Grow Your Own Sprouts

Posted by Hiba on Jun 29, 2014 in Recipes & Food

Sprouting is a fun and easy way to add more nutrients and taste to your meals. They are one of the most concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes – true superfoods whose power you can liberate very easily in your kitchen!

WHY SPROUT?

Here are a few reasons to try sprouting:

♥ Easier for the body to absurd nutrients such as iron, zinc and various vitamins

♥ Easier on the digestion as sprouting means less work for the digestive system

♥ Protein content can be increased by up to 35%

♥ Alkalizing for the body, which balances the effect of more acidic foods such as meat, sugar and dairy.

And did I mention it is actually fun to see your regular lentils start sprouting on your kitchen counter in just a few days?

According to Dr Mercola, sprouts are:

A powerhouse of nutrition, sprouts can contain up to 30 times the nutrition of organic vegetables grown in your own garden, and allow your body to extract more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fats from the foods you eat. During sprouting, minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, bind to protein, making them more bioavailable. Furthermore, both the quality of the protein and the fiber content of beans, nuts, seeds and grains improves when sprouted. The content of vitamins and essential fatty acids also increase dramatically during the sprouting process. (source)

Basically, sprouts are an easy an extremely cost-effective and easy superfood to add to your diet!

OK – I AM SOLD. HOW DO I START?

Buy a jar like the one below – you can order it here or find it in any organic store. I personally have the A. Vogel Biosnacky basic jar which I really like.  You could even try making your own with a normal jar and cover that lets water out while keeping the seeds inside. A stocking or cheese cloth and rubber band should do the trick.

Choose any organic seed, grain or legume you have at home except chia, arugula,  mustard or linseeds which have a gel-like consistency with water. Also avoiding sprouting soy and kidney beans which are said to be toxic.

You could try sprouting lentils, quinoa, chickpeas or sunflower seeds for example or buy seeds to germinate in organic stores like alfalfa or radish seeds.

Pour seeds in a jar until the bottom is just covered. It may look empty, but they will need room to grow!

THEN WHAT DO I DO?

1. SOAK seeds in water until they are completely covered and leave the jar upright for 4-12 hours. Bigger legumes like chickpeas will need to soak for longer than small seeds like quinoa.

2. RINSE with water morning and evening, emptying the jar of water and propping it on the side between rinses.

3. WAIT 2-6 days until sprouts are ready – the white bit should be about 3 cm long. Once they are ready, empty the jar, rinse and wash the sprouts and store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few days.

HOW TO EAT THEM

Use them in sandwiches, as part of salads or to top any dish.

Some people claim that it is better to lightly cook sprouts from legumes and cereals – try them raw or add them to stir-frys to cook them lightly and see what works best for you!

A SIDENOTE

Make sure you use clean jars and never eat sprouts that smell bad or look dodgy. Use your common sense!

I would love to hear from you – have you tried sprouting before?