Fall Sprouting Series - Part 1

I believe that sprouts are so important to a healthy lifestyle that I'm going to devote four weeks of news articles to talking about 1) Why we should eat them, 2) Why we should grow them ourselves, 3) What we can sprout, and, drum roll, 4) How to sprout!  So, here's Part 1 of the Fall Sprouting Series - Why Sprouts?

If eating raw foods has you wondering if you can afford it - wait till you hear how inexpensive and simple it is to grow abundant amounts of your own food, indoors, all year around... for pennies a pound!  Growing your own sprouts is one way to get nutritious, and inexpensive, fresh, organic foods year 'round.  Why sprouts?  Read on...

There are so many reasons to eat fresh sprouts that I can't even begin to count them all.  Sprouts are always a delicious, fresh, colorful, organic and healthy addition to any food - whether you are eating a salad, sandwich or a super gourmet meal. Sprouts are a perfect match! They contain essential vitamins, minerals, proteins, and enzymes - all necessary and vital for the body to function optimally. In addition to providing the greatest amount of these nutrients, sprouts deliver them in a form that is easily digested and assimilated. In fact, they actually improve the efficiency of digestion. Sprouts supply the highest amount of vitamins, minerals and enzymes of any food per unit of calorie! Sprouts nourish and strengthen the whole body, including the vital immune system.  Sprouts are so inexpensive (even when organic) they are always fresh (they grow until you chew them) and I also believe that they  have the potential to help solve hunger and malnutrition problems in our communities and in developing countries. Because sprouts are so rich in nutrients, affordable, and easy to transport as seeds prior to sprouting, world hunger could truly be a thing of the past. Sprouts are always abundant, especially important in the winter when the quality of fresh fruits and vegetables are declining and their prices are increasing.
 
A lot of us depend on fresh produce that is transported across half a continent. True, we may garden in the summer or shop our local farmer's markets, but winter stops all but the most dedicated, or most southern, gardeners and small farms. By sprouting at home, we can supply delicious, healthy, fresh food to ourselves and our families - without the environmental drawbacks of large corporation farm raised produce - at a fraction of the cost.
 
Sprouting at home takes only a few minutes a day and can produce a good part of your daily nutritional requirements.  Because they're grown right in your kitchen counter/garden, they have not been in cold storage, or on supermarket shelves, losing valuable nutrients. If you can supply a glass jar, some screen or netting (hosiery, stockings or cheesecloth works well too), rinse the sprouts twice a day, you can grow delicious organic sprouts in 4 to 6 days.
 
As you become accustomed to eating sprouts, you'll eat more sprouts! Many people find that as they increase sprouts in their diet, they eat fewer unhealthy foods. Since the body is receiving a healthy dose of nutrients, the brain lessens the body's craving for excessive (and unhealthy) eating. Sprouts generally are associated with healthy weight loss.  Try sprouting a variety of seeds and harvest them at different stages to determine which you and your family members like best. You'll discover delightful ways to incorporate them into your meals. There are dozens of amazingly tasty sproutable seeds with different flavors, shapes, and textures.  The opportunities to add them to salads, sandwiches and other delectable raw dishes become endless.
 
Sprouting takes barely any time at all to do - if you can squeeze a five minute daily commitment to sprouting into your busy lifestyle, you will always have a fresh supply of organic produce at hand.

Be sure to check Splendor In The Raw's NEWS tab next Thursday, when I'll present Part 2 of our Fall Sprouting Series - Why We Should Grow Sprouts Ourselves!  Bye for now!