Sprouts: Healthy Living Food

A sprout is produced when a seed starts growing into a vegetable. Sprouts can grow from the seeds of the vegetables above, from seeds of other vegetables, from grains such as buckwheat, and from beans. Sprouts vary in texture and taste. Some are spicy (radish and onion sprouts), some are hardy and are often used in oriental food (mung bean), others are more delicate (alfalfa) and are used in salads and sandwiches to add texture and moistness.

Storage:Store in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator and use sprouts as soon as possible. Rinsing daily under cold water can extend their life. Mung beansprouts can be frozen if they are to be used in cooking. They stay good frozen in their bag for several months.

Eating sprouts is a great way to add fresh and vital nutrients to your diet. The sprouting process brings out many enzymes in the germinated seeds, legumes, and grains which makes them easy to digest. Besides being a good source of protein, raw sprouts are living foods that are full of pure vitamins, minerals, and chlorophyll. Some sprouts also contain essential amino acids.

In addition to being super nutritious, sprouts are one of the most versatile foods in your kitchen. Sprouts can be the main ingredient or a garnish. Add sprouts to soups, salads, wraps, and sandwiches for extra deliciousness - yummy! Sprouts are a great snack - just fill a bowl, have a seat, and start munching.

Sprouts - like all vegetables, are much more nutritious raw, and since sprouts are living food, they are the most nutritious of vegetables. Because of that some people think it is wrong to cook sprouts, but we think all that really matters is that you Eat More Sprouts, and if you prefer them cooked then cook them! Sure raw is better, but any sprouts are way better than none, so eat as you wish, cook 'em or don't!

There are lots of sprout recipes at The Sprout Kitchen.

More sprout info can be found at the International Sprout Grower Association website.


The Strength of Sprouts!
A few forkfuls of sprouted vegetables could help protect against cancer, new research by Professor Ian Rowland and Chris Gill has shown. Eating just over 100 grams of tasty sprouted vegetables every day for a two weeks has been shown to have clear protective effects against DNA damage in human blood cells, according to the researchers. “DNA damage is associated with cancer risk. Sources of DNA damage include diet-related carcinogens, and bodily processes like oxidative stress – and the raw sprouts protect against this kind of damage. “And just a portion – 113 grams - per day of a mix of broccoli, radish, alfalfa and clover sprouts was enough in our tests to show the protective effect,” said Professor Rowland. (Read full article)

GREAT WAYS TO SERVE SPROUTS