Negative Effects of Wheatgrass

All you health freaks out there, I am sure you're no stranger to wheatgrass and its health benefits. However, recently, some people who were undertaking the wheatgrass juice detox course have come up with complains of, what they called, negative effects of wheatgrass on their health and body. To fully understand whether these so-called negative effects are actually dangerous or whether these are just the side effects of wheatgrass, we need to get intimate with a few details regarding the wheatgrass detoxification process to know what it is and how it works. Only then can we fully understand if these so-called negative effects are something to be wary of or if these are, perhaps allergic reactions or uncommon side effects that show up only in a very limited section of the entire statistical population.

Effects of Wheatgrass on the Body

Wheatgrass is the cotyledonous part of the regular wheat plant that is cultivated as a major food crop in many parts of the world. The cotyledons themselves are not what we consume as wheatgrass. Rather, wheatgrass is a manufactured food item that is processed from the wheat cotyledons. Being extremely rich in chlorophyll, wheatgrass preparations, which can be in the form of powder, husk, tablets or juice are known to be extremely effective in preventing colon cancer and in detoxifying the blood and the body by removing toxic chemical and metallic compounds from the entire system. Many an individual who has ever followed this detoxifying course has claimed that the detox effects of wheatgrass juice include improving blood circulation, ridding the blood stream from contaminants and pollutants and enhancing digestive health, which in turn results in better skin and hair quality, increased energy levels and an overall feeling of well-being. When consumed by juvenile thalassemia patients on a daily basis, wheatgrass juice has shown to decrease their transfusion requirements significantly!

Supposedly Negative Effects of Wheatgrass

Now, coming back to the adverse effects of wheatgrass, as complained of by some followers of this detox course, the so-called negative symptoms are mostly the side effects of consuming wheatgrass preparations. These side effects are somewhat common in people who have never had wheatgrass juice or other preparation before or who are trying out a detox course for the first time. Also, sometimes these so-called negative effects are nothing but allergic reactions to wheatgrass. As we all know, allergy is such a thing which follows no rule of biological or medical logic. N number of people can be allergic to n number of things. Probability fails where allergies and allergens are concerned. That being said, let's take a quick look at some of the most common adverse symptoms that have, till date, been complained of by people following a wheatgrass detox course.

• Symptoms akin to influenza may exist during the first 7-10 days of starting consumption of wheatgrass preparations. This happens due to a sudden shift of chemicals in the blood stream as the purification process commences.
• This sudden cleaning drive can also lead to various other symptoms like headache, muscle ache, fatigue and nausea as the body gets used to a cleaner internal environment.
• Nausea can also occur if wheatgrass preparations are combined with or accompanied by other food items as wheatgrass does not take any other dietary accompaniments very sportingly and is often incompatible with other food combinations.
• Sometimes, the white and brown mold on wheatgrass is the real culprit that can make you feel sick. Make sure to wash the whole wheatgrass thoroughly under running water before preparing a juice out of it.
• Wheat grass has no gluten content so any bloating or digestive discomfort experienced by you after consuming a wheatgrass preparation is probably due owing to combination with other food items or an allergic reaction to wheatgrass itself. There are a lot of gluten intolerant individuals who consume wheatgrass preparations without inviting any of the gluten-triggered side effects!

So, to make a long story short, most of the "negative effects" experienced on consuming wheatgrass is actually a sign that your body is making attempts to adjust to the detoxification process. Also, incompatible combination with other dietary components is a major reason why you may feel sick when following a wheatgrass detox course. Allergy to wheatgrass can also be a reason, but this allergy is not the same as gluten allergy as wheatgrass, which is a green and not a grain, does not contain any gluten at all!