Sprouting:
Healthy, Easy, and
Incredibly Versatile [Link]
Looking for more and better ways to incorporate nutritional foods in your diet?
Try sprouting. With its numerous health benefits, easy preparation, and the
many dishes you can make out of it, there’s no denying that sprouting is
definitely one convenient hobby you should try out.
Sprouting and its numerous benefits
Beans, legumes, grain, and seeds have several nutrients—but they also contain
anti-nutrients. These nutrients are locked up by anti-nutrients like phytic acid.
By sprouting the anti-nutrients are soaked away by water, and you get to eat
everything good the seeds have to offer.
Two anti-nutrients found in the seeds are phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors.
Phytic acids are bound with magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, and copper—thus
making it difficult for your body to absorb these nutrients.
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Sprouting Removes Enzyme Inhibitors
Enzyme inhibitors, on the other hand, not only inhibit the enzymes found in
the seeds but even those found in your body. Foods with enzyme inhibitors
make digestion very difficult. Just imagine your body’s natural digestive
process being slowed down throughout your body because of suppressors
found in the seed. As a result, these seeds with enzyme inhibitors cause
lethargy, obesity, bloating, and gastrointestinal difficulties.
What sprouting does is to soak these two anti-nutrients with
water, allowing your body to fully absorb the seeds’ nutrients and
eliminate the enzyme inhibitors.
The soaking process starts the production of beneficial enzymes which,
together with Lactobacilli, neutralize the phytic acid.
Another way by which sprouting helps in digestion is by breaking down the
complex vegetable proteins found in beans and legumes to simple amino
acids. At the same time, its complex carbohydrates are broken down into
more basic glucose molecules.
Quite fascinatingly, sprouting is responsible for turning grains and legumes
from generally acid-forming foods to alkalizing agents. After all, the sprouting
process initiates the first steps of turning a seed into a young plant. What is
initially an acidic seed transforms into an alkaline forming food.
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A quick comparison of sprouted grain with whole grain will also reveal that
the former contains more nutritional advantages than the latter. Sprouting
produces Vitamin C and increases Vitamins B2, B5 and B6. Sprouted grain
also contains up to 35% protein and has a lower rating on the glycemic index,
making it perfect for those with blood sugar problems.
Other nutrients found in sprouted seeds include potassium, zinc, phosphorus,
calcium, chlorophyll, magnesium, iron, and niacin. Remember, these are the
nutrients you are depriving yourself of without sprouting!
Recent studies have also pointed out that sprouts have incredibly high levels
of a cancer-fighting compound sulforaphane, which also supports the
absorption of antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E. As more carcinogenic
compounds are found in our environment and the foods we eat, you can’t
afford to overlook sprouts.
Also, unlike grocery-bought vegetables and fruits that lose their nutritional
content by the time they make their way to the supermarket, sprouts are
fresh, crisp, and raw. Sprouting gives you access to all these nutrients without
the bane of preservatives.
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How Sprouting Works
Sprouting is anything but labor-intensive. Unfortunately, the impression that
it requires enormous effort is precisely what’s stopping people from sprouting
their own grains and seeds. Sprouting is pretty much the same for all seeds—
the only difference is the time it takes to grow them.
Choosing the right seeds
First, what are the seeds and grains that qualify for sprouting? Legumes and
beans are the most popular. They should be fresh and alive—if they don’t
sprout, then they’re “dead” and no longer contain nutrients and enzymes.
Garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds, mung beans, wheat and rye berries are
excellent for those who are just about to try sprouting . Cabbage, mustard,
radish, and buckwheat are also good choices.
Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are considered the most digestible. Once
sprouted by around 1 to 2 cm, their enzyme inhibitors are considered
neutralized. Mung beans are also quite popular, especially for Chinese dishes.
There are certain seeds and grains that are quite toxic, such as soybeans,
kidney beans, and alfalfa sprouts. Soybeans and kidney beans retain the phytic
acid, and will do nothing to prevent bloatedness and indigestion.
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Optimizing the sprouting conditions
After making your choice of beans, ensure that the growing conditions are at
its best.
Container – There are three choices: jars, bags, and trays. Jars are the most
traditional, and are quite easy to find. However, they aren’t ideal for sprouts
that require light; sprouts in the middle will not get enough light to grow
properly. For the ideal lighting conditions, trays, with its broad surface that
allows sprouts to grow naturally upward, are the best choice. Bags are for
beans and legumes that don’t need too much light; they don’t take up a lot of
space and at the same time allows air to properly seep through.
