Chapter 5
Super Nutrition From Wheatgrass

Next in importance to the divine profusion of water, light and air, those three great physical facts which render existence possible, may be reckoned the universal benificence of grass. It yields no fruit in Earth or air, yet should its harvest fail for a single year famine would depopulate the world. - Senator John James Ingalls of Kansas, 1872

Live foods nutrition is super nutrition because it recognizes and appreciates the differences between raw and cooked foods and between natural and synthetic nutrients. In the conventional nutrition-school curriculum there is little room for a discussion of either the value of enzymes and life forces in foods, or the merits of live (raw) versus cooked foods. Yet the difference, when translated into health terms, is the difference between being vitally healthy and alive, and just breathing.

In this chapter I will discuss many of the ordinary nutritional components of wheatgrass and what I feel are some of its super-nutritional aspects. I will also compare its cost and effectiveness to some of the more popular "health" foods and synthetic vitamin-mineral supplements.

NUTRITIONAL GRASS ROOTS

We owe our existence to the grasses which spread over the earth fifty million years ago and made it habitable for animals and humans both. Regrettably we have all but forgotten this fact. Even though we drink milk and eat meat from animals that eat grass, we seem to take its marvellous nourishing properties for granted. Yet, if anything happened to our livestock and our food reservoirs dried up, it would be a comfort to know that wheatgrass, all by itself, could keep us alive and well.

Could we live on any of the other common vegetables, leaf crops, or weeds? Experience says no. For years it was assumed that herbivorous animals could live on any of the common green plants. Nowadays we know this isn't true. A guinea pig is herbivorous, yet it would die in less than thirteen weeks on a diet of lettuce, cabbage, or carrots, and would grow at half its normal rate on a diet of spinach. But the same guinea pig would thrive on a diet of only wheatgrass. In fact, Dr. Charles Schnabel developed a superior strain of guinea pigs in five generations on a diet solely of grass. But can wheatgrass sustain humans? I think so.

In any discussion comparing the nutritional values of a food substance like wheatgrass against the nutrients found in vitamin pills, it must be remembered that nature packages nutrients in a complex and balanced arrangement, whereas chemists, try as they will to duplicate nature's way, cannot. The nutrients in wheatgrass and raw foods are more readily used by the body, so that a much smaller quantity of them is required, compared to when vitamin-mineral supplements are used.

In addition, when I discuss the nutritional value of wheat- grass here, I am speaking of the liquid. When wheatgrass juice is dried, some of its nutrient values increase by a factor of twenty or more, due to the absence of water. If we were comparing wheatgrass with spirulina or chlorella, which are both dried algae products, we would need to compare wheatgrass juice in its dried form to get a fair comparison. I am not saying that dried wheatgrass juice is better—it's not—but that without the liquid, certain nutrients are more concentrated. Unfortunately, the drying process destroys some enzymes and life forces—one reason why I recommend using fresh wheat- grass in juice form at its peak of nutritional value. Another reason to use fresh juice instead of the dried form is that its Vitamin C, and certain other vitamins, are lost rapidly after it is juiced or juiced and then dried.

THE BEST KIND OF VITAMINS

Your need for vitamins varies depending on your body, occupation, and style of living. It is safe to say, however, that all of us need to get enough of certain vitamins to be healthy. There is much confusion over our needs for vitamins such as C, B- complex, A, and E, and their uses by the body. Vitamin manufacturers in their advertising campaigns give us the impression that vitamins by themselves increase energy and ward off the common cold. In fact, vitamins do not increase energy levels or make us feel better directly, but through their ability to make carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in foods available for use as energy and as "building blocks." By themselves, vitamins cannot cure disease, restore potency, or sustain life. We also need the above-mentioned food factors, which we use for energy and rebuilding our cells. While getting enough of the right kinds of vitamins is essential to good health, our need for them is minimal compared to our need for carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Vitamin pills are being swallowed up by Americans to the tune of more than two billion dollars per year. Yet, there is still much debate about whether these synthetic substitutes can replace the real vitamins found in foods—and whether they should. Critics warn that the uninformed who use vitamins do so at their own peril. They cite various cases of overdose and vitamin toxicity. It is clear that vitamins should be treated as drugs. Though many of them are claimed to be non-toxic, their use should be monitored carefully, as their long-term effects are still largely unknown.

