Tak teď vám hodím cosi do placu a poperte se
Dle Frederica není chlorofyl pro člověka důležitý a vyhazovat za trávu z ječmene je jen velký kšeft...(to je ve zkratce pro ty, kteří neovládají angličtinu natolik)
Wheatgrass: Nature’s Perfect Food?
Thanks to Dr. Graham for his help in helping me revise the latest version of this article.
Wheatgrass used to be the big "superfood" promoted by popular raw-food authors. Nowadays, you don't hear much about it since they are too busy selling raw chocolate and other more lucrative items, but it's more popular than ever in the mainstream.
Jamba Juice sells it.
You can find frozen wheatgrass juice in most health food stores and most of the popular raw food rejuvenation centers offer wheatgrass juice as part of their therapy.
Why would you want to drink such a nasty beverage?
Let's look at the claims made by wheatgrass proponents one by one.
1-Chlorophyll
One of the big claims made about wheatgrass juice is that because it's rich in chlorophyll, and that chlorophyll is similar to hemoglobin in structure, that somehow it helps "build your blood", because hemoglobin is an important component of blood. Some authors have even claimed that the "only" difference between hemoglobin and chlorophyll is the center element, which is iron for hemoglobin and magnesium for chlorophyll.
What is chlorophyll? It's of course the substance that converts sun energy into chemical energy through the process known as photosynthesis. Without this process, human life would not be possible! Only plants can make carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water.
Hemoglobin is a protein that transports oxygen into the red blood cells. It makes up about 35% of the blood. Without hemoglobin, human life would also not be possible. It transports oxygen from the lungs to every cell of the body that needs it.
So what's the link between the two? They are certainly similar in structure, but with very important difference. The main difference is that hemoglobin is built around iron, while chlorophyll is built around magnesium. But to claim that the two molecules are easily interchangeable is really oversimplying things
We know that if you need iron, you cannot just take magnesium and expect your body to convert it like an alchemist would convert lead into gold.
Certain elements that help build the blood (such as iron, calcium, vitamin C, folic acid, etc.) are found abundantly in chlorophyll-containing foods such as green vegetables, so it's easy to understand that these foods can have some benefits. But the claim that chlorophyll can be converted into hemoglobin is simply not supported by science.
Chrolophyll is not a necessary nutrient in human nutrition. Many populations throughout history have gone for years, or even decades on restricted diets of various foods that do not contain any chlorophyll (such as fruits, root vegetables, grains, etc.), with no apparent difficiency.
But the big misunderstanding about grass as part of the human diet is that we're simply not grass-eating creatures. All of the various vitamins and minerals that are found in wheatgrass can be found in much more succulent and easily digestible fruits and v
2-Enzymes
Perhaps you should drink wheatgrass juice for enzymes?
First of all, the enzymes that are destroyed in the food are NOT the same enzymes that are required by your body to digest the food you’re eating.
For the sake of clarity, let’s define an enzyme. An enzyme is essentially a protein that helps make a specific chemical reaction occur.
Food enzymes are those found in foods, and their purpose is to carry out the chemical reactions necessary for the existence and life of the plant itself.
They are also destroyed by stomach acids upon ingestion by humans. Even if they could somehow survive the acidity in the stomach, these enzymes were designed for the plant. They helped the plant to grow, and would continue to help the plant carry out its life cycle. They play no part in the human digestive process.
The plant enzymes found in wheatgrass are in no way special. Lettuce and other vegetables contain the same enzymes.
3- Most Nutritious Food
The biggest claim about wheatgrass is that an ounce of wheatgrass juice is worth more than 2 pounds of fresh green vegetables. Is this true? Let's see how this claim stands scrutiny.
Below you'll find the nutritional data (taken from USDA databases) for one ounce of wheatgrass juice, compared to 2 pounds of two different vegetables. I threw in the typical carrot in there, just to see, even though it's not a green vegetable.You'll find that your typical ounce of wheatgrass juice is nowhere close to replacing the 2 pounds of vegetables, as wheatgrass promoters have claimed.
Wheatgrass Juice (1 ounce)
Vitamin E, 880 mcg (that's "microgram" not milligram)
Betacarotene,120 IU
Vitamin C, 1 mg.
Vitamin B12, 0.30 mcg (that's "microgram" again)
Magnesium, 8 mg.
Calcium, 7.2 mg.
Iron, 0.66 mg.
Potassium, 42 mg.
Raw Spinach (2 pounds)
Vitamin E, 18400 mcg. (I converted to micrograms, for easier comparison)
Betacarotene, 85,066. IU
Vitamin C, 254.9 mg.
Vitamin B12, none
Magnesium, 716.7 mg.
Calcium, 898.1 Mg.
Iron, 24.6 mg.
Potassium, 5,062.1 mg.
Raw Carrots (2 pounds)
Vitamin E, 6000 mcg. (I converted to micrograms, for easier comparison)
Betacarotene, 152,506 IU
Vitamin C, 53.5
Vitamin B12, none
Magnesium, 108.9 mg.
Calcium, 299.4 Mg.
Iron, 2.7 mg.
Potassium, 2,903.0 mg.