Why You Should Include Sprouts in Your Diet

Sprouts are foods obtained from germinating seeds.

The seeds contain the embryo, which is the small plant in an embryonic state, surrounded by albumen, which is the food reserve held in the grain. In its natural state, when humidity, heat, and oxygen are favorable, the embryo develops into a new plant.

Edible Sprouts

Legume seeds
Soybeans, alfalfa, lentils, chickpeas, green or Chinese beans, beans, peanuts, and peas.

Cereal seeds
Wheat, oats, barley, rye, quinoa, and millet

Oil plant seeds
Sesame, sunflower, flax, almond, and canola

Vegetable seeds
Cabbage, pumpkin, cauliflower, kale, broccoli, radish, amaranth, watercress, leek, celery, onion, and spring onion, arugula and radish

Spice seeds and aromatic plants
Aniseed, coriander, fennel, garlic, basil, dill, mustard, and hemp.

Sprouts Most Used in Diets

Alfalfa sprouts

This legume, used primarily for livestock feed and grows spontaneously in many wastelands or by the roadside, produces characteristic seeds that can be germinated to generate sprouts of high food quality.

Barley

Is a cereal used mainly as fodder. The grains of this cereal can usually be found sprouting in supermarkets or food stores.

Soy

Soy sprouts, originating from Chinese cuisine, have become a typical food in the kitchen in many parts of the world. They are usually served to complement salads.

Advantages of Eating Raw Sprouts

Sprouts must be eaten raw because the proteins and starches have been transformed into products that can be assimilated without cooking.

By avoiding the need to cook these foods, some vitamins and starches are not destroyed in the cooking process. These properties are useful for eating legumes without the need to cook them.

The germination process produces green sprouts that are very rich in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll has a molecular structure very similar to that of red blood cells.

Eating foods rich in chlorophyll has a substantial capacity to regenerate blood cells. Therefore, chlorophyll from sprouts is of great importance in the control of anemia.

The role of this component in the regeneration of the liver, in the increase of the defenses, and the rise in the corporal vigor has been valued. Chlorophyll helps to keep us healthier by preventing the appearance of diseases.

Sprouts from legumes provide the body with complete proteins that are transformed into the eight essential amino acids. These compounds are necessary for a myriad of physiological functions and systems. The lack of one can only lead to allergies, weakness, poor digestion, immune deficiencies, or premature aging of cells.

Sprouted wheat can increase vitamin E content by up to three times, which acts as a cellular antioxidant and is an excellent heart guard and a good tonic.

Wheat sprouts, lentils, soybeans, chickpeas, and beans are excellent sources of vitamin C, one of the components that are mostly raised by the effect of germination. Sprouted soybeans boost their vitamin C content by up to 100%, and wheat sprouts increase by 600% in just five days.

Sesame sprouts provide more calcium than any other plant food. Almond, sunflower, alfalfa, and chickpea sprouts are also excellent sources of this mineral.

Sprouts generally contain trace elements such as iodine, zinc, selenium, silicon, chromium, and cobalt.

Alfalfa sprouts contain more beta-carotene than vegetables such as tomatoes or green peppers. Cabbage and pea sprouts are excellent sources of this essential vitamin for growth, development, good eyesight, and the reproductive system.

When eaten raw, the enzymes in the sprouts, known as diastases, help digest fiber, protein, and fat.

Thiamin B1, riboflavin B2, and niacin B3 are especially abundant in sprouts of alfalfa, wheat, sunflower, rye, and sesame. These vitamins contribute to the proper functioning of the nervous system.

Sprouts have the added advantage of being easily digested and assimilated by our body, whether eaten raw or added to salads, side dishes, soups, purees, sauces, or snacks. It is even known that in their germinated state, legumes do not generate the problems of flatulence that make some people unable to enjoy them.