The Power of Sprouts!
Sprouts are called as “super foods” as they are packed with various nutrients. They are wholesome food. Many whole grains can be sprouted and thus their nutritional value can be improved. Here are some nutritional details about sprouts and why we should incorporate them in our daily diet.
1. Sprouted pulses/beans/legumes have higher levels of antioxidants such as vitamin A, vitamin C, phenolic compounds, carotenoids etc. than the whole beans. Antioxidants are nutrients that can delay oxidative damage to your body tissues. Antioxidants can help prevent cancer and have no. of other health benefits such as prevention of heart disease and stroke. Thus sprouts are an important part of your diet.
2. Also, they have higher levels of B vitamins. B vitamins are essential for a no. of processes, functions to take place in the body. Also are responsible for generation of energy from the food we eat and various other metabolic reactions.
3. Experts are of the opinion that when these whole grains sprout, are reduce the amount of toxins in them to a minimum or negligible levels.
4. The sprouting process converts starch to simple sugars, proteins to simpler amino acids thus making sprouts easily digestible. Hence they are a good option for those who have indigestion related issues and to avoid challenging your digestive system.
Sprouting whole grains lessens the starch they hold and increases their nutritional value. Higher levels of the enzyme amylase make sprouted grains helpful for digesting carbohydrates into sugars. [University of California, Davis]
5. Also, experts beleive that sprouting helps in better availability of proteins as compared to the un-sprouted seeds. They are a good source of proteins. And we all know that proteins are building blocks of our bodies!
6. Steam your sprouts and this will be a great snack option for older people, again, easy to digest source of protein.
7. The fiber content of sprouts is higher than the whole grains. This helps in regulating bowel movement and digestion process. This may help in weight loss or maintaining weight by keeping stomach full for a longer time and thus help avoid overeating. In addition, to this fiber helps in managing blood cholesterol levels.
Soluble fiber has shown
8. Along with beans and pulses, various cereals, seeds also can be sprouted.
It is established that the germination of green gram and soy-bean is a good technology for producing a functional foods with a higher antioxidant capacity. [Fernandez — Orozco et al. (2008)]
References:-
http://sproutpeople.org/sprouts/nutrition/science.html#advantages
http://www.acta.sapientia.ro/acta-alim/C3/alim3-5.pdf
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-reasons-to-eat-sprouts.html#ixzz2S6tjlITT
