Juicing Wheatgrass
Information on the benefits of consuming wheatgrass, including where it can be purchased and how to juice it.
Wheatgrass was discovered in 1931 by chemist Charles Schnabel at Cerophyl Labs. He discovered exceptional nutritional value in young cereal grasses.
Test subjects, who were fed wheatgrass, displayed excellent health, vitality and energy. These results were off the charts when compared to the test subjects who consumed only other vegetables in the study. Study after study, both private and government, showed that consuming wheatgrass in its natural form, or by taking it in powder or pill form, increased the overall health of the test subjects.
Wheatgrass is grown under optimal conditions, giving you the young wheat plant. It is quickly growing in popularity as an ingredient in juicing recipes. Wheatgrass can also be purchased in tablet form or powder form. Wheatgrass is known to incorporate vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and nutritional value, over and above any other vegetable!
Research studies have proven that wheatgrass can have a healing effect when dealing with many diseases or disorders. In addition to promoting optimal health benefits, wheatgrass is also used to promote sluggish digestion, suppress the appetite, and increase overall bloodflow. People have even attributed it to cancer prevention. Colon cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in society today, and some suggest that a diet high in chlorophyll can greatly reduce this cancer. Wheatgrass, when grown and processed correctly, can contain as much as 70 percent chlorophyll. Studies also show that it can boost the immune system and regulate the thyroid. Other benefits include helping to oxygenate and alkalize the blood. Even other people swear by it when using it to detoxify the body of impurities.
With all of this knowledge about wheatgrass, it’s not surprising to find wheatgrass as an ingredient in many juicing recipes at juicing bars. You can purchase wheatgrass as fresh produce in health food stores. Even some upper class grocery stores now carry it. Some stores sell freshly cut wheatgrass that you can take home and juice. Another option is to purchase it already juiced and frozen. You can drink wheatgrass as a juice alone, or mix it with other types of fruits and vegetables. Not everyone likes the taste of wheatgrass at first. It can taste quite bitter to someone that is not used to the taste. However, it is possible to make the taste more appealing. You can mix wheatgrass with carrot, cucumber or apple juice. You can add honey to sweeten the flavor if you desire. You can mix wheatgrass with other greens like parsley, kale, celery, dandelion, or alfalfa sprouts. However, you will still probably choose to add a sweeter vegetable or fruit so as to eliminate the bitterness. Ginger and/or garlic can also be added for a different taste.
If you decide that you want to try juicing wheatgrass, you will need a special juicer called a “masticating juicer”. The main difference from a regular juicer is that it is designed to press the moisture out of the wheatgrass, hence wheatgrass juice. These juicers can also be used to juice lettuce,spinach,celery, parsley, and other herbs.
9 out of 10 people do not eat 3 to 5 servings of vegetables every day. It is almost impossible to consume the amount of vegetables that are recommended for our daily requirement. Wheatgrass can fill this void. It only takes about one minute to take 5 to 7 tablets or one teaspoon of powder. It may take a few more minutes to juice enough wheatgrass to give you the nutritional amount equal to a spinach salad. The above listed amounts of tablets and powder is equivalent to one ounce of wheatgrass juiced. However, all three of these methods are much more concentrated than eating a salad. Therefore, your body can absorb them much faster.
You must proceed with caution, however, when you first decide to either juice wheatgrass or take the pill or powder form. Wheatgrass can be difficult to digest at first. If you drink or take too much, it can cause nausea and/or an upset stomach. Because wheatgrass has such a strong cleansing ability, your system may be sensitive in the beginning. It is recommended that you do not drink more than four ounces of wheatgrass per day. Anyone with a really sensitive stomach is advised to only drink one to two ounces every other day to start. As your system gets used to the process, you can gradually increase the amount, not to exceed four ounces per day. It is also recommended that you DO NOT DRINK OR TAKE WHEATGRASS ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. Your stomach needs food in it for the wheatgrass to work properly. Also, try taking the wheatgrass several times a day rather than all at once. Some people like to take two ounces in the morning for a boost, and then two ounces before bedtime. Be careful with the bedtime sequence, however, until you figure out how your body responds, or you may be up and down during the night running to the bathroom! Other people prefer to consume wheatgrass between meals. It has been reported to substantially curb appetite!
Another recommendation is to drink PLENTY OF WATER or other liquid when injesting wheatgrass. If you juice wheatgrass, you can mix it with a lot of crushed ice to get the liquid that you need.
