Sprouty Special

Today, a special about sprouty vegetables. What are they; what is good about them and what can you do with them? Well, one thing's for sure: they are healthy, otherwise we would not write about them!
But that's not all; sprouty vegetables are nice, easy and fascinating and you can use them in many different dishes. All the more reason for us to dive a little deeper into the sprouts!

I bet you all did it once: take some cotton wool, sprinkle some water on it, put garden cress seeds in it.... or put them directly into the plant pot soil and keep in a nice, warm place. Nature will do the rest. Nice to "harvest" your own garden cress!

There are many different kinds of sprouts, like bean sprouts, alfalfa, garden cress, beetroot sprouts, broccoli sprouts, red cabbage sprouts, leek sprouts, asparagus sprouts, and bean and grain sprouts.

Sprout seeds mainly consist of carbohydrates, fat, protein and water.

Some kinds have a very dominant taste (like the leek, and the beetroot, and the garden cress), while others are very mild, like alfalfa.

Although there's a lot of propaganda at the moment for eating sufficient fruit and vegetables, there still are quite a few people who hardly eat it or who do not eat enough of them. Well... if their excuse is: "no time for cooking"... we have to disappoint them: sprouted veggies are the ultimate superfood for people with lack of time, because you can eat them raw, and some sprouts can be stir fried. Done in no time.

You can vary endlessly with the large range of sprouts. Just try some on a sandwich, roll or in a salad en see which you like best. We will give you some recipes for easy-to-make dishes with sprouty vegetables soon on this site.

For school children, teenagers and students, sprouts are fabulous: you can turn the standard contents of your lunchbox into a wonderful taste sensation with beautiful colours. Oh, and - by the way - full of vitamins and minerals to keep you going! Take a roll - multigrain or wholemeal, of course - with healthy and low-fat cheese or spread, and garnish it with a touch of alfalfa, some very thinly sliced carrots, some lettuce... almost too beautiful to eat! And, while you're munching away, you'll get your daily dose of veggies.. or at least part of the daily dose. Raw vegetables are very healthy; when boiled, some loss of vitamins cannot be avoided.

You don't have that problem when you eat the veggies raw. Raw veggies are rich in fibre, vitamins (like A and C) and minerals (like calcium), and helps keep the metabolism in a good condition and supports the digestive system (partly because of the enzymes). A salad with raw vegetables and sprouts, eaten before the hot meal, is a super start of your dinner. A salad is also a great lunch dish.

Sprouted vegetables are the very young shoots of the relevant plants. They are best to be eaten in the most vital stage of the plant's growing process. Sprouts are very easy to digest. And another pleasant fact: sprouted vegetables hardly contain any calories!

They are rich in antioxidants (like Suphoraphane Glucosinate) that help to eliminate or neutralise the so-called free radicals (the "bad guys" that can cause serious illnesses like cancer).

The sprouts are being grown without additives or chemicals; the only things that are added are warmth and water! Oh, and love and care, of course!

So: go healthy...Keep in Health... and start your sprouty experiments. Keep visiting this site; soon we'll have some sprouty recipes for you!

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 | Posted in: Nourishment | Posted by: Georgette Henson

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