How to Grow a Superfood at Home, Sprouts of seeds, grains, and legumes are a storehouse of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and antioxidants. A real find for lovers of healthy eating. Since there are fewer fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits in the fall and winter, sprouts are a great solution to have a concentrated portion of vitamins, a healthy snack, and a new ingredient for your dishes all year round. In this article on How to Green, we will tell you why sprouts are so good and how easy and simple it is to grow them at home.
What are the benefits of sprouts?
Sprouts are considered one of the most valuable products both in terms of the content of useful substances and the ease and speed of their absorption. Due to their increased biological value, they fill the body with health and energy, which is especially important in urban conditions.
In dry, unprocessed seeds, all the valuable substances are “preserved”. During the germination process, a magical transformation occurs with the grain: enzymes contained in the germ are activated, breaking down complex nutrients into simpler ones. As a result, the sprouts become partially “digested” food and are therefore easier to digest.
By eating sprouts, we get the most essential elements for nutrition and also save a lot of energy for digesting food. In addition, during germination, the content of vitamins, microelements, and antioxidants in seeds increases several times.
The benefits of eating sprouted grains are enormous. They include strengthening the immune system, cleansing from toxins, slowing down the aging process, preventing colds and inflammation, improving metabolism, increasing efficiency, and even having an anti-cancer effect.
What to germinate?
Ready-made sprouts have appeared on the shelves of many health food stores, but the process of growing them at home is not at all complicated and has a number of advantages. Firstly, it is much cheaper. Secondly, by buying organic seeds, legumes, and grains yourself, you can be 100% sure of the quality of the sprouts. Finally, you will always have this super-healthy ingredient for salads, soups, smoothies, and other dishes on hand. Let’s not forget that food grown with your own hands with warmth and love has additional value.
Various grains, legumes, and nuts are suitable for germination: alfalfa (alpha-alpha), wheat, rye, barley, spelled, emmer, mung beans, beans, chickpeas, lentils, oats, peas, green buckwheat, sunflower seeds, flax, sesame and pumpkin seeds and others.
Sprouts of different types of seeds differ from each other in their special properties and benefits. Thus, sprouted flax and pumpkin seeds are an antiparasitic agent, bean sprouts are rich in protein, and alfalfa and amaranth seeds strengthen the cardiovascular system.
It is better to buy grains for sprouting in trusted stores, pharmacies, or farm shops. If possible, choose organic crops and special grains for sprouting – you will get the maximum health benefits from them. The grains should be whole, without spots, or fungal formations, not rotten, and not overdried. In online stores, you will find a large selection of seeds for sprouting, including such exotic species as arugula, mustard, and amaranth seeds.
How to germinate?
The most convenient are special portable sprouters, which reduce your work to a minimum. However, a glass jar with a volume of 0.5 to 2 liters will do. The principle of sprouting all seeds is the same, only the time after which they sprout differs.
First, take 1-2 tablespoons of seeds or grains and wash them. Place the seeds in a jar and fill with drinking water at room temperature so that there is 2-3 times more water. It is more convenient to do this in the evening since the average soaking time is from 8 to 12 hours. Cover the jar with gauze in several layers and secure it with a rubber band.
The next morning, drain the water in which the seeds were soaked through cheesecloth and rinse the seeds with water again. After soaking, the seed “awakens” and growth processes begin. Rinse the grains at least twice a day. After rinsing, turn the jar over and place it at an angle of about 45 degrees so that excess water drains, but there is space for air to enter and a greenhouse effect is created in the jar. Regular rinsing ensures optimal seed moisture and removes harmful microorganisms, fungal formations, pesticide residues, etc. Finally, inhibitor substances “leave” into the water, blocking the germination of seeds in a dormant state.
Another way to germinate seeds is by using a plate. After soaking, place the washed grains on a plate and cover them with gauze. Rinse the grains through a sieve or colander at least twice a day, and then spray the gauze from time to time with a spray bottle. The seeds should be damp, but not too wet, as this will cause mold.
On average, seeds take one to five days to germinate, depending on the crop.
When to eat?
It is advisable to consume sprouts of grains (wheat, rye, oats) when their size does not exceed 2-5 millimeters. In overgrown grains, most of the useful substances go into the sprouts, and then the grain itself does not represent a special energy value for the body.
Legumes can be eaten both with small, newly hatched sprouts and those that have reached 3–5 centimeters.
Small seeds (alfalfa, broccoli, chia, arugula, mustard) are sprouted until microgreens appear – sprouts 2–6 centimeters long.
How to use it?
Before use, be sure to rinse the sprouts with water. To ensure that the beneficial properties of the seeds do not decrease, eat them fresh, without heat treatment. Sprouts significantly increase the nutritional value of any dish. Add them to salads, soups, main courses, smoothies, sandwiches, and porridge. One of the easiest ways is to grind them in a blender along with fruits, vegetables and greens.
Sprouts differ from each other in their different tastes. Thus, radish sprouts are spicy, alfalfa is quite neutral, and sprouted sunflower seeds are juicy, fleshy, and very filling.
Wheatgrass is a grass that can be grown from wheat sprouts and is rich in chlorophyll, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. It produces a very healthy freshly squeezed juice, which is one of the most popular superfoods in the world.
Do not consume sprouts with milk or dairy products! This may cause bloating and increased gas formation.
Ready sprouts are stored in the refrigerator on average from two to five days. Store them in a container, without tightly closing the lid. It is advisable to rinse them daily with clean water.
By eating sprouts, we get a real living organism as food, containing the maximum amount of necessary vitamins and antioxidants that can protect us from diseases, heal, and prolong our youth and beauty. We hope that now this healthy product will take a permanent place in your daily diet.