Wheatgrass juice, with it high levels of chlorophyll, is closer in compositon to blood than anything else you might drink or take. The chlorophyll in plants is similar to the molecular structure of blood. You will feel the immediate results when you drink wheatgrass. Many people PREFER organic wheatgrass juice first thing in the morning instead of a cup of tea or coffee. However, they report that they get that “jolt” they need to start their day. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather put something organic and natural into my body to experience that boost needed in the morning.
Great Juice Recipes for Juicers
Facts about the difference between using a blender and a juicer to make delicious juice recipes and how to create your own special juicing recipes
I don’t know about you, but knowing all of the facts about juicers is confusing. When some people start juicing, they automatically think that they can use their blender to juice. A blender and a juicer are two completely separate appliances and they perform two totally different functions. One kind of juicer extracts the juice and disposes of its pulp. The newer kinds of juicers no longer separate this pulp. You just throw everything into the juicer, including the skins and the seeds. There are a few exceptions to this. Normally, you will remove large seeds or pits, such as avocado. You will want to remove some skins, also, such as oranges, nectarines, and the skin on cantalopes.
Now let’s talk about blenders. A blender will not separate the pulp from the juice. Furthermore, a blender will not produce the quality of juice that a juicer can. A blender produces a gritty, stringy mess if you try to blend celery, string beans, and even other hard vegetables such as carrots and beets. I
Now that you know the difference between the two, it is time to start creating your own inventive and delicious juice recipes. It can be a little intimidating when you first start. Just remember to have fun with this. There are literally tons of fresh fruits and vegetables that you can use. And it is totally up to you to decide what combinations you want to use also. Be creative and use your imagination. You already know which fruits and vegetables you really, really like. Now just take it one step further. Rather than cooking them, and depleting them of all the nutritional value, you can juice them and reap the rewards from their freshness. Obviously, there are some vegetables that might not taste good juiced on their own. By mixing them with a fruit and/or a sweeter vegetable, you can curb a bitter or unpleasant taste. Some fruits to use are strawberries, kiwi, apples and oranges.
If you are new to juicing, there are a few tips you might want to consider. First, limit green juices to two ounces per glass in the beginning. Your digestive system needs to adjust to the liquid as your body absorbs it in approximately 20 minutes after you drink it. If you fail to heed this warning, you could experience gastric discomfort and even cramps. Second, it is a good idea to avoid juicing bananas and avocados in the beginning. They are soft and may clog your juicer. If you really want to use them, it is best to wrap them in lettuce or put them in AFTER you have started juicing harder vegetables. Third, most fruits and vegetables can be juiced either whole or in manageable pieces.Lemons and limes can be juiced whole, peels, seeds and all. You should remove the rind of citrus fruits like grapefruit, tangerines, and oranges. Most of the nutrients in these particular fruits is found in the white pith, close to the skin. Try to include as much of this white pith as you can when discarding the skin.
Allow yourself the freedom to be creative and imaginative. Start out juicing the fruits and vegetables that you love. Once you get a few glasses of juice under your belt, you can broaden your experimentation and mix it up a little bit. Start out mixing one or two vegetables or fruits that you love, and then add something unexpected. If it doesn’t taste right once you have juiced it, just add something else to it. Experiment until you find several mixtures that you really enjoy. Just a hint here. WRITE DOWN THE RECIPE once you have something you really like. You may not find it again, or it may take a lot more time to duplicate it. Your body derives numerous benefits from juicing. Through juicing, you receive 100% of all of the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and phytonutrients that your body needs to build healthy muscle and tissue, and keep your glands and organs functioning at their peek.
Now that you know the ins and outs of juicing, who wouldn’t want to take full advantage of juicing and the optimum health benefits afforded you?
Create Your Own Recipes for Juicing
Information on creating your own juice recipes including facts about common health conditions and how to combat them.
In the modern world today, we all struggle with common health problems such as high blood pressure, asthma, joint pain, digestive problems and even diabetes. More and more people are turning to juicing to try and prevent a lot of common problems and help with those that won’t go away. So many of us are exhausted, tired, run down and not in very good health. It is no wonder with work, children, homes, yards and numerous other things we are responsible for every week. I don’t know anyone that couldn’t use a huge influx of energy during the day. Juicing will work for just about everyone. That does not mean that everyone will take advantage of it. We are all so bombarded with things to do, that many may think it is just one more thing they will have to do. In reality, juicing will probably simplify your life, if you just give it a chance. There are many recipes available online and in books. However, most of the fun is inventing and creating your very own recipes for juicing that cater to your taste and that of your family. Many of these recipes have been designed to target specific health conditions. If you have a health condition, look in books or online to see what combinations are suggested for your specific ailment, disease, or disorder.
