Wheatgrass Juice Vs. Powder

Wheatgrass can be juiced fresh from the ground, juiced from tray-grown wheatgrass or powdered for later consumption. Though most of wheatgrass's benefits exist in all its forms, some potency is lost in both the powdered and the tray-grown forms.

Benefits

• Wheatgrass proponents claim it enhances immune system performance, cleanses the blood and digestive systems, and supports weight loss. Wheatgrass juice and wheatgrass powder boost energy and have a high nutritional value.

Enzymes

• To get the most enzymes from wheatgrass, drink it freshly juiced after harvesting young wheatgrass from the ground. Juice from tray-grown wheatgrass transmits more enzymes to your body than powdered wheatgrass.

Chlorophyll

• Organic wheatgrass grown in the ground has 54 mg of chlorophyll per serving, while tray-grown wheatgrass has only about 8 mg. Powdered wheatgrass can have up to 18 mg of chlorophyll. Some studies suggest that chlorophyll helps prevent colon cancer, reported the August 2005 Journal of Nutrition.

Protein

• The most protein from wheatgrass, 2.5 g, is in freshly harvested wheatgrass grown organically in the ground. Powdered wheatgrass can have up to 1 g of protein, while tray-grown wheatgrass has about 550 mg of protein.

Vitamins

• Organic wheatgrass harvested from the ground has the most vitamins. For example, 24 mgs of vitamin C are found in ground-harvested wheatgrass, 7-8 mg are found in powdered wheatgrass and just 1 mg is found in tray-grown wheatgrass.

Considerations

• If possible, drink wheatgrass juice right after harvesting it from the ground. For maximum enzyme benefit, any juiced wheatgrass is better than powder. For maximum vitamin and mineral benefit, powdered wheatgrass is superior to tray-grown wheatgrass if ground-harvested wheatgrass is not available.