SPROUTS

Chapter 10

                                                     SPROUTS

Sprouted seeds are full of life. They are named as the ‘most nutrient-rich food in our planet’. If we want to remain full of energy and active whole day, one cup of sprouts would make the best breakfast for us. You can mix them with other vegetables, fruits and nuts in a salad.

Many seeds like green gram, chana, horse gram, lentils, soybean, etc. can be sprouted and eaten raw or mixed with other vegetables in a salad. The seeds are soaked in water for around four hours and then washed. They are then kept overnight to germinate or sprout. Be careful to wash then at regular intervals otherwise they will smell. Don’t wait till the leaves appear. You can keep the sprouts in the fridge to slow down the process till the time of consumption. Also be careful to make sure that you are purchasing seeds that are for consumption and not for planting. The seeds that are for planting are often treated with chemicals and hence not fit for consumption.

Many seeds like kidney beans are toxic when sprouted and hence they are cooked to remove the toxicity.

Sprouts are rich in digestible energy, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, beneficial enzymes and photochemicals. All these nutrients are necessary for good health. The enzymes we get from sprouts help increase our digestion power. Protein, carbohydrates and fats get digested easily due to the enzymes since they act as biological catalyst. Some sprouts can contain 100 times more enzymes than the fruit and vegetable since it is in the stage of growing. These enzymes are destroyed due to heating and hence it is best to eat the sprouts raw.

The sprouts contain a good amount of vitamin A, E & C and B-complex. Vitamins also help digestion. They are needed for healing of cells. Vitamins are destroyed due to heat and hence raw sprouts are richer in vitamins than cooked sprouts.

Sprouts are very important for those who want to slim down, look young and have a shining skin and shining eyes. I am sure that you are one of them. So go ahead and soak a few seeds immediately.

Bean sprouts are high in phytoestrogen. They act like weak estrogens. When consumed they decrease the level of estrogens circulating in the body. Hence bean sprouts reduce the risk of breast cancer in women who have high level of estrogens.