Why You Should Give a Damn About Sprouts

When most people hear “sprouts” they think of those delicious, herbaceous sandwich and salad-toppers. These are seeds like alfalfa, radish, broccoli & clover. When you purchase a sprouting kit from Revival, these are the sort of sprouting seeds that will arrive inside, but that doesn’t mean they are the only thing you can sprout in that kit! When sprouted, they become, not only delightfully crunchy green stuff, but also more nutritious than their former selves. Now, no one is going around eating un-sprouted alfalfa seeds—but this transformation occurs in every seed, and most of us eat un-sprouted seeds every day (like, ALL grains, beans and nuts)!

Resting seeds store starch for their future energy needs, and contain enzyme inhibitors to prevent seeds from becoming activated before the conditions are right for them to grow. Germination transforms the makeup of a seed completely, from a storage vessel to an active vehicle for the growth of a new plant.

Just think, if you sprouted your beans before eating them, there would be a lot less tooting happening after dinner, because sprouting makes them easier to digest! Now, you can’t sprout canned beans because they’re already cooked. But if you’re like me, and you want to run away screaming at the thought of cooking dried beans, let me assure you. sprouted beans cook a hell of a lot faster, in addition to making them way healthier and easier to digest.

The same is true for rice! Yes, you can only sprout brown rice, because white rice has been denuded and stripped of its giblets. BUT when you sprout brown rice, you can cook it as fast as you cook white rice. Score! And it is darn good for your body. Double score!

sprouted black beans

Now for the nitty gritty. I keep saying sprouted things are good for you, but if I know you, you’re probably screaming at your screen right now demanding cold, hard evidence. You can’t take my word for it. You want some science from a real, bonafide, properly published source. How can you trust some random blogger? Here’s some good stuff:

“The process of germination not only produces vitamin C, but also changes the composition of grain and seeds in numerous beneficial ways. Sprouting increases vitamin B content, especially B2, B5 and B6. Carotene increases dramatically—sometimes eightfold. Even more important, sprouting neutralizes phytic acid, a substance present in the bran of all grains that inhibits absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc; sprouting also neutralizes enzyme inhibitors present in all seeds. These inhibitors can neutralize our own precious enzymes in the digestive tract. Complex sugars responsible for intestinal gas are broken down during sprouting, and a portion of the starch in grain is transformed into sugar. Sprouting inactivates aflatoxins, potent carcinogens found in grains. Finally, numerous enzymes that help digestion are produced during the germination process.”

Sally Fallon, Nourishing Traditions

Thank you, Sally. I appreciate your fine research.