On the other hand, we do know that the vitamins found in foods are completely safe and capable of sustaining one in good health. Natural foods supplied our ancestors with all the essential vitamins for millions of years. It is my feeling that while synthetics seem to work in the short run, they may have damaging side effects (in the same way that most synthetic drugs do).

In addition, some people use a daily vitamin supplement to take the place of proper nutrition, often replacing the very foods that are rich in vitamins.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that anyone can remain healthy on vitamin pills and fast foods. In fact, from what we do know such a lifestyle will most likely end in chronic illness and premature death.

The superstitious belief in abiogenesis, the theory of the production of living from non-living matter, has led many of us to the illogical conclusion that synthetic foods and supplements can not only keep us healthy, but can regenerate the body and extend its lifespan. I believe in biogenesis, the doctrine that living things are produced only from living things—and my years of experience in the field of natural health bolster my opinion. Simply put, living bodies need some live (raw) foods: that is the law of nature.

There is really no substitute for the vitamins found in high- quality raw foods. I also recommend the use of three to six ounces of fresh wheatgrass juice every day or so as added protection from the pressures and stresses of modern living. This small amount of green juice alone will supply nearly as much vitamins and minerals as the food the average person eats each day.

WHEATGRASS VERSUS THE NEW "SUPERFOODS"

You may be resisting the use of wheatgrass on the grounds that you are already using one or another of the so-called "superfoods" available from health food stores. Few of these foods, including spirulina, bee pollen, chlorella, and dried, powdered wheatgrass, have stood the test of time.

Chlorella and spirulina, both green algae, are far from being live foods—a claim which their sellers often make. Both products are single-celled organisms that are surrounded by a durable shell. In order to obtain the nutrients that are inside, the shell must be crushed open, allowing the contents to oxidize. To limit further oxidation, the algae come packaged in lightproof containers, but damage has already been done. In addition, the algae are heat-dried at temperatures in excess of 160° degrees F , which further undermines their digestibility and nutritional value. Besides, there is no evidence that humans have used either of them as food. The reason for this may be that the algae possess genes and elements which haven't evolved since their beginnings more than three billion years ago.

Beyond these limitations, German and Japanese researchers have found that chlorella is hard to digest and productive of unwanted nucleic acids. But the biggest drawbacks of the "superfoods" are their unavailability, poorly controlled quality, and, worst of all, price. A daily supply of fresh wheatgrass juice is about one or two cents, compared to a dollar or more for the others.

Another advantage of wheatgrass juice is that it can be used at its peak of nutritional value, only seconds after it is cut and juiced. The vitamins in dried "superfoods" and in vegetables lose some of their potency as soon as they are picked or cut. The Vitamin C contained in a crushed raw tomato, for example, decreases by 50 percent in about five minutes and by up to 70 percent in twenty minutes. After cooking, even more of the Vitamin C is lost. (This is another reason why I recommend that you eat as much of your food as possible uncooked.) Although wheatgrass loses much of its vitamins and enzymes soon after it is picked, it is always used raw, and if you grow your own wheatgrass at home, you will be able to use it right away.

Being a liquid, wheatgrass juice is rapidly assimilated by the body. When you drink fresh wheatgrass juice, one of the first things that strikes you is its sweetness. This rush of flavor indicates that the juice is making direct contact with the mucous membranes in the mouth and is acting immediately on the surface of the gustatory nerves. Vegetables, on the other hand, do not possess this burst of flavor unless they are juiced, because their nutrients are locked inside their fibrous cells. Cooking, which tends to break down cellulose, releases more flavor in some vegetables, but it also destroys their enzymes and other nutrients.

VITAMINS IN WHEATGRASS

Nutritionally, wheatgrass juice contains about the same amount of Vitamin C as citrus and other fruits, and more than common vegetables like tomatoes or potatoes. As you know, Vitamin C is important to the health of the skin, teeth, gums, eyes, muscles, and joints. It also aids general growth and development and acts as an antioxidant.

