Truly bold drink it 'naked'
What is it with wheatgrass? With all the claims, you would think it could make you levitate and walk on water, but what, if any, are the real health benefits?
Served in an overfull paper cup the size of a large bottle cap, the juice is green, dark and foamy. Your first thought is: I plonked down £1.50 for that? After knocking it back, you experience a pungent, slightly bitter, yet sweet tang - very much like grass with a faint touch of earth. The delicate aftertaste lingers as a mild tingling over the tongue and teeth for at least an hour.
Wheatgrass belongs to the family of blade-bearing grasses, such as barley, oats and rye. Fifteen pounds of its sprouts are the nutritional equivalent of 350 pounds of vegetables. Plucked from the ground, wheatgrass is too woody and fibrous for humans to digest. Consequently, surprising numbers of people each day down juice that has been extracted from the infant sprouts for therapeutic reasons.
Best absorbed on an empty stomach, two one-ounce bolts are the daily recommended dose, but it is best to start slowly with one. The flavour mixes well with fresh orange or apple juice, but the truly bold take it "naked".
Ann Wigmore, a Lithuanian emigrant, popularised the juice in the US in the 1960s and 1970s. In The Wheatgrass Book, she chronicles its use as a natural remedy to relieve the wounds of soldiers in the first World War. She also describes how she cured herself of colitis with a daily infusion and offers some tasty suggestions for wheatgrass "cocktails".
"Dr Ann" founded the Hippocrates Health Institute in Boston and, later, Florida, where guests go to revitalise the mind, body and spirit through a diet of enzyme-rich fruit and vegetables. At the institute, Wigmore performed a series of experiments on wheatgrass and other plants. Believing in the body's ability to heal itself, she asserted that wheatgrass eliminates toxins from the body and can cure any number of chronic diseases. While scientists have yet to show her claims to be true, there is no evidence to prove the juice is harmful.
Up to 70 per cent chlorophyll, wheatgrass must be downed quickly, as chlorophyll has a very short life span. The American Dietetic Association says chlorophyll benefits the gastrointestinal tract and may enhance the immune system. Its antioxidant properties mean wheatgrass efficiently detoxifies the body, particularly the liver. It also stimulates the metabolism and circulation, curbing the appetite and clarifying the complexion. One shot contains beta-carotene, vitamins B, C, E, H and K, 19 amino acids and 90 minerals, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and selenium.
Technically a vegetable rather than a grain, wheatgrass does not contain gluten, which makes it safe for those with wheat allergies.
As for how the plant migrated to the Republic, one need look no farther than David Quirke of Nude, the alternative fast-food restaurant in Dublin. He discovered the benefits of the juice after having a bit too much fun on vacation in Los Angeles.
Stunned by the queues for tiny gulps of green juice, Quirke tried a shot as a hangover cure. Not only did it work, but it worked very well. Quirke was soon researching the benefits of the juice and ways to introduce it to the Republic. He then helped to open Nude, where customers plough through hundreds of shots a day.
Quirke initially tried to grow the grass indoors, but demand was high, so he turned to Davis Ashe, an organic farmer. Ashe grows the seedlings in trays in a 1,200-square-foot hothouse in Co Kildare. After a three-week maturation process, from sowing to harvest, the trays are delivered to cafes and homes. One tray is enough for about six shots, which are prepared by trimming off a small square and running the wheatgrass through a juicer for immediate consumption.
Those inclined to grow wheatgrass at home may soon be overwhelmed by the task. It is far simpler to purchase a quality juicer and have Ashe deliver a tray to your door. While Quirke is investigating how to supply Irish consumers with affordable juicers, you can purchase a Green Power Juicer for £499, with free delivery, from Naturalife in Rathnew, Co Wicklow.
Because the plant's fibres are so strong, normal fruit juicers quickly become clogged. The Green Power's interlocking gears crush blades slowly, so preventing blockages. The machine also works at a low temperature, so does not kill health-promoting enzymes.
While it is still important to consume vegetables, there is no doubt that drinking an ounce of wheatgrass juice a day is easier than eating a bag of raw broccoli. At its most basic consideration, wheatgrass is an easy and relatively inexpensive dietary supplement. I hadn't tried it for years, but recently downed an ounce. Still up and running several hours later, with no caffeine low, I can say that Dublin's healthy cafes have one more wheatgrass junkie to contend with.
Wheatgrass juice can be bought at Nude, Suffolk Street, D2; Go Nude, Leeson Street, D2;Juice, South Great Georges Street, D2;Cornucopia, Wicklow Street, D2; Dublin Food Co-op, St Andrew's Centre, Pearse Street, D4 (Saturdays, 9.30 a.m-3 p.m.); Hybrasil Cafe, Co Sligo; Superquinn (contact stores for details)