Your Healthy Magazine
Page 28 Start sprouting this spring. by Suzanne Laurie Bsc (Hons) Nutritional Therapist MBANT
I am a great believer in getting the most from your food. If you are going to eat something healthy, it makes sense to make it as healthy as possible right? And if you can also make that food even more delicious at the same time then this is an added bonus. I find that sprouting foods such as nuts, seeds, grains, beans and lentils tick both these boxes and sprouted foods are great spring foods, when we all start to move towards lighter salads rather than the heavy stews of the winter months.
Sprouting is basically the process of germinating seeds, nuts, beans etc until they produce a small shoot, which if left would grow into a plant. The process of germination causes the plant to rally its nutrient resources to help it reproduce and as each sprout grows, proteins, enzymes, vitamins and other nutrients increase whilst becoming more bioavailable (easier for the body to utilise).
At the same time toxins and enzyme inhibitors are reduced, increasing the digestibility of the sprout. Home-grown sprouts are also the ultimate if fresh food as they are ‘harvested’ in the kitchen or at the dinner table right before they are eaten, so they have not sat around in the fridge losing nutrients for days on end before we finally eat them! They also need to be organic in order to sprout, as inorganic products are often irradiated so are essentially dead, and therefore naturally contain less toxins.
Most whole pulses (except for kidney beans), and some seeds and nuts can be sprouted and sprouting is very cheap. Suitable seeds can be purchased cheaply from health foods shops or even garden centres. In fact - there is no downside to sprouting as it is also very easy - you basically just add water to whatever you wish to sprout and watch it grow! As there are so many different foods that can be sprouted your meals also become much more interesting as you can add so many
different flavours to your diet. How to Sprout
The easiest and cheapest way to sprout for those giving it a go for the first time is to sprout your seeds
in a large glass jar. Measure out about a third of a cup of one type of seed (up to 1 cup if you are sprouting something larger such as soy beans or sunflower seeds).
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