Sprouts for Optimum Nutrition
Sprouts are considered as wonder foods. They rank as the freshest and most nutritious of all vegetables available to the human diet. By a process of natural transmutation, sprouted food acquires vastly improved digestibility and nutritional qualities when compared to non-sprouted embryo from which it derives.
Sprouted foods have been part of the diet of many ancient races for thousands of years. Even to this day, the Chinese retain their fame for delicious mung beansprouts`. Sprouts provide all the essential vitamins and minerals. They should form a vital component of our diet. Sprouting requires no constant care but only an occasional sprinkling of water.
All edible grains, seeds and legumes can be sprouted. Generally the following are used for sprouting :
i. Grains : Wheat, maize, ragi, bajra and barley.
ii. Seeds : Alfalfa seeds, radish seeds, fenugreek seeds, carrot seeds, coriander seeds,
pumpkin seeds and muskmelon seeds.
iii. Legumes : Mung, Bengal gram, groundnut and peas.
Alfalfa, as the name in Arabic signifies, is the king of all sprouts.
Grown as a plant, its roots are known to burrow as much as 12 meters into the subsoil to bring up valuable trace minerals of which manganese is especially important to health and digestion ; it is a vital component of human insulin. Apart from minerals, alfalfa is also a rich source of vitamins A,B,C,E and K and amino acids. Sesame seeds are another good source of nourishment. They contain all the essential amino acids in their 20 per cent protein content and higher concentration of calcium than does milk. They are high in letichin, unsaturated fats, vitamin E and vitamin B complex, besides other live nutrients.
