Nature At Its Best

The following article has been moved from a former Raw blog of mine that is no longer active.

Thanks to a dear friend of mine, I have been growing my own sprouts for the last month. She provided gifted me with three Sprout Master sprouting trays. There is something amazing about growing your own food. There is something even greater about being able to successfully grow something when you have historically had a black thumb.

Thus far I have sprouted a organic sprouting seeds salad mix (Alfalfa, Clover, Radish, Broccoli) and split peas, both are delicious. The mix is great for making raw sushi. You can substitute the sprouts for the rice. The split peas are really tasty in salads.

The only sprouting attempt that didn’t work was my attempt at sprouting quinoa. It sprouted a little bit, but then it molded.

Sprouting seeds is highly beneficial for the intense nutritional and healing capacity. The following benefits are reprinted from Energise For Life:

Sprouting Seeds: The Ultimate Food

Sprouts are one of the most alkalising, nutritious and easily accessible foods know to man. Being rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes, they can be grown easily in four to six days and require no effort and very little cost.

A sprout possesses all of the energy, vitamins and nutrients and power that enables it to be transformed from a small seed into a strong plant. At this stage its nutritional value is at its highest for instance, sprouted seeds can contain 400% more protein than lettuce and over 3900% more beta-carotine.

Also, due to their size and taste you are able to eat hundreds of sprouted seeds at a time. In so many sprouts, you are eating the equivalent of hundreds of fully grown plants all at once – when else would you be able to get the goodness of one hundred mature plants in one meal?!

Studies have also shown that broccoli and other types of sprout contain exceptionally high levels of a natural cancer fighting compound called sulforaphane (20 – 50 times more than in mature broccoli) which helps support antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E.

Sprouted Seeds: Raw, Crisp and Delicious

Sprouts are an alkalizing, living food which continue to grow and gain vitamins after being harvested, which when compared to food bought at the supermarket which begins to lose their nutrient content as soon as they are picked (and are not then consumed for weeks on end) become very attractive – especially if you are trying to add more raw food to your diet.

They are great to be eaten on their own, used in salads and stir-fry’s or juiced into your green drink.

Sprouts: Packed With Nutrients

The nutritious value of sprouts is remarkable with sprouts containing a greater concentration of vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, phytochemicals, anti-oxidants, nitrosmines, trace minerals, bioflavinoids and chemo-protectants (such as sulphoraphane and isoflavone) which work against toxins, resist cell mutation and invigorate the body’s immune system than at any other point in the plant’s life – even when the plant is fully matured.

The abundant enzymes in sprouts also makes them easily digestible as their delicate cell walls easily release elemental nutrients.

Many different types of sprout are available including alfalfa, broccoli, little radish, mung bean and a range of mixes including fitness mix, gourmet mix and aromatic mix.