Barley Grass Juice

• Barley Grass
• Wheat Grass
• Oat Grass

Excellent source of chlorophyll, as well as a complete amino acid profile. Also excellent source of vitamins A, C and B2, calcium, iron, a very broad spectrum of trace minerals, and tryptophan.

Health benefits:

These three members of the grass family are the standout superstars of their family. High in chlorophyll, all of the eight essential amino acids and jam-packed with minerals, they are not only extremely nutrient dense, they are superbly bio-available. That means that as soon as you drink juice made with them it goes right to work throughout your body.

They have more vitamin C than oranges and more iron than spinach; all three are higher in calcium than milk and have high levels of vitamin B1.

The high levels of chlorophyll in these grasses give them additional benefit to your body in several ways. First, the chlorophyll delivers oxygen directly to your cells. It is also nearly identical to the hemoglobin in your blood and so it supports and cleanses both the blood and the liver.

The grasses are liver cleansing and boost digestive acids in the stomach. Due to acid reflux and other symptoms, many people erroneously assume their stomach is too acidic. Research has shown the exact opposite to be true. Lower levels of hydrochloric acid in the stomach can result in symptoms such as acid reflux. These grasses also help our bodies to eliminate toxic heavy metals, and contain the complete spectrum of the eight essential amino acids our bodies cannot produce on their own. This means that grass juices can break down the proteins our bodies need. Extreme bio-availability also means they can help in the body’s elimination of stored toxins in the colon.

Special Notes:

The complete amino acid profile and trace mineral content of these grasses make them a true superfood for the blood and vital organs of the body. In fact, you will find many sources for these superfoods as a dry green powder sold by nutritional supplement companies. This is one way to get their benefit into your juice.

The alternative is to grow your own. It is super-fast, super-easy and relatively inexpensive to do. When compared to the cost of dry powders, it is far less costly.

Should you choose to grow your own barley grass, oat grass, or wheatgrass you can also add a small amount of Azomite trace mineral powder to the soil mix – a very light top dressing is all you need. This will seriously boost the trace mineral content of your grasses.

We’ve been growing our own barley grass for a couple of years now. It produces huge abundant crops quickly and easily (I think it might be the easiest thing on earth to grow) and it grows FAST. I’ve included a series of photos here to show you the time it takes to go from a box of seeds placed on top of nice compost and soil mix with Azomite to six to eight inch tall bushy greens ready for cutting and juicing.

Day 1 – Barley Grass Seeds spread on top of soil and watered in:

Days 2 to 4 – Seeds are watered daily so they stay moist. We also mist them with a spray bottle (once a day is fine.)

Day 5 – Barley grass seeds have begun to sprout:

Day 6 – Most seeds have sprouted and the grass is about 2 inches tall:

    

Day 7 – Grass is getting longer fast, and also darker in color:

    

Day 8 – Almost ready for juicing:

    

Day 9 – We’re there! Cut the grass with scissors leaving about half an inch to an inch so it can regrow one more time. Juice the cut grass immediately:

    

One word of caution about barley grass: it is very good for you and extremely high in all the good nutrients bright greens offer, but it is extremely sharp and green tasting. If you are not used to green juices, you will definitely want to temper it with lemon, apple, beet, carrot or sweet potato to mellow out the taste. The first time I had a straight up barley grass juice I nearly spit it across the room my mouth was so shocked by the intensity of it!  So, add small amounts to your mixed veggie and fruit juices to start, until you develop a taste for it.

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If you want to try growing your own barley grass, I recommend buying barley seeds and Azomite rather than a barley grass kit. And of course you need a masticating juicer capable of juicing grasses, like the Omega Juicers J8005 or J8006:

 

 

To learn more about how to juice vegetables and fruits, their nutrition value, the benefits of masticating juicers, managing your juice budget and setting a schedule I invite you to read my book “Juicing with the Omega Juicer: Nourish and Detox Your Body for Vitality and Energy“.