Wheatgrass! My Energy Drink Of Choice!
I've observed wheatgrass being spoken about in bloggyland, facebookland, twitterland, movieland and nutritionland for quite some time now (even more so lately with all the new years weight loss talk that's going around!).Of course, it's all positive talk, but I ALWAYS notice that there's a missing piece that really, REALLY needs to be spoken about.
You see, wheatgrass is probably the healthiest and most powerful green juice that's ever existed out there. It's filled (and I mean FILLED!) with SO many beneficial qualities for the human body.
It truly is liquid sunshine (thanks to my mentor, Stacey, for this wonderful name calling)!
I mean, who wouldn't want to drink this stuff (my husband! hehehe!)!?!?
Here's just a few of it's fantabulous benefits:
It has more Vitamin C than one ounce in an orange.
It balances blood sugars.
It cleanses the body of toxins and purifies the liver.
It's filled with all eight essential amino acids (the body can't make essential amino acids, so we need to get them through our diet).
It helps with inflammation.
It's VERY alkalizing and filled with magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, sulphur and phosphorus.
It's filled with B-Vitamins (your FEEL GOOD vitamins!).
And, SO much more.
Literally, the beneficial list of wheatgrass goes on and on and on. It's the most wonderful, wonderful, wonderful (I'm missing holiday music!) health food.
But, here's the kicker. It's SUPER DUPER potent.
Meaning, if you haven't been eating many dark leafy greens (kale, collard greens, swiss chard, etc.) or any so called "healthy foods" lately, and you take a shot of this stuff for the very first time, you may experience some "detoxifying" affects (immediately!), like nausea and fast moving bowel movements (sorry for TMI, but it's true!).
Don't worry, this isn't a bad thing. It's actually the most awesomest thing ever because it's starting to clean your body out.
You just need to make sure you're adding it in (ok, wait for it...here it comes...my favorite word...) s-l-o-w-l-y! This is the BIGGEST piece of information that I see missing out there in bloggyland, facebookland, twitterland, movieland and nutritionland. :)
Once your body gets adjusted, all of those symptoms will pass.
But, I repeat, add it in slowly! It's a MUST if you've never had it before, and if you've stopped and your starting to drink it again.
I'm sure you're wondering where you kind find the green goods!
I buy it frozen from Whole Foods, but you can also get it at your local health food store. The brand I buy is called Evergreen. I love it! It's a bit expensive, but I don't mind spending my dough on it.
I cut back in other areas, so I can buy my high quality food. I lovelovelove high quality ingredients (um, yes, hi, my name is Renee and I'm very proud to say that I'm a food snob)!
You can also grow your own (I've never done this, but I have friends who have), or you can just hit up your local Jamba Juice or any other place like it to get your fix.
I really love wheatgrass. The only time I didn't love it was during my first trimester while pregnant (uh, yeah, I didn't like anything "health food" or "food" related then).
There are times that I crave it and then there are times when I don't have it for awhile. It all depends on what my body is feelin' hungry for at the moment.
How do I drink it? Woohoo!I'm so glad you asked!
I take 2 frozen cubes and place them in my vitamix right when I wake up. I like to drink it on an empty stomach in the morning so my body gets instant energy and instant cleansing from it right away.
(Who needs coffee? Not this lady! No offense coffee drinkers. I literally hate the taste of it and I truly have no desire for it. This little shot gives me all the natural energy I need to get my day going. LOVE that!!)
Then I add a little bit of room temperature, filtered water to it and I mix it up until it's well blended. It's actually quite cool when I drink it so it's super refreshing!
When I first started drinking it, I'd cut half an orange and squeeze the juice in with it. This is a great "breaking-in" tip if you're worried about the taste (it's actually quite tasty once you get used to it!).
Now I drink it without the added juice (just remember it takes 10 times to start liking a new food!).
So, there ya have it. One of my favorite go-to energizing drinks revealed!
I hope you'll try it!
If you do, just remember, it's all good in the wheatgrass hoodmoderation. Even though it's labled "healthy", it's always good to mix things up.
It's very easy for me to get in the habit of eating the same foods over and over again, so I'm always reminding myself to switch things up (say hello to my friend seasonal eating!!!).
When it comes to wheatgrass (and all other whole foods), I truly have to listen to my body.
That's the most important thing for me to do. I AM my own nutritionist! :)
Happy wheatgrassing! :)
{life is sunshiny}