Guest guest Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 Is this a repeat or am I experiencing deja vu? Deana > " Misty L. Trepke " <mistytrepke > > >[s-A] [soFlaVegan] Don't Forget the Sprouts! >Fri, 08 Aug 2003 13:41:32 -0000 > >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. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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