Wheatgrass juice supplies about as much Vitamin A as dark green varieties of lettuce (but three times more than iceberg), and more than most fruits. Dried wheatgrass juice contains as much Vitamin A as carrots, kale, or apricots, which are all high in A. Keep in mind that this is Provitamin A, also known as carotene, which is converted into Vitamin A in the intestines as needed, and is harmless in any amount. The Vitamin A found in liver, fish oils, animal foods, and most vitamin- mineral supplements accumulates in the liver and becomes toxic in large doses. Vitamin A is essential for normal growth and development, good eyesight, and reproduction. Without Vitamin A, we may suffer from weak or brittle bones, night blindness, dry skin, and lowered resistance to infection and illness. Recently, investigators have also been looking into A as a potential anti-cancer vitamin.

Wheatgrass is a good source of B vitamins, which facilitate the use of carbohydrates for energy, and aid the nervous and digestive systems. A steady supply of B vitamins is also essential for normal brain and body development, and for the adrenal glands. Our need for this anti-stress vitamin increases with the amount of physical and mental stress we encounter, though relative to the other vitamins mentioned, our need for the B complex is small.

Vitamin E, an antioxidant and fertility vitamin, is also found in wheatgrass. Without enough of this fat-soluble vitamin, we face muscle degeneration, sterility, and slower healing of wounds and infections. Vitamin E is also a protector of the heart. The type of E found in wheatgrass is about ten times more easily assimilated by the body than synthetic E. Other good live food sources of Vitamin E are sprouted seeds, grains, and nuts.

MINERALS IN WHEATGRASS

The proper quantity and quality of minerals is every bit as important as vitamins in the diet. Minerals help regulate the eliminative and blood-building functions on the molecular level, through their bonds with the many enzymes in the body. Without enough of the right kinds of minerals we can easily become toxemic and run down.

Minerals are our lifeblood. Years ago, minerals in the ancient ocean mixed with amino acids and enzymes and made life forms. Mineral salts are basic to all life. Found in both plants and animals, mineral salts are responsible for the transference of electrical current through them. They are organic, as opposed to the inorganic minerals found in stone, dietary mineral supplements, or in rusty nails.

While studies have indicated that inorganic minerals can be taken into the body and will serve a specified function, you need to take about ten to twenty times more of them to get the same effect as from organic mineral salts. When the diet includes large quantities of inorganic minerals, there is a significant risk of overload. The Bantu of southern Africa, for example, have a high incidence of liver poisoning due to their exclusive use of iron pots in cooking.

To meet your body's mineral needs I recommend you get mineral salts from wheatgrass and other live foods. By doing so, you will guard yourself against deficiency, keep your bones and teeth in great shape, and protect the many delicate metabolic functions that require the proper balance of mineral salts. When using inorganic minerals, you run a greater risk of upsetting this delicate balance and reaping chaos internally. The old adage that nature is the best chemist still rings true when it comes to getting the right kind of minerals for health.

Minerals are also important in maintaining a smooth metabolism, especially in the area of blood pH (relative acidity or alkalinity of the blood). Under normal circumstances our blood maintains a slight alkalinity, having a pH between 7.3 and 7.45 (on the pH scale, below 7.0 is acid and above 7.0 is alkaline). As a result of metabolism, acids are constantly being produced. These acids must be neutralized by alkaline minerals in order to maintain healthy bones and teeth and to promote immunity from colds and more serious illnesses. Wheatgrass has an alkalizing effect on the blood, due to its abundance of alkaline minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium.

Wheatgrass is a good source of calcium, which helps build strong bones and teeth and regulates heartbeat, in addition to acting as a buffer to restore balance to blood pH. Dried wheat- grass juice has about as much calcium as milk. Juices from sprouts and green leafy vegetables, sea vegetables, and sprouted seeds, beans, and grains are also good sources of calcium in a form that is easily used by the body.

I do not recommend that you use milk or dairy as regular food items because they are too rich in saturated animal fats and cholesterol. After it has been pasteurized, homogenized, and supplemented with synthetic Vitamin D, milk is difficult for the average person to digest. Thus it is essential for you to eat plenty of greens, sprouts, and sea vegetables, along with wheatgrass juice, to be assured of getting all the calcium you need. This is especially true for people suffering from arthritis, rheumatism, muscle cramps, or tingling of the extremities—all signs of calcium deficiency. Keep in mind that up to 99 percent of the calcium we eat is deposited in our bones and teeth, and calcium cannot be properly absorbed unless other trace minerals are present along with it—as is the case in wheatgrass juice and fresh, live foods.