Air – Like any other growing plant, plants need air in order to survive. If you
deprive the sprouts of this, they will rot and mould easily.
Water – Sprouts need to be soaked and
watered around every 12 hours, and even
more frequently if the weather is hot.
Consistency is important. If you forget
to water them in the first few days, their
growth will be stunted. When watering
them, strike a balance. Too much water will
drown them and too little will leave them
too dry.
Space – Spread the seeds apart in such a way
that they will be given room to grow. The
sprouts will grow to around 30 times of their
current size. If you put too much in the
container, they will eventually compete for
natural light, water, and air.
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The Procedure
After picking out seeds that are broken, discolored, and moldy, soak the seeds
for around 8 hours or overnight in water. You may also add liquid vitamins
that are available in grocery stores for the plants. After soaking them, pour
them through a sieve.
After this, rinse the sprouts for at least every 12 hours. Make sure not to move
the sprouts around as they are taking root, but once they have, you can swish
them about to remove the seed hulls. Drain the sprouts well, as standing
water may cause rotting.
Rinse the grains until they have sprouted to at least 1 and 2 cm, or to your
liking. This usually takes 3 to 6 days. Once you’ve rinsed the sprouts
thoroughly for one last time, store them in a tight container. After this place
the bag in a dark and cool place, usually in the refrigerator. It is best to
consume them within five days.
Ways to enjoy sprouts
Now that you have your fresh and crisp sprouts, how do you go about
enjoying them? Fortunately, there are quite a number of ways to include
sprouts in your diet plan. Two or more of the many dishes you can make from
sprouts are bound to appeal not only to you but to everyone else in the family.
You can serve sprouts steamed, raw, or stir fried. The easiest ways is to steam
them—simply put the sprouts over a steamer for around 5 to 8 minutes.
Eating them raw is obviously one of the healthiest ways, advisable for bean
sprouts. By eating them raw, you take in as many vitamins and minerals that
would have escaped by heating them or frying them. However, make sure that
you thoroughly wash them before eating. When stir frying sprouts, lightly
sauté them to retain its crunchy texture.
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Drinks
It might surprise you, but there are
actually a couple of drinks you can
make out of sprouts. Use a juicer that
has an extractor to create tasty drinks
from sprouts along with other fruits
and veggies such as oranges, carrots,
and apples.
Alternatively, you can sprinkle sprouts
on top of a green, healthy smoothie.
Sandwiches
Sandwiches, whether they’re served hot or cold, are best enjoyed with
sprouts. Instead of lettuce and celery, use sprouts. You can also fill tortilla
shells with sprouts and the sandwich filling. The best celery replacements are
clover, alfalfa and radish sprouts.
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Salads
Salads are also one of the more popular options. Stir them into a bowl of
tossed green salad. You can also spread light vinaigrette dressing on sprouts of
different kinds. Combine sprouts with chopped pineapple, broccoli, and
grapes—then add in a healthy dose of Greek yogurt and mayonnaise dressing.
Sprouts also go well with Asian salads and potato salad.
Soups and vegetables
Sprouts make for great vegetable side dishes. You can stir fry and mix them
with minced ginger and garlic, or serve them over rice or noodles. Stir them
with bean soup, vegetable soup or minestrone to give it a unique crunchy
texture.
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Asian food
Sprouts are among the most popular ingredients found in most Asian dishes.
If you want to make your sushi extra flavorful, add some radish and sunflower
sprouts. Saucy stir-fry bean sprouts, a popular Asian dish, can be done easily
by stir frying the mung beans and adding a tablespoon of soy sauce, a process
that takes around ten minutes. Other examples of Asian dishes include egg
rolls, shanghai noodles, spring rolls, and Vietnamese salad rolls.
C a n ’t Wait T o G et More Healthy Reci pe s ?
What we have shared is a simple tip to alkalize seeds and
legumes, but there are other habits you can adopt to achieve an
alkaline balance in your body. In the Acid Alkaline Balance
Diet, I’ll be sharing with you delicious alkalizing recipes to shed
the excess pounds, stay healthy and feel more energetic!
Find Out More About The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet HERE
Warmest Regards,
Emma Deangela
Find Out More About The Acid Alkaline Balance Diet HERE