10 Essential Health Benefits of Eating Sprouts

LISTING BENEFITS OF EATING SPROUTS 

Introduction 

Sprouting is a germination process, which takes place inside grains, seeds, or legumes. Some people love to bit them raw while others prefer to cook these before eating. 

Some famous sprouts used worldwide in various cuisines are, Alfa-Alfa, Broccoli, and Radish but, as Indians, we relatively indulge in growing sprouts like moong and black chickpea on regular basis. 

No matter where you come from, sprouting has health benefits for all. New sprouting roots are usually white in color, super fresh, crispy, and packed with micro-nutrients and enzymes which help you fight, Cancer, Aging and Type-2 Diabetes. 

Let’s just dive in straight into some detailed Fun Facts about Sprouts, so that you start eating them more often. 

Types of Sprouts 

Different types of sprouts can have different tastes and textures. Some might be very delicate in taste like Alfa-Alfa sprouts while some other sprouts like, Mung and Chickpea are more hard in texture. 
BENEFITS OF EATING SPROUTS
List of commonly used sprouts that are available worldwide: 
  • Legumes Sprouts – Such as Moong Dal (Mung Bean), Black Chickpeas, Kabuli Chana (White Chickpea), Green Peas, Snow Peas, Lobiya (Cow Peas), Kulthi (Horse Gram), Soy Bean, etc. 
  • Leafy & Vegetable Sprouts – Broccoli, Amaranth, Radish, Beetroot, Mustard, Clover, Cress, etc. 
  • Seeds Sprouts – Onion Seeds, Alfa- Alfa Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Fenugreek Seeds, Sesame Seeds, etc. 
  • Grains Sprouts – Wheat Oats, Quinoa, Buckwheat, Barley, Brown Rice, etc. 

5 Sprouts You Must Grow 

I’m sharing 5 High-Quality Sprouts, all five of these are super easy to grow and one must start consuming them for added health benefits: 
 
1. Mung Beans Sprouts Sprouted mung beans have added benefits to them like few calories, high in proteins (essential amino acids), fibers, and antioxidants. 
BENEFITS OF EATING SPROUTS
Mung beans are an excellent source of plant-based essential amino acids like Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, and Valine.
 
2. Fenugreek Seeds Sprouts – In Ayurveda, fenugreek seeds or methi daana have been claimed to acquire various medicinal properties.
BENEFITS OF EATING SPROUTS
Weight loss, black hair, and improved digestion are some associated health benefits of its consumption. 
 
These might be quite pungent and strong in flavor therefore very less amount is ideal for consumption.
 
3. Sprouted Wheat Grass – Wheat grass sprout juice is getting quite popular in powder forms these days, for its ultimate detox properties. We would rather recommend you to grow these from scratch because these are very low maintenance and there won’t be any chances of adulteration. 
 
BENEFITS OF EATING SPROUTS
It has consisted of multiple essential digestive enzymes, Iron, and Vitamins like A and K. 
 
Its regular consumption stimulates thyroid glands, reduces blood sugar levels, aids in weight loss, and helps to get rid of toxins from the liver. This is mostly consumed as detox juice or detox shots. 
 
4. Broccoli Sprouts – Not very popular in India yet, but anyways they are a must to grab on. Broccoli sprouts or micro-greens aids in healthy aging. 
 
High sulforaphane found in sprouting broccoli helps to fight ulcers and tumors. 
 
BENEFITS OF EATING SPROUTS
This is also known as a Cruciferous Plant, which is packed with other nutrients and phytonutrients like, Vitamin A, C, Iron, Beta Carotene, and Calcium. 
 
5. Alfa- Alfa Sprouts – Also known as ‘King of all Sprouts’.Alfa-alfa is a native sprout to many Asian countries. 
 
It has the highest amount of Vitamins like A, B, C, and K from any other sprouts available. 
 
BENEFITS OF EATING SPROUTS
Per 100 grams of these sprouts consist of 0.96 mg of iron whereas milk consists of only 0.02 mg iron for the same quantity. 
 
Due to their tiny size and very delicate texture, they are considered as best soup and sandwich toppers.

Info-graphics 1: More than 15 nutrients are present inside sprouts.

BENEFITS OF EATING SPROUTS

10 Fun Fats About Sprouts 

Fact No. 1- Eyes are the most vulnerable senses to free radical damage. Free radicals in the eyes can affect your vision slowly by damaging blood vessels present inside your eyes, some major problems are losing sight at an early age and Vision Impairment.
Sprouts contain antioxidants like Carotene-β (beta-carotene), Vitamin A & C, which fights against oxidization stress caused due to free radical compounds and aids proper blood circulation inside the eyes for better functioning. 

Best sprouts for eyesight- Alfa-Alfa Sprouts, Mung Beans Sprouts, and Black Chickpeas. 
Fact No. 2 – Irregular bowel movement or unnecessary strain in clearing stools from your gut can be a sign of Constipation. 
A few common causes for constipation are Dehydration and not producing enough Roughage. 
 
Roughage is produced when you give more emphasis to whole raw fruits, vegetables, grains, and sprouts. 

Best sprouts for gut health – Raw Broccoli Sprouts and Brussels Sprouts. 
Fact No. 3 – When blood sugar levels are out of one’s control then, there must be chances that you must be suffering from Type-2 Diabetes. 
 
In such cases production of Insulin hormone within our body is not responded to well by any other cells in the body, making us Insulin Resistant. 
 
 
The best solution to this is to start in-cooperating regular exercise and healthy sources of fiber in your diet just like, sprouts. 

