Impressive Benefits of Barley Grass and Wheatgrass: Everything You Need to Know
Everything You Need to Know About Wheatgrass & Barley Grass
Wheatgrass and Barley Grass are two of the most nutritionally potent greens, each bringing its own impressive health benefits and superfood properties.
WHAT IS WHEATGRASS?
Wheatgrass is an absolutely fantastic superfood in the way that it is packed with natural vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Wheatgrass powder is made from the young wheat plant before it develops a mature stem and grain. It can be used as part of a detox regime or as part of a high quality nutritionally rich diet.
Known for its amazing detoxifying and cleansing properties, wheatgrass is a favourite ingredient in green juices and smoothies.
Did you know? Wheatgrass was famously used in Traditional Chinese Medicine primarily to reverse grey hair back to its normal colour. Whilst this might seem outlandish, the premise in TCM is that hair pigmentation is influenced by the quality of blood and the strength of the kidneys - if hair has gone grey, the kidneys and blood need to be strengthened.
Foods that accomplish this include wheatgrass and, indeed, any other foods with a high chlorophyll content. A surprising fact about chlorophyll is that its molecular structure is almost identical to that of haemoglobin, a critical part of human blood.
The history of barley grass dates back thousands of years. In fact, it is believed that ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Vikings used the plant for health and medicine – and when you take a look at its nutrition content, it’s easy to see why…
Barley grass is rich in a variety of essential nutrients, especially B vitamins, A, C, and K – which play an essential role in skin health, immunity, and heart health.
Additionally, barley grass is a potent antioxidant, meaning it can help your body fight off free radicals and protect the cells.
According to a recent study, Barley grass can regulate blood sugar (i.e. reduce blood glucose response to a meal) for up to 10 hours after consumption. This makes Barley grass an excellent way to make sure your energy levels stay healthy, stable and your body completely capable to support an active day.
Are Wheatgrass and Barley Grass Gluten Free?
There is understandable confusion around wheatgrass and barley grass when it comes to their gluten-free status, largely due to the fact that they contain the words ‘wheat’ and ‘barley’ - two of the main ingredients those who follow a gluten-free lifestyle learn to avoid!
Wheatgrass and wheat grains are not the same thing. While the wheat grains contain gluten, pure wheatgrass is naturally gluten-free, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. The same goes for barley grass.
Wheatgrass VS. Barley Grass: What’s the Difference?
The differences between wheatgrass and barley grass are minimal. One difference is the taste. Barley grass has a milder flavor while wheatgrass has a bitter taste. The second difference is barley grass has a higher protein content than wheatgrass.
Here’s Our Top 5 Health Benefits of Wheatgrass & Barley Grass!
1. WHEATGRASS AND BARLEY GRASS HELP TO BOOST IMMUNITY
Barley grass and wheatgrass are naturally high in many key nutrients that help to support the immune system, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants and enzymes.
Extremely high in vitamin C which is crucial to the overall health of the body in its efforts to fight off infections – both bacterial and viral. White blood cells contain 20 times the amount of vitamin C than other cells and require constant replenishment to keep the immune system working to its optimum capacity.
2. WHEATGRASS AND BARLEY GRASS ALKALISE THE BODY
If you want to prevent cancer and other chronic diseases from flourishing in your body as you get older, creating an alkaline environment is essential.
Acidosis (high levels of acid resulting from low alkalinity) is an all-too-common problem today, due to toxicity from the environment along with many people eating highly processed foods.
Countless studies pointing to the fact that disease struggles to take hold and thrive in an alkaline environment.
Wheatgrass provides vital alkalizing benefits for the body, (as are many leafy green vegetables), but what makes Wheatgrass stand out head and shoulders above the rest is the amount of alkaline minerals it contains (calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium to name but a few).
Barley grass is highly alkalising due to the amount of alkaline minerals it contains. It has the powerful ability to restore a healthy acid-alkaline balance in the body whilst offering protection against the many health problems that can be caused by disharmony in the blood PH.
3.
WHEATGRASS AND BARLEY GRASS ARE GREAT FOR DIGESTIVE HEALTH
A healthy digestive system is one of the cornerstones of good health; Barley Grass is a natural source of organic sodium which is needed by the lining of the stomach to produce hydrochloric acid (without which our food cannot be digested). Also rich in digestive enzymes, these substances can help to reduce toxic and indigestible materials in food.
Wheatgrass and barley grass are both good sources of fibre. Fibre is one of the best nutrients for the digestive system as it feeds good bacteria in the gut, functioning as a sort of prebiotic.
4. WHEATGRASS AND BARLEY GRASS SUPPORT DETOX
Both barley grass and wheatgrass are known for their detoxifying properties.They are bursting with life giving chlorophyll, the substance used by plants to convert sunlight into energy - this increases the amount of oxygen in the blood which in turn revitalises tissues and detoxes the body from harmful toxins and impurities.
Wheatgrass and barley grass offer protection from radiation and cellular damage, regenerating damaged cells and tissues.
Their potent antioxidant activity works to support the body’s natural detox mechanisms by flushing out toxins and reducing their harmful effect on the body.
5. WHEATGRASS AND BARLEY GRASS ARE RICH IN CHLOROPHYLL
Many of the benefits of wheatgrass and barley grass are attributable to chlorophyll, which has numerous health benefits due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.Chlorophyll has been shown to help naturally balance the body’s pH level and protect cells. This is one of the reasons that chlorophyll consumption is associated with anti-aging effects ranging from younger-looking skin to better weight management.
Chlorophyll in plants is often compared to haemoglobin in humans as it helps to transport oxygen. With all that chlorophyll content, don’t be surprised if you notice a skin boost!
Barley grass and wheatgrass are often combined with other ingredients to make a ‘greens powder.’ Many greens powders contain a blend of up to 20 different ingredients. This may sound great, but having so many different ingredients means that you get a lower amount of the health-boosting nutrients you’re looking for.
Choose Organic. Any chemicals or pesticides that were present in the original greens will be highly concentrated in a powder.
Green Powder that is clean and not loaded with anything artificial is key. Avoid sweeteners, thickeners, flavourings or anything artificial.
Our Organic Super Greens combine 5 different greens (wheatgrass, barley grass, chlorella, spirulina & moringa) with superfoods baobab, camu camu and maca.
How to Add Wheatgrass & Barley Grass Into Your Everyday
Use it in smoothies, shakes, water & juices – Add a spoon of greens to fruit and veggie smoothies, protein shakes, water and freshly squeezed juices.
Shop for Organic Super Greens here.
Reference:
1. Gluten free foods: https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/gluten-free-foods/
2. Therapeutic role of barley grass for chronic diseases in human beings: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5904770/
3. Health benefits of wheatgrass: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26156538/