Long before the phrase “plant-based diet” rolled off the tongues of flexitarians, vegetarians, and green food bloggers, the science to substantiate eating more greens and fiber foods were already in the making. Nearly 100 years ago, Dr. Charles F. Schnabel, was tilling the soil for what has become a global movement and paradigm shift as we face growing concerns to preserve life on our planet.

Increasing heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and cancer, along with rapidly exploding healthcare costs, has ignited change in everything from growing practices in food production to the marketing of finished ingredients. As sustainability for billions of people becomes an even greater focus, all “green living” categories will be grabbing attention and affecting industry positioning.

That’s where Pines Wheatgrass comes in.

Planting Seeds
The story of wheatgrass and the plant-based diet is as American as apple pie. In 1932, Schnabel started his lifetime of research into plant-based foods by growing the first wheatgrass for human consumption. The legacy farm in Kansas where that first seed was grown with the vision for “wheatgrass” as a nutritional food source for humans, is now owned by Pines International. Today, Pines is a preferred supplier of organic/non-GMO greens for manufacturers in the natural products industry.

Schnabel probably never imagined that his extraordinary devotion to sustainable farming would lay the foundation for one of the most significant shifts in how we see the world and the relationship to the foods we consume. Steve Meyerowitz called Schnabel “The Father of Wheatgrass” in the dedication to Schnabel in his famous book, “Wheatgrass, Nature’s Finest Medicine.” With the current emphasis on plant-based foods, Schnabel should also be called the “Father of Plant-Based Diet.”

In those early days of Schnabel’s foundational research, the typical American diet consisted primarily of meat, milk, and white bread. Breakfast was likely bacon or ham, eggs, and fortified white toast. A variation might have been a bowl of sugar-laden cereal with milk, and lunch was usually a sandwich of deli meat and a sugary soda. A typical supper was meat, potatoes, a smattering of peas or other canned vegetables, and a plate of that white bread on the table with farm butter.

In the 1930s, as scientists discovered vitamins, Schnabel began an analysis of nutrients in food. He found that vegetables and fruits contained the most vitamins. In testing the vitamin content of various green vegetables, Schnabel found that young cereal grasses such as wheatgrass, when harvested at a specific time, contained a much higher vitamin level than most.

Accelerating Research
As medical journals published positive results, Schnabel joined with others to introduce a product called “Cerophyl” to pharmacies. It was a blend of cereal grasses packaged in tightly sealed amber glass bottles with the oxygen removed to protect vital nutrients.

For three decades after its introduction in the mid-1930s, the market for Cerophyl grew. Cerophyl would later be known as the “world’s first multi-vitamin” because of the high level of vitamins and minerals that are naturally occurring in cereal grasses.

During the early days of Cerophyl, Schnabel also worked with and supplied cereal grass powders to scientists, doctors, and hospitals for additional research. Their published studies showed how adding plant-based cereal grass to diets resulted in the improvement of dozens of medical conditions. This phenomenal body of research was praised in books by Ann Wigmore and other nutritional focused authors of the time.

Inspired by Schnabel, Wigmore began growing wheatgrass indoors in trays. Even though tray wheatgrass is not as nutritious as field grown wheatgrass, it still contains about 25% of the chlorophyll level of farmed wheatgrass, and that is more than most vegetables. Thus, even when grown in trays, wheatgrass provides a shot of powerful nutrition. This demonstrates the potency of the plant while also highlighting the superiority of farming according to Schnabel’s research.

Maximizing Nutrient Development
Schnabel, on the other hand, grew his wheatgrass outdoors over the winter and harvested it at a specific time in the early spring. His wheatgrass was a wholefood cultivated naturally. When cultivated as nature intends, roots grow deep in the chilly autumn air. Although the wheatgrass leaves grow only a couple of inches through the often-freezing temperatures of winter, the plant is busy preparing for spring.

As the weather warms, the leaves become a little taller and a very dark shade of green, while the roots continue to reach deep into the soil, accessing vital nutrients from the earth. The period of maximum nutrition lasts only a couple of days in the early spring, referred to as the joining stage of the plant’s growth. This is the peak time of nutrition, according to the scientific research.

