We do talk about wheatgrass a lot, and if you’re not familiar with it, you might be wondering where it fits among the more “typical” leafy greens that get used in juices. How does wheatgrass stack up when compared to spinach, or kale for example?
The Taste
Let’s start with an easy comparison: the flavor of wheatgrass juice. When juiced, wheatgrass is quite similar to many other leafy greens, but has a stronger grassy taste than milder greens like Swiss chard. It blends really well with other fruit and vegetable juices so you can definitely work it into your juicing regimen even if the taste is too potent for you.
The Use
Juicing wheatgrass is no different than juicing with any other greens. The only catch might be in buying fresh wheatgrass to juice in the first place. Every supermarket carries spinach or kale, but you might be out of luck with wheatgrass. Many juice-enthusiasts will just grow their own instead. That way, you always have a supply on hand and it’s as fresh as it can be.
The Nutrition
Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty about wheatgrass. What’s the score with the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients? There are too many leafy greens to be comparing them all with wheatgrass, but we can give you a general overview of how they all stack up.
The main vitamin nutrients in greens (that is vitamins A, C, E and K) are all present in wheatgrass much like in any of the others. With the vitamin B complex, you’ll get more of those in wheatgrass than you would in spinach or watercress.
Wheatgrass does have more protein than most leafy greens, though kale is pretty close on that one. This is one of the great benefits of wheatgrass over other greens, particularly for people who follow a plant-based diet. Spinach does win out in iron and calcium content though. While they are both present in wheatgrass in great amounts, there is still more in spinach.
Antioxidant compounds are very high in all leafy greens and since they vary from plant to plant, it’s not easy to compare. Wheatgrass does have an edge when it comes to chlorophyll though. If this is one of the antioxidants you’re after, you should try to grow your own wheatgrass to get the most chlorophyll in every ounce of juice. It’s a delicate nutrient and is at its highest levels in very fresh plant material. Other greens that have been sitting on a store shelf for a week just aren’t going to do it.
Overall, the key is to mix up your green juicing ingredients now and again to really get the full spectrum of potential nutrition. Wheatgrass does cover most of the bases very well but having some kale or spinach juice will make sure you don’t miss out on anything that your body might need.
Remember that you will need a Cold-Press Juicer, such as the Healthy Juicer in order to juice wheatgrass. Your old style centrifugal juicer will not be able to extract the juice from wheatgrass as it is super fibrous. Don’t waste that precious green!
