Sprouts:Storehouse of nutrients.

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Sprouts:Storehouse of nutrientsTuesday November 7 2006 17:40 IST Dr Sunny Chunkapura http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE320061107071915 & Title=Features+%2D+Health+%26+Science & rLink=168 Sprouted grams and seeds are without equals anywhere as storehouses of nourishment. They are an excellent source of protein, miner als, complex carbohydrates,

vitamins and small quantities of essential fatty acids. If you eat sprouts, you don’t have to take any supplementary tonics, vitamins, proteins, minerals etc. Research shows that sprouts when fresh are a veritable vitamin factory. One cup of soyabean sprouts contains an equal amount of vitamin C as six glasses of orange juice containing 100 gms. Sprouted wheat has a greater nutritive value than white bread made from a kilogram of wheat. The same is true of all kinds of corns and pulses. Ironically, rich people who can afford expensive tonics eat so well that they do not need them. And the poor who need nutritious food cannot afford them. Yet they are the ones who waste money on these tonics. Nature’s designNature has designed seeds for propagation and has embodied a tiny germ of a particular plant inside every seed. The germ, as it erupts, in its earlier stage of growth cannot obtain its nutrition from the soil till its roots are well

developed. It also does not manufacture food substances from carbon dioxide of the air and energy of sunlight (photosynthesis) till the green substance (chlorophyll) appears in the leaves. During this period, the tiny plant has to depend upon the food material stored in the seed. This preformed food packed in the seed contains all the necessary ingredients which are required by the actively growing plant, the same way as the mother’s milk contain all that the infant needs. You can sprout just about anything -wheat, bajra, jowar, ragi, bengal gram, moong, horsegram, peas, soyabeans and so on. The time for sprouting for each of these types of grain varies from one to three days.Sprouting processThe process of sprouting starts with the development of enzymes inside the seed with the onset of germination. The enzymes help in breaking down protein into amino acids, carbohydrates and into simple sugars and fatty materials into their elemental

forms. The mucus-inducing properties of most of the legumes are eliminated. The vitamin content of a sprouted seed increases tremendously, being an excellent source of A, B complex, C, D, E and K vitamins and health-giving minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and iron, all in natural form, which can be easily assimilated by the body. Sprouting dramatically increases the Vitamin C content of the food. The Vitamin E content of sprouted wheat increases 300 per cent in four days, and the Vitamin C by 600 per cent. There is more carotene in sprouted wheat than in a carrot. Sprouted ragi is an excellent ingredient of home-made baby foods. Sprouts developed in the light also show increase in Vitamin K, which is essential for clotting of the blood and for the normal functioning of the liver. One other advantage is that their skin provides additional roughage. This stimulates better peristaltic activity of the intestines and thus, prevents constipation

and development of some serious diseases of the large bowel (polyposis and cancer in elderly people).Methods of sproutingWash the grains well and put them in a container (other than those made of soluble toxic metals like aluminium, copper or iron). You can use glass jars, unglazed flower pots, towels and stainless steel containers. Cover the top with muslin or nylon mesh. Tie it with a rubber band or a string. You can also cover it with a lid. Soak for the required time. Rinse after soaking and then drain out water. Keep it in a dark warm spot. Rinse twice daily. How to use Use the sprouted seeds in bread and casseroles, salads, and sandwiches. Eat the sprouts raw as snacks. Wheat grass and alfalfa can be taken as juice. Sprouts lie fenugreek and sun flower greens can be made into juice and mixed in carrot or celery juice. After all, they (the pro-vaccine lobbyists) say to themselves, you can't make an omelette withoutbreaking eggs. But the eggs being broken are small, helpless, and innocent babies, while the omelette is being enjoyed by the pediatricians and vaccine manufacturers. - Harris L. Coulter, PhD

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