Sprouts: The ultimate live food

Getting sprouts into your diet can be really simple and easy, but only if you try. What you gain are excellent nutrients that support a healthy body, are versatile and probably the freshest food available today.

Have you been watching what you eat and really trying stay away from foods with harmful chemicals? Well, there is a really simple way you can start doing this and that would be by incorporating sprouts in your meals. Yes, those tiny little guys with tail like shoots have immense nutritional value besides being the freshest, most alive food you may be able to eat. Sprouts have been around for a long time but not used as much as they should be maybe because we have not tried them or maybe we just do not know how to use them.

If you are new to sprouts or have shied away from eating them, they are a nutritional powerhouse that have the ability to support life. Through the germination process the seeds come to life and the nutritional value is believed by many to increase a hundred-fold. Here are a few reasons you might want to begin incorporating sprouts into your meals:

Cheap Fresh and Crunchy

Sprouting is super simple, needs very little investment both with time and money and is actually not expensive but cheap. All you need is the seed which if you buy a bag of organic mung will give you a lot of sprouts. Besides the seed, you need water and a space in your home to grow them.

With all the processing, chemical spraying to preserve food, it can get difficult to eat something that has not been touched. Sprouts are alive and do not need to be preserved using anything special except the refrigerator, so they are always fresh.

We all love food that has a crisp bite to it, these little sprouts are crunchy and can be easily enjoyed with a bit of lime, salt and coriander as a snack.

Super Nutritious

Since the stage of sprouting is the highest and most abundant stage of growth of a plant, they provide the greatest amounts of useable and digestible nutrients, enzymes and energy. As the seed sprouts the calorie or carbohydrate content decrease while the other nutrients increase substantially. Giving you an abundance of vitamins A, B’s, C and E, which great anti-oxidants. They are also rich in Vitamin C, folic acid and other minerals, trace minerals, fibre, chlorophyll, enzymes, protein, and several immune boosting and anti-carcinogenic phyto chemicals.

Highly Alkaline

Being alive sprouts are high in oxygen but have to be eaten raw to gain this benefit. They are highly alkaline and therefore helps support a healthy body while and acidic environment promotes disease. So, keep these guys handy to balance out an acidic food in a meal.

Digestive Support

The high fiber content in sprouts forces you to chew and eat slowly the first step in promoting good digestion. Also, the live enzymes help the body digest and absorb the nutrients more easily. Besides this, beans when sprouted are easier to digest. The starch and proteins are broken down to simpler more usable forms, while some of the bound iron is converted to a more readily assimilated form. Phosphorus is liberated from phytate. All in all, making nutrients more readily available to the body for absorption.

So here are the steps to get you started on sprouting at home:

  1. You will need the seed, so anything that is whole can be sprouted. The easiest to start with would be mung beans, then you have alfa alfa seeds, kidney beans, chickpeas, all bean and even nuts. So, once you have been successful with mung beans go ahead and see what all you can sprout.
  2. You will need a tray to sprout in, so if you do not have a sprouting tray anything that is breathable will do – muslin cloth, sieve, strainer, and plastic bottle with holes.
  3. The first step is to soak the seed. An easy standard for soaking would be to put the seed in a container and fill water double the portion of the seed. Always leave space because the seeds will swell up and increase in size. Keep them soaking overnight.
  4. The next morning drain out all the water and transfer into whatever you have chosen to sprout in. 
  5. Then all you have to do is keep it away from direct sunlight, preferably in a slightly warm area if the weather is cold. You can keep it in an oven that is off but leave the door open. Water the sprouts twice a day by sprinkling do not pour water as too much water will make it rot. Hence the cloth, strainer that will allow excess water to drain out.
  6. Once the seeds have sprouted enough, transfer to a container and store in the refrigerator. Unlike food that once plucked starts to wither, sprouts continue to live they are alive.
  7. It is always nice to store them in individual portions in that way you do not have to get the whole batch out and then back into the fridge. This will keep them longer and reduce the chances of them going off. Always check your sprouts before use especially if they have been in the fridge too long. If they smell moldy or become slimy throw them away. 

Go on now and give it a try and when you get the hang of it, you’ll see it’s pretty easy to do and takes no time at all. You can then enjoy your own daily supply of fresh, organic, high nutrient and high energy foods, ready and waiting for you, in your kitchen every day.

Disclaimer: “Our content is not intended to provide medical advice or diagnosis of individual problems or circumstances, nor should it be implied that we are a substitute for professional medical advice. Users / readers are always advised to consult their Healthcare Professional prior to starting any new remedy, therapy or treatment. Sanda Retreats accepts no liability in the event you, a user of our website and a reader of this article, suffers a loss in any way as a result of reliance upon or inappropriate application of the information hosted on our website.”

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