Wheatgrass
The freshly sprouted first leaves of the common wheat plant, grown for juicing and for use as a food and drink ingredient.
Description
What it is
Wheatgrass is the young first leaves of the common wheat plant, Triticum aestivum, harvested
while the blades are still tender. It is used as a food, as a drink, and as a dietary supplement. Most
of it gets juiced, because the mature blade has too much fiber to eat comfortably. Like other green
plants, it contains chlorophyll along with vitamins and minerals.
What the evidence actually says
Wheatgrass attracts a lot of claims, so here is our position, plainly. We sell it as a plant, not as
a treatment. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s
review of wheat grass states directly that wheat grass
juice has not been shown effective in treating cancer or AIDS. A 2015 review in the literature,
The Medical Use of Wheatgrass, describes the gap between
promising laboratory work and what has actually been demonstrated in people. If you drink it, drink it
because you like it or because it is part of a routine that works for you. Do not drink it instead of
seeing a doctor, and be careful with anyone who tells you otherwise.
In the kitchen
Wheatgrass is juiced, usually in a dedicated masticating juicer, since a standard centrifugal juicer
struggles with the fiber. It goes into shots on its own, or into a smoothie with fruit to soften the
grassy flavor, which is strong and unmistakable. Start with a small amount. It is not a drink most
people like immediately.
Keeping it fresh
Wheatgrass is at its best the moment it is cut, and it drops off quickly from there. If you have a
living tray, leave it growing and cut only what you are about to juice. Cut grass should go into the
refrigerator in a bag or sealed container and be used within a few days, and juice should be drunk
right away rather than stored, because it separates and loses its character within hours. If you are
freezing juice in portions, do it immediately after juicing, not at the end of the day.
How they are grown
These sprouts are grown by people who also build the equipment the industry grows on. That is
not a slogan, it is the actual arrangement: International Specialty Supply supplies sprouting seed
worldwide, manufactures the
Sentrex growing and washing equipment in Cookeville,
Tennessee, and grows finished sprouts here as well. Incoming seed lots are sampled and tested before
they ever reach a grow room, and the FDA regulates sprouts as a covered commodity with their own
dedicated rules under
21 CFR part 112, subpart M.
Or grow them yourself
Wheatgrass is one of the easiest things to grow indoors on a tray, and growing your own means you cut it fresh and juice it within the hour, which is when it is at its best. Our wheat sprouting seed is the place to start. For other tray grown greens, look at sunflower and barley.
Where to get them
SunGarden sprouts are grown and shipped from Cookeville, Tennessee. For availability, pack sizes,
retail and foodservice ordering, or to find out who carries them near you, call
(800) 277-7688 or get in touch and a real person will answer.
