Sprouting Your Way to Health with a Wide Variety of Sprouts

July 24, 2013|Food & Beverage|Caroline Sarda5

Sprouts and health seem to go hand in hand don’t they? They are one of the few foods you can eat “live” – making them fresher than anything else you eat and therefore much more nutritious.  Sprouts are a filling, low-calorie food because of their high water content. Sprouting can be done right at home with minimal effort and big nutritional payoff.

Sprouts are not only incredibly nutritious, they are alkalizing and easily digestible due to the abundance of enzymes. Through sprouting,  seeds, nuts, and grains contain a greater concentration of vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, phytochemicals, antioxidants, trace minerals, and bioflavinoids. The reason why sprouts contain such nutrients is because these elements are necessary for growing germinating plants. Seeds are broken down through soaking, and complex compounds are simplified to enrich the nutritional value of the resulting plants.

Sprout Varieties

There are many different kinds of sprouts available, each with its own shape, taste, and texture. Some of the common ones are adzuki bean, alfalfa, broccoli, clover, mung bean and soybean. Let’s look into the benefits of two of these:

• Alfalfa – Alfalfa sprouts are considered more nutritionally concentrated than other sprouts. Alfalfa means “father of all foods” in Arabic. “Alfalfa sprouts in particular offer lots of protein, vitamin B, and vitamin K. Plus, these tasty sprouts have virtually no sugar or fat, so they are filling and satisfying enough to support cleansing and weight loss. Another added benefit of alfalfa sprouts is their effect on cholesterol, as they have been shown to help clean the arteries of bad cholesterol that can lead to heart disease”, according to the Optimum Health Institute.
• Broccoli – Broccoli sprouts may help protect the stomach from the germ responsible for many cases of gastritis, ulcers, and stomach cancer, according to WebMD Broccoli Sprouts Good for the Gut.

Sprouting Guide from pH Miracle

Seed	Quantity	Soak Time (hrs)	Rinse/Drain (# daily)	Time to harvest (days)
Alfalfa	2 tbsp	6-8	2	3-6
Chinese cabbage	1 cup	6-8	2	3-4
Fenugreek	1 cup	6-8	2-3	3-4
Garbanzo	1 cup	16	2-3	3-6
Lentil	1 cup	8-12	2-3	2-4
Mung bean	1/2 cup	8-12	2-3	2-4
Peas	1/2 – 1 cup	8-12	2-3	2-4
Radish	2 tbsp – 1 cup	6-8	2	3-4
Red clover	2 tbsp	8	2	3-6
Sesame	1/4 cup	8	2	1-3
Soybean	1/2 – 1 cup	16	3	3-5
Sunflower, hulled	1/2-1 cup	6-8	2	1-2

How to Sprout

This is very easy. You want to first rinse your seeds and soak them for 8-12 hours or overnight. Soak them in a wide-mouth glass jar with one part seed to at least three parts water. Then drain the seeds, and place them in a room temperature dark place, covered with a cloth or bag. Some people say to rinse several times a day while others say that it’s not necessary. Within a few days, your sprouts will be ready. The shorter the sprout, the younger and more tender it is. Store sprouts in the fridge in a glass jar. They will keep for about a week. Sprouting is actually really easy and can be done any time of year.

I had my first experience sprouting mung beans the other day, and I spouted them in a stainless steel colander to  with a lid on top. In two days, I had the sprouts you see on the picture above. Super easy and delicious.

You can sprout any bean. Add sprouts to salads, sandwiches, or a stir-fry (add at the last minute). Here are Shelley Redford Young’s recommendations from The pH Miracle book (highly recommended for anyone seeking to have a more alkaline diet, lose weight, be healthier):

• Salad: alfalfa, Chinese cabbage, fenugreek, garbanzo, lentil, mung bean, peas, radish, red clover, sunflower
• Sandwich: alfalfa, radish, red clover, sunflower
• Juice: alfalfa, Chinese cabbage, radish, red clover
• Soup: garbanzo, lentil, mung beans, peas, soybean
• Casserole: garbanzo, sesame, soybean
• Snacks: fenugreek, sesame, sunflower
• Steamed: lentil, mung beans, peas, soybean

Just have fun, use your imagination, and make it a habit to eat sprouts. Your body will thank you!

 

Sources

♦ The pH Miracle by Robert O. Young, Ph.D. and Shelley Redford Young

♦ WebMD Broccoli Sprouts Good for the Gut: Compound in Broccoli Sprouts May Protect Against Ulcers, Stomach Cancer

♦ Optimum Health Institute Sprouting Part II: Sprouting Alfalfa

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