Can you eat grass to survive?
The contents of this article are fact-based except otherwise stated within the article.
Author bio
Dr Agustín Hernández is a molecular biologist specialising in fungi and with a passion for food. He has worked in plant sciences and microbiology but also in health-related aspects such as cancer. He writes and reviews content on these topics.
Highlights:
- PhD with work done at the Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bristol (UK) with work on a corn/maize fungal pathogen.
- The equivalent of a Master’s by Research by the University of the Basque Country (Spain) working in fungal lipids.
- Bachelor in Biological Sciences from the University of the Basque Country (Spain)
- Group leader at Universidade de São Paulo and Universidade Federal de São Carlos (Brazil).
In the UK he worked at IACR-Long Ashton Research Station, a scientific complex dedicated to agricultural products, under the supervision of lipid expert Dr David T. Cooke and plant nutrition expert Dr David T Clarkson.
He has held postdoctoral positions in Belgium (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) and Spain (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) and worked for one year at the laboratory of plant physiologists Ray A. Bressan and P.M. Hasegawa in the Department of Horticultural Sciences of Purdue University (IN, USA).
He is the author of more than 30 scientific papers and contributed to many scientific meetings. Also, he has supervised master’s and PhD students in molecular biology.
In addition to wet-lab work, he has a passion for theoretical enzymology, informatics and writing. He is also an active reviewer for journals like MDPI Nutrients, MDPI Agronomy, and Frontiers in Plant Sciences.
Relevant Published Work & citations:
You can view some of Dr Agustín Hernández’s work below and links to his professional profiles.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7884-8023
Google: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XE7kuiEAAAAJ&hl=en
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Agustin-Hernandez-4/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agustin-hernandez-lopez
Reviewer bio
Dr Agustín Hernández is a molecular biologist specialising in fungi and with a passion for food. He has worked in plant sciences and microbiology but also in health-related aspects such as cancer. He writes and reviews content on these topics.
Highlights:
- PhD with work done at the Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Bristol (UK) with work on a corn/maize fungal pathogen.
- The equivalent of a Master’s by Research by the University of the Basque Country (Spain) working in fungal lipids.
- Bachelor in Biological Sciences from the University of the Basque Country (Spain)
- Group leader at Universidade de São Paulo and Universidade Federal de São Carlos (Brazil).
In the UK he worked at IACR-Long Ashton Research Station, a scientific complex dedicated to agricultural products, under the supervision of lipid expert Dr David T. Cooke and plant nutrition expert Dr David T Clarkson.
He has held postdoctoral positions in Belgium (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) and Spain (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas) and worked for one year at the laboratory of plant physiologists Ray A. Bressan and P.M. Hasegawa in the Department of Horticultural Sciences of Purdue University (IN, USA).
He is the author of more than 30 scientific papers and contributed to many scientific meetings. Also, he has supervised master’s and PhD students in molecular biology.
In addition to wet-lab work, he has a passion for theoretical enzymology, informatics and writing. He is also an active reviewer for journals like MDPI Nutrients, MDPI Agronomy, and Frontiers in Plant Sciences.
Relevant Published Work & citations:
You can view some of Dr Agustín Hernández’s work below and links to his professional profiles.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7884-8023
Google: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XE7kuiEAAAAJ&hl=en
Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Agustin-Hernandez-4/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agustin-hernandez-lopez
In this brief article, we will answer the question, “Can you eat grass to survive?” Also if it can be safe to eat grass during survival mode, and what are the possible side effects of eating grass.
Can you eat grass to survive?
Theoretically, yes, you can eat grass to survive. When we talk about grass, we mean plant species typically eaten by herbivores, like cattle. Marijuana (also known as grass or weed) is not covered here. However, some survivalists do not agree with this and think that it can only lead to worsening the situation (1).
Nutritional Value of Grass
One of the major reasons why grass cannot support human nutrition is its poor nutritional value.
Grass largely consists of cellulose and other non-digestible fibers, like lignin and hemicellulose (collectively known as Neutral Detergent Fiber). Other components of good nutritional value, like protein, are minor in comparison (2).
Cellulose is a compound that is found in the cell wall of plants and it can only be digested by cellulase-producing bacteria like those present in the digestive system of ruminants (3). nfortunately, humans do not have cellulase enzymes in their digestive tract. So, the digestion of cellulose is not possible in the human intestine.
Other components like protein or digestible fiber are in too low amounts in grass for l humans to be able to extract much nutritional content from it. Due to its poor digestibility, it can cause sickness in humans, especially children (4).
Health Risks of Consuming Grass
Although you could eat grass, there are several species varying in digestibility, some may even contain upsetting or poisonous compounds like cyanide (5) and, on the whole, the human body is not adapted to extract nutrients from grass.
All in all, you may eat grass under survival conditions but it is unlikely to help you in the long run and it could cause health problems like abdominal pain (4) or, in the case of grasses like sorghum, death by poisoning (5).
Alternatives to Grass Consumption
In a survival case, eating insects, and in particular grasshoppers, is probably a better option since their nutritive value is much higher (6).
There is an entry on this site on eating grasshoppers if you want to know more about it.
Is there any type of grass that could be edible by humans?
Several forms of grass are edible by humans. These varieties of grass include the sprouts of Allium spp. like onions, garlic or leek.
Several other plant species could be considered grass too, like the lettuce, endives and escarole, since they belong to the Asteraceae family, like the dandelion, and the consumed portion are the aerial green parts of these plants.
Although most common grasses are of no nutritional value for humans, sprouts of wheat, oat and other grains are at times added to some recipes (7).
Conclusion
In this brief article, we have answered the question, “Can you eat grass to survive?” what is the nutritive be the consequences or eating grass, what types of grass are available in nature.
References
1. Is Eating Grass in a Survival Situation a Good Idea? [Internet]. [cited 2023 Apr 12]. Available from: https://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/can-ypu-eat-grass/
4. Abdominal pain – children under age 12: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [Internet]. [cited 2023 Apr 12]. Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007504.htm
5. Fisheries A and. Toxic plant species and symptoms [Internet]. corporateName=The State of Queensland; 2012 [cited 2023 Apr 12]. Available from: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/disaster/flood/recovery/animal-health/poison/toxic-plants
6. Paul A, Frédérich M, Uyttenbroeck R, Hatt S, Malik P, Lebecque S, et al. Grasshoppers as a food source? A review. BASE [Internet]. 2016 Jan 1 [cited 2023 Apr 12]; Available from: https://popups.uliege.be/1780-4507/index.php?id=12974
