
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.
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
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.
All the best in Health,
Deanne XOXO
Source: World's Healthiest Foods, George Mateljan