Why we avoid it: It tastes horrible. A shot of wheatgrass tastes like a freshly mowed lawn. It’s strong stuff and not for the fainthearted.
Why we should eat it: Proponents will agree that it tastes and smells awful, but they’ll knock back a few ounces because they want to reap its health benefits. Although most health claims for wheatgrass are exaggerated, it is indeed very nutritious. The active ingredient in wheatgrass is chlorophyll, the photosynthetic apparatus of all plants that gives them their green color. There’s some evidence that chlorophyll lowers rates of colon cancer, and it may be therapeutic for ulcerative colitis. Wheatgrass can also bind toxic heavy metals and thus have a chelation effect. And since it’s a sprout, it’s gluten-free. It may not be the miracle cure that some make it out to be, but its concentrated nutrition makes it a fine addition to your juices and smoothies.
