7 Reasons Sprouts Are Good For You

7 Reasons to Eat Sprouts Right Now

By Katrine van Wyk

Nature provides us with exactly the foods and nutrients we need when we need them. And springtime is all about sprouts.

These cute little curly plant foods are packed with flavor, minerals, vitamins and life force - high in nutrients and low in calories. Sprouts can grow from grains, nuts, legumes and beans. You can eat them raw in salads, wraps or sandwiches, sprinkled on top of soups and stews, or cooked in stir-fries. Wheat Berry sprouts taste nutty and are great mixed with dried fruit for a yummy snack. Sprouted buckwheat makes for an awesome raw granola alternative. Try it with some nut milk or coconut yogurt.

1. CANCER FIGHTING 

Broccoli sprouts contain the cancer fighting phytochemical sulforaphane. John Hopkins research team concluded that broccoli sprouts promoted much more cancer protection and antioxidant activity via sulforaphane than broccoli alone!

2. CLEANSING

In Ayurvedic traditions, eating with the seasons is key and in spring the sprouts and greens are known fertilize the good bacteria in out colon helping us eliminate toxins. It's not called spring cleaning for nothing!

3. FAT BURNING 

Sprouts are fat emulsifying! Spring is the season where our bodies are letting go of toxic fat stores from the colder winter months. Let your diet stay seasonal and alkaline and the body will enter into a naturally occurring fat burning detoxification process.

4. DIGESTIVE AIDS

Sprouts contain large amounts of enzymes that aids digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Fenugreek sprouts are especially know for being a great digestive aid. In general sprouting breaks down the seed making it a lot easier for your body to digest and assimilate than if we ate the raw seed or grain.

5. PLANT PROTEIN POWERHOUSE 

Alfalfa sprouts (maybe the most common one we see) have as much beta-carotene as carrots and are very high in protein. Pea Sprouts contain all the essential amino acids making it a complete protein.

6. SIGHT

Mung bean sprouts support healthy vision!

7. BETTER NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY

Sprouts’ nutrients are believed to be more available to us because of the chemical reaction that takes place when a seed germinates. It’s believed to make it easier for our bodies to absorb vitamins including iron, zinc, and vitamin C.