Wheatgrass is also a fairly good source of iron, a mineral that is essential to red blood cell formation and the transport of oxygen from the lungs to the cells. Some of our iron is reused, but we still must have a steady supply of dietary iron. Without enough iron, we can easily become tired or anemic. Women may lose needed iron during menstruation. Inorganic iron is often constipating, but the iron salts in wheatgrass have no side effects. In juice form, wheatgrass contains about half as much iron as spinach or other greens that are good sources of iron. Unlike spinach, beet greens, or chard, however, wheat- grass contains little or no oxalic acid—an element in the above-mentioned foods that binds the usable calcium in the system, can leach calcium from teeth and bones, and cause kidney stones.

Another important mineral, of which wheatgrass supplies an optimum amount, is sodium. We need sodium to aid digestion and elimination, and to regulate the amount of fluid in the body, but most Americans consume way too much of it in the form of sodium chloride (table salt) and food additives such as MSG. One proof of our need for sodium is the fact that our normal blood contains five grams of sodium per pint. The total amount of calcium in our blood is only 2 percent of the sodium content, and potassium equals only 4 percent of the amount of sodium.

However, too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, and stroke. Individuals on a low-sodium or sodium-restricted diet may use wheatgrass juice as it contains relatively little sodium compared to most prepared foods. Its sodium content is about equal to what is found in an onion or tomato.

Potassium, called the youth mineral by some nutritionists, helps maintain a smooth mineral balance, and balanced body weight. It also tones the muscles, firms the skin, and promotes overall beauty. Fruits, especially bananas, are well known for their good supply of potassium. Wheatgrass juice contains about as much potassium as citrus fruits, grapes, apples or melons.

You will find about as much magnesium in wheatgrass as in broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beets, carrots, or celery. Magnesium is important for good muscle function and for bowel health, as it aids eliminative functions. I believe that this vital mineral is also responsible for drawing fat out of the liver in cases of fatty infiltration there.

Wheatgrass is also an excellent source of a wide variety of trace minerals. These minerals are important even though they are found only in "trace" amounts inside us. One of these, selenium, is being tested for anti-cancer properties, and others, like zinc, which is essential for hair growth, many liver functions, and the synthesis of protein, are now recognized as essential for plants and animals alike.

AMINO ACIDS (PROTEIN) IN WHEATGRASS

Next to water, protein is the most plentiful nutrient in the body. More than 50 percent of the dry weight of the body is protein. Proteins, in turn, are composed of smaller proteinous "chains" called amino acids. Amino acids can be compared with the raw materials used in building a house, whereas enzymes do the actual building. Together, enzymes and amino acids are responsible for cell renewal and a huge array of diverse functions from the creation of hormones to building of muscles, blood, and organs.

There are eight amino acids, called "essential" amino acids, which the body can synthesize only from the proteins we eat. If these amino acids are not present in our food, our bodies are unable to rejuvenate our cells properly and deficiency symptoms arise. In addition to these eight, there are a dozen other amino acids which are really just as essential—but can be formed by the body internally.

Amino acids are involved in so many body systems and functions that it is beyond the scope of this book to mention them all. Let's suffice to say that they are essential to proper digestion and assimilation of foods, strong immunity against disease, rapid healing of cuts and wounds, proper liver function, and regulation of our level of mental awareness. Above all, the action of amino acids on cells in the process of self- renewal rejuvenates us and prolongs life.

A deficiency of just one amino acid can result in allergies, low energy, sluggish digestion, poor resistance to infection, and premature aging. The replacement of that amino acid can as easily result in the complete reversal of these symptoms. In essence, an adequate supply of amino acids can make the difference between fair health and low energy levels, and vital health, mental clarity, and a strong -resistance to germs and other microbes. I will now discuss the seventeen amino acids found in wheatgrass juice, beginning with the eight essentials.

