Wheat Grass Powder v/s Fresh Wheat Grass

As most of you probably are, I was a bit skeptical while placing my order for this Wheat Grass Powder. Instant wheat grass sounds both unappetizing and not especially nutritional. Well, as is my nature, I did needless amounts of research on the effectiveness of powdered wheat grass, and found several articles with very mixed answers, so I decided to give it a shot and decide for myself.

My first impression was that this stuff was disgusting. While fresh wheat grass bought at a health store smells like a freshly cut golf course, this stuff smells like a barn. I held my breath and mixed the recommended amount of the dark green powder with a glass of ice water and chugged. I couldn't get 1/4 way through with the mixture before I gagged and decided I would never drink the stuff with water again. The label recommends drinking it with a juice, particularly orange juice, so that's what I did the second time around. If you mix it with a strong enough flavored juice, it is actually quite enjoyable. The nasty taste is barely detectable, and all you are left to put up with is the smell. Currently my favorite juices to mix it with are stronger flavored juices mixed with multiple types of fruits - anything with grapefruit juice works great. On to the effects.

When I down a shot of fresh wheat grass, I get a small boost of energy - but most importantly I maintain a healthy up-beat feeling throughout the day. The result is more of a lack of fatigue than an elevation in energy. With this powdered wheat grass, I get the same effect, simply on a lesser scale. The initial boost of energy is barely noticeable, but I am able to maintain that same "healthy feeling" that I get with the fresh wheat grass. And the nutritional value is all there: both the vitamins and chlorophyll (see table below). The final test, which I plan on conducting: The Hangover Test. A shot of wheat grass will get me out of that half-asleep feeling I get after a night of heavy South Florida binge drinking, so it is only natural that I test the effects of the powdered wheat grass on a hangover. While I am tempted to drink solely for the sake of this review, for now I must wait - I will update with results asap.

Nutritional comparison of generic wheat grass powder to fresh wheat grass. (Please note that these numbers are not the same as the Amazing Grass brand, nor are they the values for an equivalent serving size as the values listed by Amazing Grass.)

----------------Powdered--------Wheatgrass Juice
Protein ----------850mg--------------550mg------
Chlorophyll--------18mg---------------8mg-------
Vitamin A----------1670 IU-----------120 IU------
Vitamin C----------8mg----------------1mg-------
Iron-------------870mcg--------------660mcg-----
Calcium-----------15mg----------------7mg-------
Potassium---------137mg--------------42mg------
Sugars-----------< 1%-----------------> 2%-----
Folic Acid--------21mcg---------------8mcg------