Sprouted

I've dabbled with sprouting for years, buying triple decker sprouting gadgets that were useless and would make the sprouts go off, making my interest quickly wane.

However, I'm back on it and I feel like it's here to stay because it's SO easy and it's SO good for you to do and just adds a whole heap of new nutrients to your dish and gets rid of some of the unwanted compounds too, so what's not to love.

How to....

You can use any jar but by far the easiest ones to get are the kilner jars that have the removable inside part of the lid. Why? Well you replace the inside with some mesh and then you can screw the lid back on. This enables you to rinse and drain your sprouts with ease and believe me, you want it to be as easy as poss as you're going to be rinsing those babies several times (or even twice will do) a day until they are good to go. Simply fill the jar to about the third with a seed or a bean of choice, top with plenty of water and leave for 24 hours. Then continue to rinse and drain 2-3 x a day for the next few days until the little sprouts come to life. You can then store in the fridge. Enjoy raw (most benefit) or cook as you normally would.

Why bother sprouting?

This simple process makes the food more nutritious and easier to digest. Sprouts are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that help your body absorb nutrients better. Sprouting also reduces things like phytic acid, which can block the absorption of minerals. Sprouting also reduces the carbohydrate content because the seed uses them for energy to grow.! It increases protein proportionally because as the carbs decrease, the protein makes up a larger share. Sprouting also improves protein quality by boosting amino acids and makes nutrients easier to absorb so here's a really simple thing that even the busiest of us can slip into our lives (I reckon).

My recommended easy ones to try are lentils (little belugas in the picture- they came out within two days), buckwheat (literally delicious), mung beans (super easy), brown rice (you have to be on it though as bacteria can form quite easily) and of course alfalfa (yummy) and broccoli seeds (SO good for you!!).

Good luck.