Sprouts: So fresh, they’re still growing!
Sprouts are a miracle food. As a ‘living’ food, sprouts continue to grow higher in nutritional value after being harvested. Sprouting is the process of germinating seeds to be eaten raw or cooked. When seeds are soaked, the dormant seeds turn into a nutritional powerhouse. For instance, when peas are dry they have no Vitamin C; however, when sprouted for 48 hours, they provide more Vitamin C than fresh oranges while Broccoli sprouts help protect the body against cancer. A salad made from an assortment of sprouts, compared with the traditional lettuce salad, provides five times as much protein, six times as much Vitamin C and seven times as much of the B Complex Vitamins and costs less than half as much.
The most powerful enzyme-rich foods are sprouts. Sprouting seeds, grains and legumes, increases their enzyme content as much as 43 times more than non-sprouted foods. The enzymes boost the life-giving activity in our body while helping our body digest the nutrients in our food.
Sprouts have the highest concentration of nutrition per calorie of any food. The nutritional content of sprouts is many times greater than the original food value of the seeds and beans from which they sprout. Sprouts contain an abundance of anti-oxidants that prevent harm to our DNA while protecting us from the ongoing effects of aging. Another benefit to eating sprouts is that there is no preparation time. They require no cleaning, peeling, or chopping. There are numerous nutritional benefits as well as many ways to use your homegrown sprouts.
Sprouting guide
The seeds can be germinated at any time of year indoors.
Select a sprouting vessel: Many different types can be used but one simple vessel is a glass jar with a piece of mesh screen secured over its rim with a food grade rubber band. There are tiered clear plastic sprouters available allowing a number of seeds, beans, and nuts to be sprouting at the same time. Whatever vessel you choose, water must be allowed to drain from it because sprouts that sit in water rot quickly.
The seeds, beans or nuts are moistened with clean water twice a day. Each seed, bean or nut has its own ideal sprouting time but usually after three to five days they are ready to eat!
If left longer, they will develop leaves and turn into bay greens, which are also edible and nutritious.
Sprout growth can be slowed or halted by refrigeration.
The five rules of sprouting
1. Rinse them often.
2. Keep them moist, not too wet.
3. Keep them at room temperature, not too cold or hot.
4. Give them plenty of breathing room.
5. Don’t overfill one container.
Sprouted almond milk recipe
Sprout organic almonds for a couple days until you see a white tip at the end.
Remove skins; if they do not come off easily, pour hot water and let cool and they should come off.
One part almonds to three parts clean water.
Blend almonds and water (you can add raw honey, agave, maple syrup or vanilla to improve taste).
Pour blended liquid through a cheese cloth or strainer with small holes.
Making your own organic sprouted almond milk is much cheaper than store bought almond milk and you know what’s inside. Children love it too!
by: Alexandra Du Toit
Sources for this article include:
www.sproutpeople.com
www.kitchengarden.co.za
http://www.sproutman.com/index.php
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