specific nutritional categories below to learn more about the sophisticated relationship between various nutritional elements:

◄COMPARE►
Wheatgrass Juice		Oat Grass Juice

Nutrient Types And Functionality

Navigating The Compromised Food Chain

DynamicGreens wheatgrass juice stands out as a powerful food in part because it contains all of the nutrition, living organics and non-organics that mother nature imparted to it. Yes, our wheatgrass juice is a complete food and convenient to use; however, its most importart quality is that it is completely uncompromised and this differs from almost any other food available.

Generally, we classify food as being in one of two categories. Either it is good for you, or it is bad for you. The vast majority of people have an excellent sense of the difference, understand that you are what you eat and make choices accordingly. Sometimes these are good choices, sometimes bad choices, but our belief is that we understand the differences which makes them informed choices...however, things are not always what they appear. Many foods that have the appearance of being healthy, simply are not.

How Foods Are Compromised In The Pursuit Of Shelf Life

Foods are comprised of two types of elements: i) volatile organics (living elements); and ii) non-volatile non-organics (non-living elements such as minerals)

When companies look to produce foods with a shelf life, they focus on controlling the "volatile organics". This is the portion of the food that will decay and cause it to spoil. It is also the living part of the food, contains thousands of nutrients and is the portion that scientifically, we know the least about. In many cases, control is achieved by destroying the living organic elements of the food. If you are pursuing nutrition from living foods you need to be careful. Fortunately, it is easy as just the packaging alone will provide some indication as to whether or not the food it contains has been compromised. Here are some of the packages you should know about:


Cold Pasteurization / Irradiation Symbol Beware produce that is cold pasteurized / irradiated as indicated by the radura logo. These foods do not spoil, seeds do not sprout and there is no question that the organics elements of the food have been severely compromised. To make matters worse, many irradiated foods exist in our diets today. The problem is that irradiation must only be shown on first level foods. Any second level foods (preparations of more than one food) can contain 100% irradiated ingredients and this does not need to be indicated on the label.	Heat Pasteurized Aseptic folded top packages are used for liquids. Foods in these containers are pasteurized. This means they are heat treated in the interest of destroying microbes. While this makes them sanitary, it also removes the living, volatile organics which are damaged above 108F.	Cooked / Dried Boxed food have normally been baked, cooked or heat dried to remove moisture content. This prevents futher decomposition in the package; however, because the organic elements have been destroyed during the process, only the non-organics remain.	Blast Furnace Treated Powdered foods are heat treated or flashed by blast furnaces at approximately 900F. Later, they are then put through a device called a hammer mill. The combination of heat and oxidation destroys all but the mineral content of these products.	Cooking & Blanching Canned products are fully cooked or blanched (which means dipped in hot liquids) and then canned. The canning prevents oxidation of the food and allows it to combine with moisture without spoiling; however, most of the organics have already been destroyed prior to the seal being made.

Your Uncompromised Living Food Choices

Frozen products such as DynamicGreens Wheatgrass Juice are excellent. In fact, most frozen fruits and vegetables are better than fresh. In the case of our wheatgrass juice, we are able to take advantage of optimal growing conditions. As a result, our wheatgrass starts as a far superior product to wheatgrass grown in trays. Flash freezing keeps the quality of the juice intact giving you constant access to the very best. In the case of other fruits and vegetables, flash freezing allows the product to be picked at an optimal time and maintained on the spot. Picked food actually degrades at an alarming rate. As it sits and ripens in transit it can lose up to 75% of its organics.

Cold environments like your refridgerator slow molecular activity to preserve food. Freezing simply slows it even further without damaging the nutrition, enzymes and organics. The USDA validates this here.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are fantastic. The very best possible conditions are organic (no chemicals / no irradiation), local (no wasted) and consumption within 2 days of picking. Not all of these conditions are normally met so just do your best.

When living and uncompromised, these foods contain a full spectrum of organic and non-organic nutrition.