Sprouts for Health and Vitality

Broccoli sprouts for example, are loaded with a phytochemical called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane according to Wikipedia.org is “an organosulfur compound that exhibits anticancer, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial properties in experimental models. It is obtained from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts or cabbages. The enzyme myrosinase transforms glucoraphanin, a glucosinolate, into sulforaphane upon damage to the plant (such as from chewing). Young sprouts of broccoli and cauliflower are particularly rich in glucoraphanin (which transforms to sulforphane).”

There are sprouts such a broccoli and others that are rich in plant estrogen, like human estrogen, which can aid in cases of PMS, menopause, hot flashes and fibrocystic disease.

Nutritious Sprout Sandwich

Sprouts can produce such rich sources of vitamins like A, B, C, E and K, minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Sprouts are a good source of protein, fiber and essential fatty acids, and they lower cholesterol and all while still tasting great!

Tasty Sprouts Salad

You can grow broccoli, alfalfa, radish, mung bean, lentils, adzuki, garbonzo, green peas, sunflower, soy bean, wheat and buckwheat sprouts, just to name of few. Not only are these nutritious and tasty, they are also ultra-renewable source of food you can grow right in your own kitchen in just 2-5 days, depending on variety of sprout.

5 Part Salad Sprouting MIx

The easiest way to get started growing your own healthy and tasty sprouts is with a Seed Sprouter. You could start with any dish that would hold water, but it would create additional work and frustation draining each day. The modern seed sprouters of today have multiple levels and auto drain from one tray to the next leaving whatever water is left in a reservoir in the bottom. These units are sealed to keep moisture in and make it easy to grow your own sprouts.

4 Tray Seed Sprouter

The seed sprouter also has ridges in the trays of the sprouter to keep the seeds seperated to avoid clumping and maximize growth. The seed sprouter above is the exact model I use in my kitchen. In fact, I have two units with four grow trays each. I keep them in the window sill of my kitchen and in just a few short days I have wonderful sprouts to add to my dishes.

I purchased my seed sprouter from a company I highly recommend, not only in price, but also in excellent customer service. I listed them in a previous article “Are you growing mutant seeds? Try Heirloom Seeds!”. I have purchased my seed sprouters, sprouting seed packets and herb seeds such as Tea and Medicinal herbs. The packaging was great, they were sealed in an tin and sealed again in a mylar bag within the tin. They went out of their way to ensure the herb seeds are fresh.

The company in question is My Patriot Supply out of Hartford City, IN. Their website is www.mypatriotsupply.com. They offer many types of sprouting seeds to choose from.

Interesting enough, I found a video on YouTube that reviewed this same seed sprouter, allow me to share it with you.

When you choose the type of sprouts you want to grow, a teaspoon in each tray will suffice. Stack the trays, add water in the water reservoir each day and viola! You have an exciting way to grow easily renewable food source that tastes good and is good for you.

For more information on sprouting, check out the book “Sprouts the Miracle Food” by Steve Meyerwitz or “The Sprouting Book: How to grow and use sprouts to maximize your health and vitality” by Ann Wigmore.