Sprouts: Food for your health
Sprouts' nutritional value is retained until ingested, so they are rich source of enzymes, chlorophyll, vitamins and minerals, amino acids and living trace elements which have a very high nutritious value.
They are a concentrate of nutrients, vitamins and substances that act as antioxidants, which are an excellent addition to the diet. However, their use today has not (yet) been popularised, but combined with some vegetables they can provide excellent and nutritional dishes.
Which sprouts are recommended?
Any leguminous seed or grain can germinate, but the most commonly used are soy sprouts, bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts. Among the cereals are wheat and barley which are the most common, but flax sprouts, watercress, sunflower and pumpkin sprouts are also important to mention.
It is recommended to consume them raw and fresh as when subjected to a cooking process, their many nutrients are destroyed and lost. Sprouts are ingredients that go great with salads, especially if you mix them properly. Try to add them to the preparation at the end to fully retain their healthy properties.
Advantages of eating sprouts
There are several advantages that eating sprouts:
- They allow us to take advantage of the nutrition of certain seeds which otherwise could not be eaten. The process of germination makes them digestible, assimilable and suitable for consumption in the body.
- Sprouts promote good functioning of the pancreas.
- Bean sprouts contain twice the vitamins of normal beans.
- The consumption of sprouts strengthens your immune system due to their nutritional richness.
- They invigorates the nervous system.
- Consumption of sprouts helps to eliminate toxins that accumulate in tissues and blood.
- They are good allies in diets to control blood cholesterol.
- They are low in calories.
- They are a rich source of fibre and thus help to improve intestinal transit and alleviate/combat constipation.
- If you do not tolerate vegetables or some cereals in your stomach well, eating sprouts usually works as a great alternative.
- Sprouts help maintain a healthy metabolism through their many enzymatic, chlorophyllous and anti-anemic properties. They also contain minerals and antioxidants.
How to make sprouts at home
You can germinate your own sprouts at home if you wish and the process is very easy. Try the following steps :
- Select quality seeds which have not been roasted or frozen. Those used most often are green soybeans, wheat, barley, oats, sunflower and sesame seeds, as well as radish and watercress.
- Place the seeds in a glass container with a wide mouth and soak them in water. Try to cover them with a gauze.
- Let them soak for between 8-15 hours, depending on the hardness of the seed. Once this time has passed, remove the water and rinse the seeds.
- Leave the container in a warm, dark place in an inclined position, so that the excess water can run out. This will prevent mould formation.
- Regularly rinse the seeds, straining and placing them back into the bottle. Two to three days after following these instructions, the sprout shoots should begin to appear.
- When the shoots reach a length of 3 inches, you must expose them to the sun's energy for about two hours for them to obtain chlorophyll and make the leaves and buds slightly green. It is also during this process that vitamin C is produced.
- After the process, the sprouts should be stored in the fridge, making sure they are dry. They can be kept for up to one week.
Juice with sprouts
There are many ways that you can include sprouts in your diet. You can prepare a sprout juice, putting a carrot in the juicer, along with a stalk of celery, 1 cup of alfalfa sprouts and 1 cup of bean sprouts. Serve and enjoy.