GreenSmoothieGirl Logo
Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Minutes. Add 10 Years to your life.
Our beautiful template for infinite variety of greens and superfoods in your smoothies—print this and eliminate the need for recipes! Get it now for free!

Training for Green Smoothie Smackdown: wheat-grass juice overdose?


Robyn Openshaw - Apr 26, 2011 - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links


So Jillene of Total Care Dental and I are gonna do Green Smoothie Smackdown on Weds. night after my class in Orem. On camera. If you’re coming to that class, stay and cheer us on!

She’ll make me a quart of GS, and I’ll make her a quart, and we’ll race to drink it. There will be some awful athletic punishment for the loser.

(Jillene just did a 206-mile bike race last week, so I’m not sure I could find a punishment she wouldn’t enjoy. So I think I’m going to have her write a long essay about green smoothies. Maybe a song too. She’ll probably make me ride a unicycle up Mt. Everest.)

Somehow Jillene heard about my wheat-grass-juice aversion/phobia. It dates back to when I was pregnant 14 years ago and was juicing it all through the winter, with two friends. It made me gag. Sometimes I’d run over to my friend’s garbage (we did the juicing in her garage, took turns) and throw up.

It’s such powerful stuff it is sold by the ounce, and most people drink 2 ounces, chased by water. It’s incredibly detoxifying. Crazy anti-cancer, oxygenating, power food like virtually no other.

I’m going to have to put a limit on Jillene’s plans. (YOU CAN’T DRINK A QUART OF WHEAT GRASS JUICE!)

But, this has inspired me to CONQUER MY AVERSION. Do. Not. Tell. Jillene. This:

I’ve been secretly training.

Every day I get FOUR OUNCES of wheat grass juice from Good Earth and slam it.

When Tennyson is with me, I get grass juice for him, too. He actually likes the taste of it and begs for it! I, on the other hand, did fine the first week, got a little cocky even. But the second week I started to dread it and make jokes with the employees who made it for me. The third week, the dread would start hours before I was going to call in my order and stop by. (Tip: if you call as you leave home, it’s ready when you get there.)

This past Saturday, all morning, I had the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other, arguing:

“You get a day off!”

“No, you don’t–the Smackdown is coming right up, don’t be a baby!”

“No, you don’t have to do it. You’re gagging just thinking about it. It’s SATURDAY! A quart of green smoothie is ENOUGH today.”

“What is the matter with you? You cannot win if you take days off. You don’t even DESERVE the name Green Smoothie Girl.”

Even WRITING about wheat grass juice, I keep getting chills down my spine. The bad kind. I truly have some kind of mental/emotional problem with it. Only one other food invokes my gag reflex. (My roommates in the dorms knew, if we walked into the cafeteria and I immediately turned and ran out–when I caught a whiff. They’d turn to each other and say, knowingly, “Creamed corn.”)

In these photos taken yesterday, ask Matthew–I made all kinds of drama about drinking my two shots, while he kept saying, “Yummy!” and complaining that I bought him only 2 oz. (Also a basket of homemade fudge from Ch. 4 of 12 Steps, green smoothies, kombucha, sprouted flax crackers, and other stuff.)

So I’m still standing after 3 weeks of “training.” I’m ready to take on whatever Jillene wants to dish out Weds. night. Bring it on.

However, I’ve had some interesting detox reactions. I’m generally an emotionally even-keeled person. I don’t cry a lot or get really sad. But the second week of drinking large amounts of grass juice, I found myself revisiting old issues and even cried a little bit—about things both happy and sad. (Did you know that your emotions are closely linked to your biology, and you may find yourself extremely sad, irritable,  or angry, when you detox?)

My skin also has been awful for several days!

Only the most hardcore health-food junkies can probably answer this:

What have been your experiences with wheat grass juice?

Posted in: Detox, Mind/Body Connection, Whole Food

7 thoughts on “Training for Green Smoothie Smackdown: wheat-grass juice overdose?”

Leave a Comment
  1. Anonymous says:

    Wow best of luck!!! Your giving us chills down the spine with your descriptions.

    I’m sure hoping you can plug your nose & mentally take your self away from this deed you’ve got your self into : )

    Cant wait to see the video!

    ps. I hope you take the gold home! Does it have to stay down? For how long?