If you are interested in researching a specific ailment, disease, or disorder, whether for yourself or someone you know, try to understand what is the cause of the specific ailment. Many health conditions are caused by the deficiency of certain minerals and vitamins. And it is no wonder. Most of us get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, and fly out the door. Do you have any idea how BAD drinking coffee on an empty stomach is for our digestive system? It is terrible! Usually we are so busy we don’t get a chance to eat again until lunch. Many of us either gobble down our food or skip lunch altogether because we have too much work to do. If we drink anything during the day, it is either another cup of coffee or a soda. By this time, our body is starved for nutrients. Then we stop at the store, pick up the kids, and rush home just to throw dinner in the microwave! We also have either another cup of coffee or another soda. It wouldn’t be so bad if this only happened once in awhile, but most of us do this every single day. Can you see WHY our bodies are not functioning properly and why we get ill? Most of us don’t even come close to the daily recommended dietary requirements.
Think about this for a minute. What are we feeding our children? Granted, most of them don’t drink coffee, but just think about what you feed them on a daily basis. Keep a diary for a week. I know, it’s just one more thing to do! But really, if you are concerned about your children’s health, you should really take a look at what you are feeding them on a daily basis. This is where juicing comes in again. Experiments have been done using fresh fruits and vegetables. Kids were asked if they liked broccoli, lettuce, peppers, and brussels sprouts. The resounding answer was “NO!” However, when these vegetables were juiced and combined with sweet fruits such as apple, kiwi, peaches, strawberries or cantaloupe, the kids drank the juice and even thought it tasted good!! Just think how much easier it would be to make sure they get their daily requirements of fruits and vegetables.
For example, research has shown that folic acid plays a major role with those who have breathing problems such as asthma. Tests show that those who have a higher intake of folic acid have fewer allergy symptoms and a lower occurrence of asthma. Once you have learned what vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients benefit your specific disorder, disease, or condition you want to improve, you will need to understand which fruits and vegetables contain these nutrients.
Because certain fruits and vegetables are responsible for producing certain vitamins and minerals, it is imperative you understand which ingredients to choose if you are going to be juicing to eliminate a problem. We all know that oranges and other citrus provide huge doses of vitamin C. Bananas provide our daily requirement for potassium. As you familiarize yourself with different fruits and vegetables, you will become knowledgeable on which ones to use for which conditions. Try to purchase the best produce that you can afford. Remember, you are putting this into your body to help make you healthier. The healthier the produce, the healthier you can expect to be. If at all possible, use organic and local produce free of pesticides whenever possible.
We all know that homegrown produce we have grown ourselves is absolutely the best! When we grow our own, we positively know the we have not used any pesticides or other chemicals. Because of that, we receive the maximum benefits for our health. Also, there is no other taste in the world that compares to that of a fresh, off the vine, fruit or vegetable. Tomatoes are my absolute favorite! Nothing else compares. Unfortunately, most of us either don’t have the time or the space to grow our own gardens. So we have to rely on other sources for our produce. The next best thing is to purchase produce from a farmer’s market or a fresh produce stand. Most cities have both of these. Farmer’s markets are usually held on the weekends, and fresh produce stands can be found in some areas. Both of these options usually offer produce free of pesticides and other chemicals. If you must purchase from your local grocery store, wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove as much pesticide and chemicals from the skins. Some people use sea salt and swear by the fact that it removes most, if not all, of the chemicals. If you are short on time, wash all of your fruits and vegetables as soon as you get home. Then they will be all ready when you want to juice.
In the beginning, it can be hard to judge exactly how much produce you need to juice. On average, it takes about one pound to produce one cup of juice. Once you have started juicing, you will understand exactly what you need for which concoctions. You might even choose to write this information down so you don’t constantly have to guess at the amounts.
Coming up with your own delicious combinations is fun and easy. You do not need to peel most fruits and vegetables because much of the needed minerals and vitamins are in the peel. It is necessary to remove larger seeds, as in the avocado, and any that contain pits, such as cherries.You will also want to remove the skin from cantaloupe, oranges and nectarines. Just be sure to thoroughly scrub the skins of any fruits and vegetables that you are going to use whole. Then just cut larger produce into manageable pieces, and throw into the juicer. The juicer will do the rest.
The sky is the limit when it comes to creating really wonderful juicing recipes. Take advantage of all the fresh fruit and vegetables available this time of year. Use your imagination and creativity to experiment with various combinations of produce to find out what tastes you and your family prefer.