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When you are out in the wild, trying to survive, it is very important to know what you can eat or not, and where to find food sources.
Now, something that you can find in most places is grass, so wouldn’t it be amazing if you could eat it?
If you’re hungry enough, you will eat almost anything, including grass. But is this actually safe? Some people claim that you should never eat grass, as it is not good for humans, while others claim that grass is something you can eat when in survival mode.
So…what is the truth of the matter? Can you eat grass in order to survive?
Surprisingly, there are actually quite a few different types of grass that are edible for humans. The problem, however, is that humans aren’t really able to extract many nutrients from grass, as we can’t digest them in the way that other animals do.
But it will keep you full, so it’s worth knowing which grasses you can take a bite out of!
Let’s find out more!
Can Humans Eat Grass?
As a general rule, you should not really go around eating grass, because it’s not going to be good for you. However, as we have already mentioned, there are a few types of grass that are surprisingly edible for humans, and therefore safe to eat.
The problem is, that even grasses that are edible, are not going to do much to keep you alive. Humans are unable to extract many nutrients from the grass, as our digestive system simply isn’t able to break down the grass itself.
Other animals have big stomachs and they digest grass to extract all of the nutrients they need, but we can’t do that.
That being said, humans have found ways to consume grass in a way that does provide nutritional value. Foods such as corn, wheat, rice, and similar are all different types of grasses! Humans simply dry and process them, so that they become easier to digest and consume.
In a survival situation, you’re not exactly going to be able to dry and process the grasses in order to make them nutritionally valuable to you. But you could gather the seeds of grasses, boil them, and turn them into a sort of porridge!
This will be easier to digest than simply taking a bite out of the grass, and it will be a good way to make do until your situation improves or you find other sources of food.
The Top 17 Types Of Edible Grass
It’s important to be aware of which grasses are actually edible for humans, so here is a list of the 17 most common types of grasses, that humans can consume:
Bamboo
Bamboo is eaten in many cultures around the world, as well as being used in many other aspects of life that don’t involve eating.
The best way to eat bamboo is by removing the hard exterior layers, and then boiling the soft white inner core.
Barley
Barley is very similarly harvested to wheatgrass. It is most often juiced, to be used in powders and pills, due to its high concentration of vitamins.
It is also considered to be very beneficial to overall health.
Bluegrass
You can eat Bluegrass raw, however, it won’t really provide you with much nutritional value, which is why it is most commonly simply used to feed farm animals.
Corn
Corn can be eaten raw, cooked, or ground up into cornmeal. However, it does not really provide you with much nutritional value, until it is fully grown and the grain is harvested and used in meals.
Crabgrass
Crabgrass is one of the fastest-growing grains in the world, which is why some people easily confuse it to be a weed.
It is harvested and used as flour, couscous, and more, with it being most popular in areas of Africa.
Foxtail Grass
Popular in some parts of the world, Foxtail grass creates a grain similar in size to rice. It can be eaten raw, but it is best cooked as the flavor is otherwise pretty bitter!
Goosegrass
Goosegrass doesn’t look very edible. It’s easy to identify because it sticks to your clothes, due to the small hairs that cover the stalks.
The best way to eat it is by boiling it, although you can also dry and roast the fruit that it bears!
Lemongrass
Lemongrass is most often used as an additive for flavor, however, you can also just eat it raw. To do so, you should remove the outer stalk, and eat the inside core.
Millet
Millet is a small seed grass, which is harvested and ground. It is most commonly used as flour to make bread or other types of foods, and is quite popular all around the world!
Oats
Oats are most commonly used for feeding farm animals. However, they are also used in juices and powders for their nutritional value!
The best way to eat oats is once the oat grass has matured and been harvested. The grain can be used in cereals, baking, and making porridge.
Orchardgrass
Orchardgrass isn’t often seen as edible for humans, and that is because it is most commonly used to feed farm animals in the pasture. But if you’re in a survival situation, it will do!
Ricegrass
High in both fiber and protein, ricegrass was one of the most popular grains in the diets of Native American Tribes. (Corn, later on, took over as the most popular).
The best way to eat ricegrass is by shaking, drying, and grinding it into flour.
You can then make bread, soup, porridge, and more! You could also just boil the ricegrass, to make dumplings.
Rye
When it comes to Rye, it is the berries that you should be interested in. They can be dried and ground to produce flour, or boiled to be consumed as a porridge or similar.
They have a good nutritional value, you’ll just need a big amount to feel full!
Sorghum
You might not have heard of Sorghum, but it is, in fact, the 5th most popular grain used in the world! It is gluten-free and therefore used mainly for creating a food safe for those with celiac disease.
Sugar cane
Sugar cane is incredibly popular all throughout the world, because…well, sugar!
To eat sugar cane raw, the best way is to chew the inner core, and this will release a sweet flavor. You could also just turn the inner core into a liquid!
However, you should not outright eat the stalk, as it will not be easy to digest.
Wheat
Wheat is incredibly common, and a big part of everyday diets nowadays. It has a lot of nutritional value and can be eaten as fresh sprouts, juiced, or in cooking and baking.
It is also what bread is most commonly made out of!
Wild Oats
Wild oats are pretty good to come across in a survival situation because they are pretty high in protein. They are usually harvested for grain, which is then used for flour.
However, you can also boil them to create a porridge-like paste.
Final Thoughts
If you find yourself in a survival situation, you might have to resort to eating the grass that you find in your surrounding area.
It might not seem like grass can be eaten at all, but there are a surprising number of grasses that are perfectly edible for humans, so it’s an option to keep in mind!
The only thing to remember is that when eaten raw and unprocessed, the grass isn’t going to provide you with much nutritional value because we humans cannot digest grass in the same way as other animals do (which is why we always dry and process grasses, to create grain and then use it in meals).
The most common grasses that can be found, that are edible to humans are, Bamboo, Barley, Bluegrass, Corn, Crabgrass, Foxtail grass, Goosegrass, Lemongrass, Millet, Oats, Orchardgrass, Ricegrass, Rye, Sorghum, Sugar cane, Wheat, and Wild Oats.
Most of them you can consume raw, but it will be best if they are processed, or at the very least, boiled to create a porridge-like paste.
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