    Possible tips:

    Dr Christopher Anti Plague,

    My home made “Hot Stuff, filled with the hotest pepper in Utah with ACV, Onions, etc” I’ve only been sick enough to take it through one episode. Now I drink more green smoothies so I don’t have to do that again to myself.

    Maybe an egg & chia seed mixture that sat for 24 hours.

    Now my angel is speaking louder to me & I want to make her my best tasting smootie ever. I’m sure Jamba would pay me $100K for this recipe!!!

  2. Anonymous says:

    The first time my husband tried wheatgrass juice, his response was “Gee, tastes just like high school football practice.”

  3. Anonymous says:

    Hi Robyn, my name is Julia and I have commented a couple times before and again I just want to say thank you for all your information:) and all you do to encourage people in the right direction! I have a question for you…..

    I really eat good, not completely raw but mostly pretty easy green smoothies (fruit, veggies, greens) and if its not raw its cooked brown rice, quinoa, beans lentils, sometimes rice chips and I have given in to the glorified health junk food lol- coconut milk ice cream with agave, sweet potato chips, daiya cheese (dairy and soy free) etc…. so its not always raw and its not always the best i could do but it is always along those lines.

    I have been wanting to go back to being more strict with being mainly raw and just getting more idea’s on how to be raw and more creative idea’s with smoothies and etc.

    I also want this for my 4 young boys and my husband who is type 1 diabetic. (they eat along the same lines i do. we are the ‘wierdo’s’ lol ). I have been wanting to buy your books and then I saw the detox that is starting in may. My question to you is what would your suggestion be. Really I cannot do both and I am just wanting some direction on what would be the best to spend my money on. Would the 12 step book be better or just the green smoothie book or would the detox be the best?

    I hope this isnt too overwhelming of a question. Just wanting some direction and I am trying to do all my research:) Thanks again. My email is blackford.julia@gmail.com if you would rather email me.

    Hope you all had a great easter! He is risen! Blessings and thank you soooooo much! I hope this doesnt come off weird or overwhelming;-)
    thanks again, Julia

    1. Robyn Openshaw says:

      Hi Julia, if I had to choose between those 2, I’d pick the 12 Steps course because it’ll be your mainstay for LIFE. The detox is a short-term (one month) supported program. Either way, WELCOME, and sounds like you’re doing some great things. (Glorified junk food….yep! At least you’re realistic!)

  4. Anonymous says:

    oh and to answer the question lol….i wish i liked the juice too :/ sadly i dont either. but you have spurred me onto try an get used to it! we take barley green every morning and my kids take it no big deal and i have to have the pill form! 🙂

  5. Anonymous says:

    Hi Robyn,

    Several years ago, my husband and I began growing our own wheat grass and looking forward to juicing it (we had been avid juicers for years). Well, the promised day arrived and we could barely contain our enthusiasm! After simultaneously downing about 2 ounces, we looked at each other. The disappointment we both felt was evident. The taste was nothing like what we anticipated. Convinced that the heath benefits out weighed any minimal dislike we pressed on. Nothing we tried could camoflouge the taste. As the days turned to weeks, I noticed myself beginning to gag, struggling to finish my juice. Soon, the smell of the grass being juiced brought on the gag. My husband would juice the grass before I walked in the door from work (trying to avoid the fresh odor). Sadly, I got to where the gagging turned into throwing up. Turns out my husband had been trying to hide the fact the grass was giving him the same reaction! We both reached a point where we said it wasn’t worth it. The funniest part of all? Our teenage daughter absolutely loved the stuff. She was capable of downing any amount given to her – straight – and would say it was delicious. Also, our miniature daschund loved it. Ultimately, I think there is just something about the grass that doesn’t agree with some folks. I think you do a remarkable job in feeding your family, and would suggest you don’t worry about liking wheat grass!

    PS – one other funny about the experience. Our teenage son loved having friends over and showing them the “grass” his parents were growing…

  6. We enjoy the 12 steps to whole foods. We bought the digital version (it’s cheaper) and enjoy using that. Thanks for your free info you also provide! You’re an inspiration to many. I dream of doing many things like you to help spread the word of health and end the terrible SAD so many live in this country! -Colby

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Skip to content