We should all know by now that wheat is not Paleo. If you only cut one thing out of your diet, it should probably be wheat. So how can we justify eating wheatgrass?
Why Avoid Seeds
The main reason we recommend avoiding wheat is because it’s a seed and seeds should be avoided or minimized. They tend to come loaded with antinutrients (gluten being just one) that are designed to protect the plant against predators like us. They enable the seed to make it through our bodies in tact so the seeds can still sprout wherever we expel them. This usually causes digestive issues for us and it’s why, although nuts are Paleo, we recommend limiting them, and maybe even excluding them, depending on your tolerance.
Wheatgrass isn’t a seed though. It’s the grass that grows from that seed. In that sense it’s Paleo-friendly because it contains a number of nutrients, including protein, phosphorous, magnesium and iron.
An Unimpressive Vegetable
On the other hand, wheatgrass is not higher in most of these nutrients than other vegetables. In that sense, it can be included as part of a Paleo diet, but there’s no reason to go out of your way to eat it over other vegetables.
Mark Sisson discussed the pros and cons of wheatgrass in this post.