After nearly 200 days since planting, Pines wheatgrass blades are harvested at the same height as those that have grown in trays for only 10 days. Tray-grown wheatgrass does not benefit from the winter period of slow growth allowing maximum nutrient development. Furthermore, tray-grown systems do not allow roots to go as deep as they should. Their roots become a tangled web with little soil for nutrient absorption. Warm indoor temperatures and seeds spaced far too close also provide the perfect environment for mold and bacteria. Schnabel did not grow wheatgrass indoors with trays, as the research demonstrated that some people have an adverse reaction due to the potential of high levels of this mold and bacteria.

For close to 100 years, consumers continue to praise the benefits of naturally grown wholefood cereal grass powders and tablets for their vitamin and mineral content. Research now shows that plant-based, high-fiber diets are also essential for good colon health. Wholefood greens promote the growth of the friendly bacteria needed for thorough digestion and conversion of nutrients. Scientists have identified that wholefood vegetables are “prebiotic” because they support probiotic conditions in the digestive tract. The wholefood greens that Schnabel produced are prebiotic since they still contain natural fiber.

Humans, unlike cows or other ruminant animals, cannot digest the cellulose fiber in cereal grasses and other vegetables. Nevertheless, vegetable fiber is essential for colon health. It provides an “intestinal fill” that creates an environment conducive to probiotic activity. Conversely, extracted juice products discourage probiotic bacteria because juices do not contain fiber. That is why nutritionists now suggest adding whole leaf wheatgrass to smoothies.

Continuing A Legacy
In 1976, when Pines took the reins of Cerophyl, it introduced the brand as Pines Wheat Grass, the first plant-based green superfood in the emerging natural products marketplace.

Pines International is the steward of Schnabel’s original research in growing the most nutrient dense green superfoods. Today, Pines cultivates the same fields as Cerophyl, harvesting during that narrow window of extremely high nutrition that Schnabel discovered. The company has improved and expanded the laboratory where quality control and nutritional testing takes place. Pines has also developed modern state-of-the art versions of its drying equipment with a low-temperature, computer-controlled version that ensures preservation of nutritional density and purity. This allows Pines to supply high-quality USDA Organic/non-GMO products in bulk to its many manufacturing customers.

Pines has always farmed using organic methods. Its founders helped to write the Kansas organic standards in 1982, which served as a model for the USDA Certified Organic standards adopted nationwide in 1990. Pines has never applied any products from the chemical industry to any of its fields. The company is passionate about 100% organic farming and has a commitment that its plant-based foods are free of chemical contamination.

On the finished goods side of the business, the company continues to package the same way as Cerophyl did, by using amber glass bottles. These glass bottles allow Pines to replace the air with an oxygen-free atmosphere just as was done for Cerophyl. Schnabel emphasized that his products must be packaged this way to protect the plant-based nutrition. Because oxidation occurs so quickly, any other packaging will not keep the contents at the highest possible nutritional level.

Pines found that seven tablets or a rounded teaspoon of powder are equivalent to a serving of a dark green leafy vegetable. Schnabel didn’t call Cerophyl a plant-based green superfood, but we now know this is an appropriate distinction for its place in the market.

Schnabel’s research and devotion literally helped to transform the typical American diet of milk, meat, eggs, and bread to vegetables and plant-based playing a central role for sustainable health.

Pines’ greens are an excellent choice for dedicated vegans and for those who want to incorporate more organic and plant-based foods in their meal plans. The complete line of green superfoods will improve any diet; making it easier and convenient to consume more dark leafy greens daily. Whether it’s added to a smoothie, taken as a nutritional supplement, or made into a delicious snack, Pines grasses offer the flexibility for changing lifestyles.

Organic farming practices of sustainability for our planet has always led the way at Pines International. It started with a vision in 1932 on one small farm and a big idea.
Today, that same farm is making a difference for the world, starting with one blade of grass and a passion for improving quality of life for all. Pines has always, and continues today, to provide food for the hungry and give to humanitarian causes. Behind the Pines name, is a meaning taken from ancient and universal symbolism of longevity, fertility, eternity, and peace. That’s at the heart of what inspires Pines to always deliver the finest plant-based superfoods for the natural products industry.