Keeping healthy with Sprouts! ~ Mariella

A while ago, the lady who helps me out once a week told me her son was ill and the doctor informed them that he had an unhealthy diet. Together we embarked on exploring ways to fix the situation on a low budget. 

She explained to me that they ate almost no raw food, with the exception of the occasional apple and I felt that this was a good place to start. We worked on it for a while and her son’s health quickly improved, and the secret ingredient was sprouts!

Sprouts are packed full of vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes which can be easily assimilated and digested. They also aid digestion. Think about it, this little green sprout has everything required to create a large plant, it’s just bursting with the energy to grow. It takes a few minutes a day to maintain and can produce much of your daily nutritional requirements.  

Sprouts allow for quick salads,  just throw them all in a bowl, add olive oil and lemon juice and serve! And as far as super foods go, you don’t get it cheaper.

There are many sprouting trays on the market, but I use a glass jar with netting held over the opening with an elastic band. 

Fill one quarter of the jar with your choice of sprout, soak overnight in a dark place, like the cupboard, and allow to drain in the drying rack before you leave for work. 

Rinse once a day until ready. 

Its best to leave them until the root is about 1 cm long at least, but a good way to know if they are ready is to taste one. 

If it still tastes a little starchy, leave for another day or so.

See your sprouts as a micro organic garden on your kitchen counter. It takes up no space and offers so much. I like to use alfalfa, fenugreek, lentils, Mung beans.

Each sprout offers something different:

Legumes – Protein and starch.

Mung beans - vitamins A, C, and B complex.

Most Seeds – phosphorous.

Sunflower seeds - vitamins B and D and all the essential amino acids.

Sesame seeds - calcium, iron, phosphorous, niacin, and protein.

Alfalfa (otherwise known as Lucerne!) - chlorophyll, vitamins A, B complex, C, D, E, G. K, iron, calcium, phosphorous, and sulphur.

Wheat grass (sprouted in trays, have as juice or sliced in salad) - Vitamins C, E, B complex, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, sodium, potassium, protein, enzymes, chlorophyll.

Buckwheat - lecithin and rutin.

They are also fantastic to take on long hikes as they weigh nothing and will ensure that you get your raw foods in long after all the usual fare has dried out or gone off. 

Sprouting makes my life easier and breathes freshness into my salads and believe me, including sprouts into your diet makes eating raw much easier to achieve!