Having worked at one of those
smoothie joints you
mention, I can tell you that indeed there is quite a bit of
hype about this amazing
grass. We even have a couple of
books extolling the
virtues of this
green wonder. Is it all true?
I have no idea. I'm not a
medical professional, so I certainly don't have any knowledge about whether or not these
claims are at all
legitimate. However, I can tell you what I have noticed from my own
experience, as well as the experience of my close
friends.
The first thing you notice upon drinking wheatgrass juice is its peculiar taste. It's kind of hard to describe... you know the smell when someone's mowing the lawn? It's like that, but with a sweet after taste. If you've never tried it, I recommend having some just to experience the taste. I've been told that if you choose to drink something to wash down the taste, you shouldn't drink anything citrus, as the citric acid will sort of neutralize the good qualities of the wheatgrass... you didn't just drink it for the taste, did you?
After drinking an ounce or two of the stuff, I have personally noticed an increase in energy. I generally made it a habit to have at least an ounce whenever I had to open the store, just so I wouldn't fall asleep during the day. My friends who drank the stuff religiously tell me that after drinking it daily for a while, they noticed that they seemed to have more energy all the time, as well as just generally feeling more healthy. Of course, whether this was actually an effect of the grass or just their imagination I do not know.
If you do get some, I recommend you make sure you can see the grass and watch them juicing it. The longer between the grass dying and being consumed, the less the benefits (supposedly). You might also just want to look and confirm that the grass looks healthy, not wilted, as this effects both the taste and the possible health benefits.