I’m so excited to share with you, how to sprout! Sprouting is SO easy and provides so many nutritional benefits, there’s really no reason NOT to sprout!

What Can You Sprout?

Nuts, seeds, grains and legumes.

Why Sprout?

Human beings are experiencing an increase in autoimmune disorders and digestive upset due to the overconsumption of non-sprouted foods and their naturally occurring anti-nutrients and carcinogens. The sprouting (or germination) process, makes foods so much easier to digest because it deactivates the enzyme inhibitors (which make digestion hard). Additional digestive help comes from all the active enzymes that are then created! Pesky anti-nutrients naturally found in nuts, seeds, grains and legumes, are enzyme inhibitors, lectins, saponins and polyphenols . Anti-nutrients block the body from absorbing the vitamins and minerals present in the food; meaning if you’re eating non-sprouted plant foods often, you could experience mineral deficiencies over time. Naturally occurring anti-nutrients prevent the nutrients in the food from being absorbed and digested by your body; this includes protein, fiber, iron and magnesium – and thereby rendering nutritional labels defunct in that regard.

Sprouting nuts, grains, seeds and legumes not only makes vitamins and minerals easier to digest, it increases their protein, amino acid and fiber content, reduces the carb load, and gluten, and leads to greater availability of vitamins A, B, C, E, minerals, essential fatty acids, antioxidants and folate.

How Does Sprouting Work?

Sprouts are alkalizing to your body (illness and disease can be linked to acidity) and eating sprouted foods, can even help with weight loss. The sprouting process actually “consumes” a lot of the foods calories and accomplishes part of the work of digestion when its starches are converted to sugars, fats are used up as energy for growth, and proteins are broken down into amino acids. As a result of all this predigestion activity, sprouted foods wind up being less calorie-dense than non-sprouted. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get sprouting! (This is a great science lesson for kids too!)

The picture above, is of a batch of chickpeas that have been in the sprouting process for 24 hours. The chickpeas would be fine to rinse and cook at this stage, but the longer you allow a nut, seed, grain or legume to sprout, the more nutrient-dense it becomes.

How to Sprout:

This process works the same for nuts, seeds, grains and legumes.

Materials Needed:

To make sprouting more accessible, there are a variety of sprouting kits or special jars on the market. If you simply want to give it a try for the first time, try my method: I simply place the well-rinsed food in a colander, atop a large, clean bowl.

Process:

Measure 1 C of your plant food.
Rinse the food well and place in a medium or large bowl of cool water (making sure to cover the food by 2 inches).
Soak the food for at least 8 hours.
Once you’re finished soaking, drain the food and rinse it all very well with fresh water.
Give your food 1-5 days for the sprouts to appear and grow. During this time, make sure to rinse your food well every few hours, tossing them around gently in colander as you rinse. Allow excess water to drain, and place the colander back atop the bowl on the counter.
Place your sprouted, living food, sealed in the fridge – it should keep for 7 days. You can eat them raw or cooked, but be aware of the potential for harmful bacteria growth due to the moist environment they sprouted in. Rinse really well before use and/or cooking, especially when feeding them to little ones and the elderly. Use them in salads, soups, entrees, whatever!
To cook: simmer them in fresh water, for 10-15 minutes only – easy!