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Radish Sprouts by HLife Photography

The health benefits of sprouts, both medicinally and nutritionally, have been studied for centuries and it is time we made them a household name and a permanent special place in our kitchen adventures. From prevention to treatment of life-threatening diseases, the chemical/molecular composition of sprouts is so impressive, it’s been said by the medical community that sprouts are better for you then the actual full grown produce (veggie/legume/grain/etc..) This is due to people usually discarding the leaf and stem of a veggie, and just eating the flower/floret/produce (end result). In sprouts you will be benefiting from all three – the stem, the flower and the leaf – which equals a packed  house full of nutrient density.  It is quite possible that, with sprouts, chlorella and bee pollen, we can end world hunger.

History: Sprouts’ healing properties have been documented by Chinese physicians for over 5,000 years.  From the Emperor of China in 1282 B.C. writing about mung beans to the Essenes using sprouting techniques, and mentions of sprouts in the Bible’s Book of Daniel, sprouting goes back as far as 3,000 B.C.  The earliest recorded mention of its exceptional nutritional value was in a book written by the Emperor of China in around 2939 B.C.  In Chinese families it is very common to home-grow sprouts because it is a low cost, high-energy food. This also makes it a “green” food because there is no carbon print (no cost for transportation).  During World War II, DR. Clive M. Mckay, Professor of Nutrition at Cornell University wrote an article about sprouts, in which he made the wonders of this produce quite clear: “Wanted! A vegetable that will grow in any climate, will rival meat in nutritive value, will mature in 3 to 5 days, may be planted any day of the year, will require neither soil nor sunshine, will rival tomatoes in Vitamin C, will be free of waste in preparation and can be cooked with little fuel and as quickly as a … chop.” Today, we can find organic sprouts in supermarkets like Whole Foods or still grow them right at home, even in your apartment.

Description: All sprouts have a slightly different flavor, look, and form. Most all have tall stems that grow from a seed and some have tiny leafs at the end of shoots. Mustard sprouts are spicy and delicate. Alfalfa has a mild flavor and crunch. Broccoli sprouts have a mildly peppery flavor, and onion sprouts have pretty much an onion flavor.

Nutritional Info:

• ✤ Sprouts are a great source of protein in amino acid form, which makes them easy to digest and assimilate.  They have more protein than cooked beef. Broccoli and Alfalfa contains 35% protein, red clover, radish, lentil and pea 26%, garbanzo and mung beans 20%, where as beef is 19% protein after its cooked.

• ✤ They supply the highest amount of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes of any food per unit of calorie.

• ✤Rich in powerful antioxidants. sprouts nourish and strengthen the whole body, including the vital immune system.

• ✤ A perfect weight-loss food with low calories and fat, they provide quick energy with no cholesterol and plenty of essential fatty acids.

• ✤ A detox and cleansing food, with a high lecithin count that helps the body get rid of cholesterol.

• ✤ Sprouts are loaded with Vitamin C, beta carotene and many B vitamins such as folacin. By sprouting, the produce increases its nutritional content. For example, by sprouting mung beans, its vitamin A content is two-and-a-half times higher than the regular bean. Some beans have more then eight times more Vitamin A after being sprouted. Sprouting  increases some vitamins by 500%! In sprouted wheat, vitamin B-12 quadruples, other B vitamins increases 3 to 12 times, vitamin E content triples. Fiber content increases three to four times that of whole wheat bread.

• ✤ Loaded with enzymes. Sprouting essentially pre-digests the food for us by breaking down the concentrated starch into simpler carbohydrates and the protein into free amino acids, so our own enzymes don’t have to work so hard.

• ✤ Quality versus quantity. In a recent study, 1 oz. of broccoli sprouts had the same cancer-fighting power as over 1½ pounds of fully-grown broccoli.

• ✤ If you’ve ever had trouble digesting beans properly, just sprout them and you’ll have no trouble at all. Sprouting also removes anti-nutrients such as enzyme inhibitors, and that makes sprouts even easier to digest, further sparing enzymes.

• ✤ Sprouts also have a regenerating effect on the human body because of their high concentration of RNA, DNA, protein and essential nutrients which can be found only in living cells.

• ✤ They increase bone formation and density and prevent bone breakdown or osteoporosis.

• ✤ Universities of Pennsylvania and Minnesota, Yale, and McGill found that sprouts keep the B-complex vitamins that are in the original seed and that there was a big jump in Vitamin A and an incredible amount of Vitamin C in them, above and beyond what was in the unsprouted seeds.

• ✤ Sprouts reduce the incidence of cancers, heart diseases and diabetes.

• ✤ Starches in sprouts are converted to simple sugars, which make sprouts easily digestible and good for energy.

Application: Sprouts are so easy to use in meal preparations. They can be eaten raw and have a great texture in sandwiches and salads. I use clover, onion, broccoli, pea, radish, and sunflower sprouts mostly in my salads. Lentil sprouts can be eaten raw or cooked, added to soups or steamed veggies. Mung beans can be lightly cooked in an Asian dish. Soybean sprouts are good for casseroles  and stews, while sunflower and broccoli sprouts can even be juiced and used in a green drink.

NOTE: To avoid salmonella contamination in sprouts, buy them organic or grow them yourself from organic seeds.

Sources: http://www.sproutnet.com/nutrition_of_sprouts.htm, http://www.triedtastedserved.com/sprouting/history-sprouts.php, http://www.healthyeatingadvisor.com/sprouts.html