What Are The Health Benefits Of Eating Wheat Grass Every Day?

Wheat grass -- the tender young shoots of the wheat plant -- contains a variety of nutrients, and some claim that juice extracted from the grass is beneficial in treating an array of disorders. While tests confirming the therapeutic effectiveness of wheat grass are lacking, it may contribute to an overall healthy diet. If you want to consume fresh wheat grass on a daily basis, you'll have to grow it yourself or find a local source. Visit with your doctor before adding wheat grass to your daily diet.

Wheat Grass Nutrients

Wheat grass contains numerous vitamins and minerals, according to the "Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine." These include riboflavin, calcium, folic acid, niacin, thiamine, biotin and vitamins E, C and K. In addition, wheat grass contains superoxide dismutase, or SOD, which may have antioxidant properties. Taken daily, these nutrients may be beneficial to your overall health.

Potential Benefits

The reported benefits of consuming wheat grass juice regularly, usually daily, are anecdotal and include reducing the symptoms of arthritis, allergy, fatigue and even cancer. The NYU Langone Medical Center advises readers that "meaningful scientific evidence" supporting these claims is nonexistent.

Method

Wheat grass kits are available for producing a continuous amount of fresh young stalks. From sowing to harvest of the stalks -- when they reach 8 inches -- takes from one to two weeks. Extracting the juice efficiently requires the use of an electric or hand-crank wheat grass juicer to get most of the liquid out of the stalks. You may also find freeze-dried wheat grass in tablet and capsule form, although the fresh juice may be more nutritive.

Precautions

Wheat grass juice has a strong grassy taste that some find disagreeable. MayoClinic.com notes that wheat grass, while generally safe, may occasionally cause side effects, including hives, headache, nausea or throat swelling. Do not use wheat grass if you have an allergy to gluten, other grasses or wheat. Don't take wheat grass if you're pregnant or nursing. Talk to your doctor to determine if taking wheat grass every day is right for you.