What is a Wheatgrass Detox?

A wheatgrass detox involves the deliberate ingestion of the grasses or juice of the grasses of various types of wheat grain, such as spelt, kamut or emmer, for the express purpose of cleansing the body and providing it with chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. There is disagreement regarding whether a true cleansing can be achieved by taking commercially produced wheatgrass supplements or pills, even when they are in the freeze-dried state. Many herbalists and promoters of natural nutrition believe that a wheatgrass detox involves more than simply consuming this superfood or drinking the juice made from it; care must be given to remove from one's diet all foods and drinks that are processed, denatured, genetically modified, hybridized or artificially flavored, colored, sweetened or preserved.

The removal of harmful foods and drinks from one's diet combined with the addition of fresh wheatgrass or fresh wheatgrass juice on a daily basis indefinitely or for just a period of time constitutes an effective wheatgrass detox. Vegetable salads are foods to which the grass can be added, and apple juice, preferably fresh, or plain water are drinks with which the juice can be mixed and consumed between meals or in place of a meal if a person desires to lose weight while doing a wheatgrass detox. One ounce (30 mL) of freshly squeezed wheatgrass juice generally is the minimum amount of this superfood that is recommended to attain an effective wheatgrass detox over a period of at least 72 hours.

Unhealthy eating habits and diets consisting of denatured foods lead to the building up of harmful substances in the body known as toxins, which — if allowed to remain — can and often do lead to the development of sickness, disease and various forms of cancer. It is believed that wheatgrass contains approximately 70 percent chlorophyll, which is largely responsible for the detoxification of such toxic substances. Specifically consuming it to help eliminate these harmful substances is called a wheatgrass detox. Part of the detox process involves the chlorophyll in this superfood purifying the blood and helping to eliminate odors.

People who are interested in doing a body cleanse by adding wheatgrass or the juice of wheatgrass to their diet are encouraged to grow their own grass, preferably from the berries of the heirloom grain spelt. It can be cultivated indoors or outdoors and usually is more easily obtained than kamut or emmer wheat. One important point that should be kept in mind is that people who are not accustomed to consuming fresh wheat grass juice are advised against drinking the juice undiluted, particularly on an empty stomach.