Have you said “bye bye” to sleeping through the night?
 
Are you feeling exhausted or “running on stress hormones” all day?
 
Do not fear, I have some great tips (and an amazing recipe) for you!

Have you ever been at a restaurant and see the word sprout on a the menu but not really know what that meant you would be getting? 

What are Sprouts?

Essentially, you are bringing the plant to life.  True vitality can be made right in front of your eyes.  It's an awesome experience.  You literally take a dried nut, seed or bean that has existed in a sleeping state for quite some time and you encourage it to wake up and flourish.  These little sprouts grow from the nut, seed or bean like little white/offwhite threads.

Why Sprout?

So if most of these foods can be eaten raw or perhaps cooked, then why sprout in the first place?  As you wake up the seed, it begins to energize.  This energized seed now becomes more nutritious as changes happen inside.  Sugar can get converted to Vitamin C and enzymes awaken making the food more nutrient dense and easier for you to digest.  The little sprout that you are going to eat is so powerful that if you left it to grow, it would support the entire plant as it grows.  Imagine how much energy and strength it must have.  It provides that same support to your body. Sprouts can be added to salads, cooked in soups and stews or even used in baking bread.

What can I sprout?

Sprouts can be grown from many different sources: alfalfa, wheatgrass, broccoli, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, red clover, radish, lentils, peas, chick peas, rice, quinoa and mung beans are excellent foods that grow deliciously nutritious sprouts.   

*If you have an inflammatory condition or autoimmune condition you may want to stay away from alfalfa sprouts.  These sprouts have higher than usual amounts of a specific amino acid that is associated with worsening of inflammatory conditions.

Tips for Purchasing Sprouts

• purchase before best before date, and do not consume after best before date.
• always keep sprouts in the refrigerator
• consume within 2 days of purchasing (just to be safe)
• if they do not look white or creamy, do not eat them. 
• If they have a musty smell, do not eat them.
• Rinse them before eating them

DIY Sprouts

Making your own bean sprouts at home is quite simple, and extremely fun to do.  If you have children, they will enjoy watching the sprouts grow, and it is a great way to teach them about life and healthy living.  Sprouts can be grown in soil or in water.  To find out more about sprouting in soil, visit http://wheatgrassgreenhouse.com/growgrass.html, where Michael talks about growing your own wheatgrass.  To find out more about growing in water, read on.

Mung Bean Sprouts

Step 1:  Purchase good quality beans

Step 2:  Add a couple of tablespoons of the mung beans to a mason jar (I used more because we eat so many)

Step 3:  Fill with water and let soak over night

Step 4:  Prepare your sprouting lid.  You can buy these at a store but they are much more expensive.  Here is my DIY Sprouting Lid method.  Purchase a sheet of plastic canvas (Michael's has them for a few cents).  Next cut out the canvas and place it in the rim of the mason jar as shown in the pictures below.

Step 5:  Screw lid on your mason jar and now you have your own, homemade sprouting jar.

Step 6:  After the beans have soaked for 8 hours or overnight, strain the jar through your awesome straining lid.   Rinse and strain again.  Place the jar on its' side

Step 7:  Rinse and strain a couple of times daily until the sprout is grown to desired length.  Usually 1 to 1 and a half times the size of the bean.  These sprouts took about 18 hours.

Step 8:  once your beans have sprouted, return the original lid to the mason jar.  Store in the refrigerator and rinse once daily and before using.  These sprouts will last about 1 week from the time you put them in the fridge.

Closing Thoughts:

As much as sprouting may seem scary at first, it is definitely worth the effort.  Watching food come to life is an incredible journey and it really puts healthy eating into perspective.  To help make life a little easier, I have included an awesome chart below that will help guide you through sprouting in an easy to follow way.

Do you think you'll give sprouting a try or have you sprouted before?  I'd love to hear all about your sprouting journey.  Please submit comments in the box below.

All the best in Health,

Deanne XOXO





Source:  World's Healthiest Foods, George Mateljan