It’s springtime here in Texas and we see bright green sprouts of leaves and buds appearing everywhere! I find it simply invigorating to gaze at.
Sprouts are the ultimate superfood, incredibly nutritious and packed with power. Sprouts are the basis of life because they rejuvenate, re-energize, and heal. Sprouts are one of the most nutritionally-rich foods. A complete food, they contain protein, carbohydrates, and good fat. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and natural enzymes. Sprouts can contain all the nutritional value of the whole plant in one little sprout!
Studies have shown that when seeds and grains are germinated, they show an increase in “activities of hydrolytic enzymes, improvement in the contents of certain essential amino acids, total sugars, and B-group vitamins, and a decrease in dry matter, starch, and anti-nutrients.”(1)
Because of the protein shortage during World War II, Dr. Clive M. McKay promoted sprouted soybeans as a wartime food source. The Chinese have included sprouts as a nutritional part of their diet for thousands of years. Adding sprouts is an easy way to add a wealth of nutrition to your diet.
The mung bean is one of my favorite sprouts. A sprouted mung bean has the carbohydrate content of a melon, the Vitamin A of a lemon, the thiamin of an avocado, the riboflavin of a dry apple, the niacin of a banana, and the ascorbic acid of a loganberry— all in one sprout! Dr. Paul Talalay of the American Cancer Society said that “broccoli sprouts are better for you than full-grown broccoli and contain more of the enzyme sulforaphane, which helps protect cells and prevents their genes from turning into cancer.”(2)
The New York Times Reported that “researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore have found that broccoli sprouts, grown in plastic laboratory dishes from ordinary broccoli seeds, contain anywhere from 30 to 50 times the concentration of protective chemicals found in mature broccoli plants. These chemicals, called isothiocyanates, were already known to be potent stimulators of natural detoxifying enzymes in the body, and are thought to help explain why the consumption of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage and kale is associated with a lowered risk of contracting cancer.
With the discovery that broccoli sprouts are an exceptionally rich source of isothiocyanates, the scientists suggested that the sprouts might offer an easy, palatable and fairly uniform way of getting at least some of the protective benefits of a high-vegetable diet. For example, they said, epidemiological studies indicate that to cut the risk of colon cancer in half, a person needs to eat about two pounds of broccoli and similar vegetables a week, a goal that few Americans meet.
Given the chemical potency of broccoli sprouts, the scientists said, the same reduction in risk theoretically might be had with a weekly intake of just a little over an ounce of sprouts.”(3)
Growing your own sprouts is easy. Anyone can do it, and the sprouts are ready to harvest in four days to a week. All you need are seeds, clean water, and a sieve or sprouting bag or jar. (If you are growing something like wheat or barley grass or sunflower seed sprouts, you’ll also need some trays and nutrient-rich soil.)
The FDA said contaminated food plant seeds can cause food-borne illness, so cleaning seeds first is recommended. Clean seeds with a mixture of lime juice and vinegar or a tiny bit of food-grade hydrogen peroxide.
After this, soak them with EM, an effective microbial inoculant, which is a probiotic blend. Microbial inoculant products include three groups of naturally occurring beneficial bacteria: yeast, photosynthetic bacteria, and lactic acid bacteria. The probiotic “works together with microbes in the area to which it is added, to promote a healthy environment for beneficial microorganisms and larger forms of life, including insects, worms, pets, livestock and people.”(4) (You can purchase the Microbial inoculant, EM, Bokashi, from Arbico Organics in various forms.)
Make a mild mixture of one drop of EM in one cup of pure water, add the seeds, and let them sit for 10 minutes. The seeds and the earth benefit from probiotics, which boost their ability to fight off harmful bacteria, just as our body benefits from probiotics which keep bad bacteria in check. In a sense, we are boosting the earth’s immune system. Then, put the seeds in pure water and soak them overnight. Drain the water. Put them in a sieve or a sprouting bag or jar and place in a cool dark place. If you are growing wheat or barley grass or sunflower seeds, put them in a flat sprouting tray with some organic soil and sprinkle a bit more soil over them. The ideal temperature is 70°F.
I simply lay a dish towel over my sprouts or put them in a dark room. Rinse the seeds (or water the sprouting tray and soil) one to three times a day with pure water until they start to sprout. When they start to sprout, they will grow quickly. After a full day or two sprouting, you can move them to the sunlight. There they will develop chlorophyll, the green pigment found in plants.
Chlorophyll has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Antioxidants prevent or slow oxidation. (Oxidation leads to cell damage, production of abnormal cells, and disease.) Antioxidants also stop the damage caused by free radicals. Plus, chlorophyll gives sprouts high levels of oxygen.
Nobel Prize winner Dr. Otto Warburg found that cancer cells, bacteria, and viruses could not survive in a body with high amounts of oxygen. (5)
He also determined the ideal pH of the human body is approximately 7. Processed foods are acidic and can make the body acidic. Sprouts are an alkaline food, and a great source of oxygen. Leave the sprouts in the sunlight for a day (or more) to get as much chlorophyll as you can into your sprouts.
I buy a lot of my organic sprouts from the “Indoor Organic Gardens of Poughkeepsie”. They also make an incredibly healthy raw, organic broccoli sprout powder you can add to foods for a super powerful nutritious boost! Put the code “Nancy” in the discount box for a sizable discount, if you order products from them.
Add sprouts to salads, sandwiches, dips, smoothies, green drinks, and juices!
Sources:
1.Azulay, Sol. “Sprouts in the News.” International Specialty Supply. Retrieved from: http://www.sproutnet.com/Sprouts-in-the-Press
2. Staciokas, Linden. (2010, April 21). “Growing Sprouts Is Easy, Nutritious Way to Satisfy Veggie Cravings.” Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Retrieved from http://www.newsminer.com/features/food/growing- sprouts-is-easy-nutritious-way-to-satisfy-veggie- cravings/article_fcdbf007-b718-5962-a8cb- d9904df23774.html , J.M., et. al. (1994, August 13).
- New York Times, 1997, “Researchers Find a Concentrated Anticancer Substance in Broccoli Sprouts.” https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/16/us/researchers-find-a-concentrated-anticancer-substance-in-broccoli-sprouts.html
- Phillips, John. (2009, January). “Conscious Gardening Workshop at Tree of Life.” Dr. Cousens’ Tree of Life Center US.
- Chavan, J. and Kadam, S. (1989). “Nutritional improvement of cereals by sprouting.” Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 28(5): 401-437. Abstract available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2692609
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