Wheatgrass Juice

Today my wheat grass was tall enough to be juiced. I got my scissors and gave it a little haircut, fed it through the juicer, and decanted it into my best crystal liquore glass. It looked pretty - an emerald green with a pretty foam on the top edges. The taste... the taste... There are no words in the English language to describe the taste. It is truly indescribable, and not in a good way. I added carrot juice to make it a little more palatable, and two carrots later I could indeed drink it. This drink is widely reputed to have profound health giving properties. It must be true, because no one would otherwise be persuaded to regularly imbibe it. I have grown LOADS of it !! At least I will be forced to continue juicing it to get rid of the stuff ! You might say it's an acquired taste, but I doubt that. It's two years since I've been juicing cabbage and broccoli, and whilst I'm used to it, and have learnt how to soften the flavour, I can't say I now crave the stuff. However, considering how many people swear by wheat or barleygrass juices, it must indeed be very good for you. It is packed full of antioxidants and chlorophyll which is incredibly similar to the blood plasma, or so I have read. It is regularly used at The Hippocrates Institute where I believe it is viewed as a mainstay of the cancer fighting regime. It's medicine, and medicine is often unpalatable. Whats more, the health giving properties are at their best within the first 15 minutes of pressing. Consequently I am getting medicine that is of a very high calibre, and that is generally unavailable on the N.H.S. The cost and inconvenience of obtaining it would be prohibitive. It also requires a special juicing machine, though there are inexpensive hand cranked models available for anyone who would like to give it a try and include it in their strategy. Basically it is a luxury and I intend to view it as such. It would cost a great deal to go and get it at a spa which is the only place I can think of that I would be able to find it. So whether it tastes good or not is irrelevant, it's good for me and it's a luxury. The grass doesn't have to die to give me this essence, but it must hurt a bit. I am grateful for it and will honour it's medicinal qualities each morning.





The Science

This is where I remind myself why this stuff is so good for me, and why I decided I should grow LOADS of it !!?!

• Oxygenating the Blood and Body and Cells

"When compared to a molecule of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrier in human blood, chlorophyll is almost identical. The major difference ... is that the nucleus of chlorophyll contains magnesium (Mg), whereas hemoglobin contains iron (Fe)"


The Hippocrates Diet and Health Programme by Ann Wigmore





Chlorophyll then is important in the oxygenation of the body. It has been established ( by Nobel prize winner Otto Warberg ) that cancer cells live anaerobically (in other words whereas our healthy cells are fuelled with oxygen, cancer cells, those unhealthy and confused cells, are fuelled by sugar fermentation and make no use of oxygen .) Most cancer regimes focus on re oxygenating the body through numerous methods - exercise, deep breathing, and eating oxygenating foods,wheatgrass being one of the better sources.

• Alkalising the Body

Wheatgrass also, in common with other vegetables and fruits is alkalising, and cancer prefers, and indeed creates its own alkaline environment. A shot of wheatgrass/barleygrass quickly alkalises and de-acidifies. This is important in creating an unfriendly environment for cancer ( Encouraging it to pack it's bags and go. ). What's more, as I am on Arimidex and Zoladex treatment, known to strip your bones of calcium, (I've read somewhere - can't remember exactly where at the present - that you can lose the equivalent of 7 years worth of post menopausal bone loss in ONE year if you are taking Arimidex!) it's really important to stay as alkaline as possible. If your body is acidic it will hunt for the mineral calcium to re balance and alkalise. Calcium is what your body uses to neutralise the acid. Where does your body store large amounts of calcium ? Yep, your BONES ! That's why you lose bone density. ( Incidentally, eating protein and carbohydrate push your body toward acidity - I'll post on this another time.) So being aware of how acidic / alkaline my body is figures high on my list.

• Maximising Nutrients

The nutrients contained in wheatgrass couldn't be obtained by eating it ( who would want to ?! ), but they are easily available and digestable in juice form.

• Creating a healing calming environment.

I have read recently in a magazine that simply growing wheatgrass beside your bed creates an environment conducive to sleep and that it will assist you in getting a good nights uninterrupted sleep. I haven't tried that yet, but will let you know. If it works I will be festooning my windowsills with the stuff, and will have to drink it till it's coming out of my ears.

Postscript :- 7th March

I've now juiced it a few times with organic apple and this makes a tremendous difference !! It's palatable, though I don't like the smell as I juice the grass. The apple is a luxury, and it truly transforms the drink. It helps that the apples ( from Tesco's at the moment ) are quite large and are very flavourful, but they are a help in my transition period. I drink out of a crystal wine glass, so the concentration is more dilute, but I'll work towards increasing the proportion of wheatgrass as I go on.