We all know that sprouting your seeds, legumes and nuts is good. But most of us are absolutely clueless as to how does it help and how much difference does it actually make. To be honest, this art is handed down from generation to generation. But nobody really questions the science behind the logic.
What is Sprouting?
Sprouting is the practice of soaking, draining and then rinsing seeds at regular intervals until they germinate, or sprout. In the late 1920's, an American Professor named Edmond Szekely studied the concept of sprouting and realized that it increases the nutritional value of the food by more than 20 percent depending on the food.
He found that a seed or a nut, prior to sprouting, is in a dormant stage. In the dormant stage, it contains enzyme inhibitors which are meant to protect the nutritional value of the seed. Thus, when you eat a non-sprouted seed, these enzyme inhibitors counteract with your own digestive enzymes preventing them from digesting the seed. But when you sprout the seed, it literally comes to life. During the sprouting process, new and higher quality proteins and other nutrients are produced. So by sprouting, you deactivate the enzyme inhibitors allowing your body to easily digest the nutrition in the seed, nut or bean.
What specific benefits does it offer?
More and more people are discovering the benefits sprouting and how it can help them to meet their daily nutritional requirements. Here are a few:
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Increase in nutritional value: Sprouting increases the amount of vitamins, minerals, proteins, and enzymes in a particular seed making it a complete food. Sprouting is a very easy way to enhance the goodness in nuts, seeds, grains and legumes. For example, 7.5 mg of vitamin E is contained in one cup of broccoli sprouts as compared to just 1.5 mg present in one cup of fully mature raw or cooked broccoli.
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Aids in digestion: Apart from deactivating the enzyme inhibitors, it breaks complex food molecules into much simpler form which are easily digestible. Proteins break into amino acids, carbohydrates break down into simple sugars and fats break down into fatty acids. This improves digestion and assimilation significantly. For example, mung beans sprouts are easier to digest than mung beans.
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Strengthens the immune system: Sprouting releases a compound called Saponins which naturally increases the activity of natural killer cells like T-lymphocytes and interferon thus enhancing the immune system.
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Rich source of Antioxidants: Sprouting increases the level of natural antioxidants in the seeds which prevents DNA damage and decreases the rate of aging.
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Decreases the caloric value: Sprouting process of beans not only increases the nutritive value of beans but also reduces its caloric value making it an ideal diet food. Sprouts are also low on the glycemic index; as a result they will not cause any dramatic fluctuations in blood sugar.
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Increased Fiber content: Not only the nutritive value, but the fiber content of the seeds is also increased in the sprouting process. This makes it a perfect cure for people suffering from constipation.
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Increased Alkalinity: In order maintain good health, the Ayurveda recommends that 20% of the food that you eat should be acidic, whereas the remaining 80% should be alkaline. Sprouting reduces the phytic acid present in the seeds, increasing its alkalinity. That is exactly why sprouts are recommended in a full body detox.
How do I sprout seeds at home?
Sprouts are easy to grow in a sprouting tray or jar, at any time of the year. Just follow this step by step guide to make your own Superfood:
- Take as many seeds as you wish and place in a jar with lukewarm water and leave overnight.
- Drain the water from the jar in the morning and put the jar in a dark place
- Rinse the seeds every 12 hours.
- Once sprouting begins put the jar into sunlight.
- In a day or so, your sprouts will be ready.
To obtain greatest nutritional value from your sprouts, eat them raw rather than cooked as cooking can obliterate the enzymes. Raw sprouts are also very crunchy and very delicious. Some people prefer to put them in their fruit juices for added flavor. Regular consumption of sprouts leads to a good feeling of healthiness, liveliness and vitality.
