A shot of wheatgrass juice in the morning is said to make you feel instantly healthier! Nutritionist, Dr Rosemary Stanton, examined this grassy liquid to see if the claims made about it are true.

Scientific studies

Although many people swear by wheatgrass juice, there are no scientific studies to back the claims that it purifies the blood or the liver, washes out drug deposits or helps with hangovers or indigestion. That doesn't mean you won't feel better if you drink it, but it could mean that you feel better simply because you expect to feel better.

What is in it?

It's claimed wheatgrass juice contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes. Rosemary says that it does have a worthwhile amount of beta carotene and small quantities of some B vitamins, but insignificant amounts of other nutrients, including minerals and amino acids. Wheatgrass is marketed as a living food containing enzymes. While that is important for the plant, we make all the enzymes we need for digesting foods and we can't actually use the ones in wheatgrass.

Wheatgrass contains chlorophyll, which may act as an antioxidant in the body. Normally we make our own antioxidants and get extra from fruits, vegetables, olive oil, wholegrains, nuts and even red wine and tea. Many scientific studies back the value of all these foods, but there is no objective evidence to back any specific or extra health benefits of wheatgrass.

Spirulina, an edible blue-green algae high in protein, is sometimes added to wheatgrass juice. According to the label, this spirulina is high in vitamin B12. However, very little of the B12 in spirulina can be absorbed by humans and you can get far more from fish, meat, chicken, eggs or dairy products.

Rosemary's recommendation

If you really like wheatgrass juice and you believe in it, it might do you some good. However, for overall health benefits Rosemary recommends going back to basics and enjoying a mixture of fruit and vegetable juices.

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