Wondering whether you should bother growing sprouts? Whether the nutrition in sprouts is worth the hassle?
There is some debate about the issue, even among the nutritional “gurus” who agree on most other points. My opinion–based on my own personal research and experience–is that to grow sprouts is a worthwhile and easy endeavor, and that adding them to your diet adds significant value.
Why should I grow and eat my own sprouts?
Three main reasons:
- The antioxidant levels in sprouts are much higher than in their mature vegetable counterparts, especially when you’re talking broccoli, cabbage and kale.
- Sprouts are much easier to chew and digest than the mature raw vegetables. They are a blessing to people like me who want to take advantage of the enzymes and complete nutrition found in raw cabbage-family veggies, but whose digestive systems have a hard time with them when they are full-grown.
- You get a lot of nutritional bang for your buck with sprouts. A jar of broccoli sprouts costs less than fifty cents. Clover and alfalfa sprouts are even cheaper. In addition, if you sprout seeds such as hulled buckwheat, mung beans, and lentils the nutritional value increases significantly over eating them in their cooked, unsprouted form.
- Benjamin surrounded by sprouts!
How to grow sprouts
For the leafy sprouts, such as broccoli, clover, radish and alfalfa, soak two tablespoons of seeds in a quart jar for about eight hours. Drain, using a square of cheesecloth or old pantyhose affixed to the top with a rubber band, or sprouting jar lid. Rinse 2-3 times per day (we just rinse twice a day, and they seem to do just fine) and drain as thoroughly as possible. Set jar upside-down at a 45-degree angle to make sure all the water drains out after rinsing. (I set my sprouts in the dish drainer.)
The leafy sprouts are ready after about 7 days.
To sprout mung beans and lentils, fill a bowl 1/3 full of the beans. Then fill to the rim with purified water. Soak at least 12 hours. Drain. Let sit another 24 hours, and you will see little tails growing out of the beans. Sprouted mung beans and lentils add a perfect crunch and burst of nutrition to salads, or even vegetable soups and stews.
(Caution: I find that when our house is under 72 degrees–which it is most of the fall and winter–not all of the mung beans will sprout. After they are finished, go through the bowl and remove any “duds”, the tiny, dark green, hard beans. The easiest and fastest way to do this is drop a handful at a time on a plate. If you here a “chink”, there’s a dud somewhere you need to look for and take out.)
If you’re interested in sprouting buckwheat–I enjoy them in salads, and they are a good source of vegetable protein–simply spread one cup of hulled buckwheat between two wet paper towels (I use Grandma’s old dish towels) on a large plate. Wrap in a large plastic bag, and they will be sprouted 24 hours later.
Where do I buy sprouting seeds?
Buckwheat, mung beans and lentils are easily found in health food stores, and even some conventional groceries that have added a “natural” food section to their store. Usually, you have to buy the leafy sprout seeds online. For smaller quantities, sproutpeople.com is my favorite site. If you want to get serious and buy several pounds at once, Jim Mumm at sprouting.com gives a good deal to people willing to buy in bulk.
Eating sprouts is not necessary for health, but it can give you a nice all-around boost of nutrition. To learn the various lifestyle principles that are necessary for health, check out this page for more information.