Lysine is one amino acid that has been receiving attention lately as a potential anti-aging factor. Body growth and blood circulation are fostered by this important amino. Without enough lysine, our immune response weakens, sight may be affected, and fatigue can occur. Another essential, isoleucine, is also needed for growth, especially in infants, and for protein balance in adults. A deficiency of isoleucine could end in mental retardation, as it affects the production of other amino acids.

Leucine is an amino acid that keeps us alert and awake. In fact, it is not recommended that insomniacs use this amino by itself as it can worsen their problem. Nevertheless, an adequate supply of leucine is necessary for anyone who wants to experience high-energy living.

Another amino acid you may have heard of, or seen listed in many vitamin-mineral formulas, is tryptophane. It is essential for building rich, red blood, healthy skin, and hair. Working with the B complex vitamins, tryptophane also helps to calm the nerves and stimulate better digestion.

Other essential aminos include phenylalanine, which aids the thyroid gland in its production of thyroxin hormone— necessary for mental balance and emotional calm; threonine, which stimulates smooth digestion, assimilation of foods, and overall body metabolism; and valine, which activates the brain, aids muscle coordination, and calms the nerves. A deficiency of value may lead to nervousness, mental fatigue, emotional outbursts, and insomnia.

The last of the eight essential amino acids is methionine, which helps cleanse and regenerate kidney and liver cells. It also may stimulate hair growth and mental calmness. Its effect is nearly opposite that of leucine; methionine calms rather than hypes the emotions and mental processes.

Briefly, some of the other amino acids in wheatgrass are: alanine, a blood builder; arginine, which is especially vital to men, since seminal fluids contain large amounts of it; aspartic acid, a helper in the conversion of food into energy; glutamic acid, which improves mental balance and provides for smooth metabolic function; glycine, a helper in the process whereby cells use oxygen to make energy; histidine, which seems to affect hearing and nervous functions; proline, which becomes glutamic acid and performs the same tasks; serine, a stimulator of the brain and nerve functions; and tyrosine, which aids the formation of hair and skin and prevents cellular aging.

SUPER NUTRITION FROM WHEATGRASS CHLOROPHYLL

Of all the valuable compounds contained in wheatgrass juice, chlorophyll is one of the most important. If it weren't for its delicate nature, I think it would be one of the top weapons in the medical arsenal. Its instability is of no concern to you or me, however, because we can grow, juice, and drink wheat- grass without having to store it for long periods. In the next chapter and in Chapter 8 I will discuss many of the applications of wheatgrass juice in healing. Here I would like to talk about the nutritional value of chlorophyll and its conversion into blood in the body.

By itself, chlorophyll, a proteinous compound found in the green leaves of plants and grasses, isn't anything special in the eyes of most nutritionists and biochemists. But there are two vital aspects of chlorophyll which should not be overlooked.

First is its role in converting the sun's energy into a form that plants (and animals and people) can use. Chlorophyll is a sort of living battery. An animal's body also stores and produces heat and energy: the difference is that plants can get their energy directly from the sun, whereas animals and humans cannot.

In essence, the same life force in nature that explodes into greenery every spring can be transferred into the human body via the consumption of wheatgrass juice. The body can then use this super-nutritious, vital energy to heal and repair itself as needed. Again, it is very important to juice the grass right after it is cut and drink the juice immediately.

The second important nutritional aspect of chlorophyll (as you may recall from our discussion in Chapter 2) is its remarkable similarity to hemoglobin, the compound that carries oxygen in the blood.

Dr. Yoshihide Hagiwara, a Japanese scientist and health educator, is a leading advocate for the use of grass as food and medicine. He reasons that since chlorophyll is soluble in fat particles, and since fat particles are absorbed directly into the blood via the lymphatic system, that chlorophyll can also be absorbed in this way. It is his opinion that inside the body the magnesium ion in chlorophyll is replaced with an iron molecule, making new blood. In other words, when the "blood" of plants is absorbed in humans it is transformed into human blood, which transports nutrients to every cell of the body.

Only time and more research into the question will resolve the mystery of why chlorophyll works as it does. But we don't have to wait to get the benefits.

Chapter 6 - Healing Miracles With Wheatgrass

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