Best sprouts for Diabetics – Sprouted Brown Rice, Wheatgrass and Fenugreek Sprouts.
Fact No. 4 – The main source of increased Cholesterol levels is, high amount of Low-Density Lipoprotein or LDL present within arteries. 
The high amount of antioxidants and Omega 3 contents helps to boost your HDL ( a.k.a – good cholesterol), which further fights LDL (a.k.a – bad cholesterol) and reduces the risk of Cardiovascular Disease.
There are a few sprouts, which are also rich in essential fatty acids such as, Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
 
Omega 3 will not only keep your heart strong but also reduces skin inflammation effects.
 
Best sprouts for Heart Health – Brussels Sprouts. 
Fact No. 5 –Different vitamins work in many different ways to heal your body. 

Vitamin A, E & K present in sprouted roots, promotes natural Hair Growth and nutrients like Zinc on the contrary produces natural oils within your scalp (sebum) and keeps it hydrated and nourished. 
Best sprouts for Hair Health – Fenugreek Sprouts and Brussels Sprouts.

Fact No. 6 – As we all start to age, the quality of our skin and immunity also start to diminish. Issues like dark spots and lifeless skin can be due to increased free radical damage within skin tissues. 

Silica present in raw sprouts, works as a healing & rejuvenating tonic to your skin damage, and helps in Building Collagen naturally.
Most of the legume sprouts are rich in Vitamin C and Silica hence, consuming sprouted roots on regular basis will help you boosts your immunity as well as create the right balance among other minerals like calcium and magnesium within the body. 

Best sprouts for Skin Health – Mung Bean Sprouts and Alfa-Alfa Sprouts. 

Fact No. 7 – According to Ayurveda and modern food science, the Ash diet or Alkaline diet has been proven the best, to flush out toxins and heal your body inside out from any disease, even cancer. 

Eating only junk and processed foods on daily basis can cause cancer due to its alarming pH levels. So, try eating sprout salads raw more often for improved pH levels and minimum acidity levels. 
Simply eating raw roots like, sprouts, leafy vegetables, legumes, and fruits can help you create Balanced pH Levels within the body, making it more alkaline. 

Best sprouts for balanced pH levels – Any Raw Sprouts. 

Fact No. 8 – If you face issues like dry hairs and brittle nails then, do give emphasis on Vitamin B for Improved Hair and Nails health start eating, sprouts salads more often this may help you gain strong nails, and hairs. 
 
Various sprouted roots contain, Vitamin B-complex that is, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, and Biotin. 
 
Vitamin B-complex directly impacts your overall health like better brain functioning, good folate levels, improved cell metabolism, fetus development, strong nails, and hairs.

Best sprouts for Vitamin B Complex – Mung Beans, Soybean Sprouts, and Brussels Sprouts. 

Fact No. 9 – For all the vegetarians and vegans out there, it gets really difficult to achieve higher muscle mass due to restrictions on animal-based protein sources. 
Sprouting is a process, which increases the quality and quantity of essential amino acids (Proteins) in grains, vegetables, and legumes. 
 
This makes sprouts the best plant-based source for high-quality protein, this will help you Gain Muscle Hypertrophy even as a vegetarian. 

(Click to read – How to gain Muscle Hypertrophy?)

For example, 1 cup of cooked black chickpeas will only have 4-5 grams of protein, while the same amount of sprouted raw black chickpeas will give you somewhere around 8-9 grams of protein and added a higher amount of iron, calcium, fiber, minerals as well as antioxidants. 

Best sprouts for Muscle Mass – Any Raw Lentil Sprouts.

Fact No. 10 – Due to a negligible amount of calories and multiple health benefits, one must include these at least twice or thrice every week in their upcoming Weight Loss journey. 

High quality, Proteins, and Fibers will keep you full for longer and help you crave less processed foods. 
The best way to use sprouts in weight loss is by using them as a natural Hunger Suppressant prior to any meal. 
 
This will send a message to your brain while eating that you are already full making you stop overeating any further.

You can also use sprouts as a Full Meal Replacement (but it might not work for everyone, especially for beginners). 
BONUS FACT- EATING SPROUTS CAN BE RISKY!
 
Sprouts are always risky to eat raw because warm humid room temperature in summers mostly promotes the growth of pathogens and bacteria in them. So, don’t eat them directly. 

Store them in the refrigerator for at least 1 day prior to your eating or boil them very slightly, this will lower the risk of Food Poisoning. 

How to make sprouts at home? 

Info-graphics 2: 10 Healthy fun facts about eating sprouts.

BENEFITS OF EATING SPROUTS

Ways to Eats & Recipes

Ways to eat – 
 
You can eat them raw or cooked, some best ways to add sprouts regularly in your diet are: 
  1. Toss in Salads 
  2. Stuff inside Sandwiches 
  3. Stir Fry with Vegetables 
  4. Make Savory Pancakes, Creps, or Muffins. (for this use paste of legumes sprouts) 
Recipes
 
Click to read this recipe- High Protein Sprout Salad Recipe

The Bottom Line 

Sprouts are the ‘Powerhouse of Nutrition’, eating one bowl of either raw or cooked sprouts once or twice every week can provide us with multiple nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (antioxidants and enzymes present inside plants).

Sprout might reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, but they still have food poisoning risks associated with it. 

I hope after reading this, you must have gained little more knowledge about sprouting and all of you’ll share these health benefits with your loved ones, now.
 

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Nidhi Thakur

Nidhi Thakur

Fitness Blogger

This blog will enlighten you to the reality of healthy lifestyle full of food, consistent training routines and regular fitness challenges without any crash diets or fake unfulfilling promises.

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