Sprouts - Food for Rejuvenation of Body and Mind

Sprouts are one of the best food which is available to us. It is easy to grow, inexpensive and to top that is excellent for overall health. It is always consumed fresh therefore has all the useful enzymes, proteins which our body needs. It does not contain the harmful fat, and since it is easy to digest, not much energy is consumed in the digestion process, therefore the mind remains alert. What else would you expect from food?

How to grow Sprouts
Sprouts are easy to grow. Just take beans or lentils or seeds which you want to use and soak them in a bowl for 8 to 10 hours. Then take out the water and wash the seeds and drain the water. Keep these in a dark place for faster germination. After 5-6 hours again rinse them with water and drain out the water again. Each type of seed has its own germination time. Usually sprouting will start in 24 hrs.

Another way is to use a fine cloth. After the soaking, put the seeds in the fine cloth and hand the cloth in the kitchen. Keep on applying water the the cloth bag after 5-6 hrs.

I also use a food grade plastic sprout maker. After the soaking just seeds on the top container and fill it with water. There is a outlet which slowly drains out the water and here also the sprouting happens easily. Best part of using a sprout maker is they are easier to handle and convenient. Once you pour the top part with water you do not need to worry about applying the moisture as container will retain the moisture. You can also buy sprout makers which have multiple shelves, therefore you can have different seeds in different shelves.

Sprouts are Nutritious
Sprouts have the highest amount of nutritional value per ounce. They are abundant in various enzymes, Vitamin C, Vitamin B, digestible starch. Sprouts also have amino acids and proteins and best part is all these are available in a easily digestible form. Most of the bodily needs of different compounds are easily met with sprouts.

Save Time
Sprouts are the favorites of raw food enthusiasts. There are increasing number of people who are turning into raw food fans. Sprouts are one of the favorite food as it contains more nutrition than any one single vegetable. Just imagine the time and cooking energy it will save if most people turned towards raw foods. In case you do not like to have it raw just boil it with little salt and eat with some pepper.

Loose Weight
Since it does not contain harmful fat and in case we eat it raw, then we do not use the cooking oil, it leads to healthy weight loss. Also it relieves constipation as there is lot of natural fiber in it. Usually you will have to chew the sprouts more as compared to cooked food therefore the eating satisfaction will come earlier there by preventing you from overeating.

How to start eating Sprouts
In case you cannot see yourself eating sprouts for the meal, then make it as the starter, or breakfast. Gradually you will start liking the taste and when you see the benefits you will automatically be drawn towards this. There are lots of seeds to choose from for sprouts. My suggestion is to start with the seed which you use more in day to day life. For example you can go for Moong (Chinese pea) or any other lentils. Then try to experiment with other seeds. For me such type experiment is always fun and you never know when you will come across a food which was genuinely missing from your gastronomic life.

From Yogic point of view also it is a good food and it prevents lethargy and overeating. Include a healthy proportion of sprouts and see the results.