Wheatgrass juice is a relatively new type of juice extracted from wheatgrass. The juice form of wheatgrass is widely marketed as a source of highly concentrated vitamins. While wheatgrass juice is often served in juice bars in small servings of 1 to 2 oz. -- often called "shots" -- the juice is nonalcoholic.
Juicing
Wheatgrass juice is derived solely from direct juicing of wheatgrass. Juicing is often performed to order, where the physical juicing takes place as you order the juice.
Shots
Wheatgrass juice is served in concentrated portions, along with other juices, which are often extremely sweet, tangy, sour or bitter. Serving the wheatgrass juice in small "shot" portions allows juice bars to sell the beverage at high prices, while allowing the customer to selectively savor the concentrated taste or simply swallow the small amount with minimal tasting involved.
Nutrition
The juice is often called a super-food, with marketing often describing concentrated amounts of the juice as containing the equivalent nutrition of several times its weight compared to other vegetables. While this is an exaggeration, wheatgrass juice does contain, by volume, similar levels of vitamins as other green vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach. This includes 880 mcg of vitamin E, and 860 mg of protein per serving.
Fad Diet
Wheatgrass juice has historically been marketed as a cure-all, reportedly solving or mitigating a variety of ailments. Wheatgrass has even been marketed as a replacement for insulin for diabetics and a cure for AIDS. There is no medical evidence to support these claims -- nor any of wheatgrass juice's other outstanding medical claims.
