Don't Forget the Sprouts!

[Guest guest]

Comments?

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

DON'T FORGET THE SPROUTS!

by Steve Meyerowitz

 

http://www.sprouthouse.com/healthfidylnut.htm

 

The National Cancer institute and the National Institutes of Health

both recommend eating five fresh fruits and vegetables every day. A

great way to help reach that goal is to include sprouts.

 

Sprouts are the only form of agriculture that can be locally grown

and available in all four seasons. These " baby " vegetables are grown

from seed to salad in only week. That makes them great Y2K food. In

fact, one pound of alfalfa seed will yield 10-14 pounds of fresh

mini-salad greens. Whether you are on top of a mountain or in a

bunker with artificial light, you can still grow this fast, organic

food.

 

Nutrition

Yes, it is fast food, but you won't be sacrificing any nutrition.

Alfalfa sprouts have more chlorophyll than spinach, kale, cabbage or

parsley. Alfalfa, sunflower, clover and radish sprouts are all 4%

protein. Compare that to spinach (3%), Romaine lettuce (1.5%),

Iceberg lettuce (0.8%), and milk (3.3%). These foods all have about

90% water. And while meat and eggs are the traditional protein foods

for Americans, at 19% and 13% protein respectively (and lots of fat),

soybean sprouts have 28% protein, and lentil and pea sprouts have

26%. In fact, soybeans sprouts have twice the protein of eggs and

only 1/10 fat the fat.

 

Grain and nut sprouts, such as wheat and sunflower, are rich in fats.

While fats in flour and wheat germ have a reputation for going rancid

quickly (stores should refrigerate them), fats in sprouts last for

weeks. The valuable wheat germ oil in wheat sprouts is broken down

into its essential fatty acid fractions, over 50% of which is the

valuable Omega 6. While sunflower oil is our finest source of Omega

6, germination of the sunflower sprout micellizes the fatty acids

into an easily digestible, water soluble form saving our body the

trouble of breaking it down and simultaneously protecting us against

the perils of rancidity. This is a great bonus for a sprout that is

already popular for its crispness and nutty flavor.

 

Radish sprouts have 29 times more Vitamin C than milk (29 mg vs 1 mg)

and 4 times the Vitamin A (391 IU vs 126 IU). These spicy sprouts

have 10 times more calcium than a potato (51 mg vs 5 mg) and contain

more vitamin C than pineapple. If you examine fidyl what is happening

during germination, it looks like a vitamin factory. While mature

radishes contain 10 IU/100g of provitamin, the radish sprouts contain

391 IU – 39 times more! No wonder, sprout lovers say you can feel the

vitamins!

 

Phytochemical Factory

Alfalfa, radish, broccoli, clover and soybean contain concentrated

amounts of phytochemicals (plant compounds) that can protect us

against disease. Canavanine, an amino acid analog present in alfalfa,

demonstrates resistence to pancreatic, colon and leukemia cancers.

Plant estrogens in these sprouts function similarly to human estrogen

but without the side effects. They increase bone formation and

density and prevent bone breakdown (osteoporosis). They are helpful

in controlling hot flashes, menopause, PMS and fibrocystic breasts

tumors.

 

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researchers found in

broccoli sprouts substantial amounts of glucosinolates and

isothiocyanates, which are very potent inducers of phase 2 enzymes

that protect cells from going malignant. The sprouts contain 10-100

times higher levels of these enzymes than do the corresponding mature

plants.

 

Alfalfa sprouts are one of our finest food sources of saponins.

Saponins lower the bad cholesterol and fat but not the good HDL fats.

Animal studies prove their benefit in arteriosclerosis and

cardiovascular disease. Saponins also stimulate the immune system by

increasing the activity of natural killer cells such as T-

lymphocytes and interferon. The saponin content of alfalfa sprouts

multiplies 450% over that of the unsprouted seed. Sprouts also

contain an abundance of highly active antioxidants that prevent DNA

destruction and protect us fromthe ongoing effects of aging. It

wouldn't be inconceivable to find a fountain of youth here, after

all, sprouts represent the miracle of birth.

 

Are Alfalfa Sprouts Safe?

Recently, stories about alfalfa sprouts carrying salmonella bacteria

have made the news. Salmonella is bad news, but no food is immune to

it. All foods eaten raw carry that risk, and that includes fresh

fruit and vegetables. Should we go on a 100% cooked food diet?

 

Let us put things into perspective. According to the Center for

Disease Control (CDC), 4 million people contract salmonellosis from

foods every year and 93% of these cases are caused by meat, poultry,

milk and eggs. The remaining 7% of cases are from shellfish, fresh

fruits and vegetables. While fruits and veggies are safer than meat,

one outbreak from Mexican cantaloupes in 1989 caused 25,000 cases of

salmonella. Compare this to sprouts. In its entire 40 year history,

the U.S. sprout industry has had a total of about 2,000 cases.

 

The relatively tiny sprout industry has been naturally clean all

these years but because of increasing global commerce, they imported

contaminated seed from the Netherlands. Now, they are part of the

international problem of food safety. What are they doing about it?

Conscientious growers are testing grown sprouts for e-Coli and

salmonella before they are shipped. The FDA has recommended the

chlorination of sprouts, similar to the chlorination of our municipal

waters. This achieves a 99.8% reduction of salmonella and E. Coli

contamination. Put another way, if another occurrence of tainted seed

should occur, there would be only a 0.02% probability that any such

bacteria could survive. The problem is that unlike meat and poultry,

the tiny sprout industry is not regulated and not every sprout grower

is willing to chlorinate. Sprout growers want to keep sprouts raw and

organic. Alternative pasteurization methods such as heating the raw

seeds before sprouting or soaking them in acetic acid (vinegar),

among others, are currently being tested.

 

According to the National Weather Service, lightning strikes 1.29

people per million each year. The CDC claims that E. Coli

contamination from all foods annually afflicts 1.10 people per

million. Since your chances of getting hit by lightning are greater

than contracting e-Coli, it is a pretty good bet that the benefits of

eating these healthy young vegetables far outweigh the risks.

 

© 1999 BY STEVE MEYEROWITZ

 

BIO

Steve Meyerowitz, aka " Sproutman, " is one of the best known

spokespersons for sprouts. He is the author of several books on

health and diet including Sproutman's Kitchen Garden Cookbook,

Sprouts The Miracle Food, Juice Fasting and Detoxification, Food

Combining and Digestion, and Wheatgrass: Nature's Finest Medicine.

Steve is the inventor of The Sprout House Kitchen Garden tabletop

greenhouse, an indoor salad growing kit, and the Sprout Bag. He was

the founder of the Sprout House, Inc. Email him at spr-@S... or write

to Sproutman®, PO Box 1100, Great Barrington, MA 01230. Fee-based

consultations are available. Call 413-528-5200 or fax 413-528-5201.

 

This article is presented courtesy of The Sprout House®, a leading

supplier of organic sprouting seeds and growing kits designed by

Sproutman® Steve Meyerowitz.

This article is presented for informational purposes and is not

intended to provide medical advice.