Sprouts, Microgreens and Baby Greens: Why do you want them in your diet?

When growing vegetables from seeds, the shoots and greens that first start appearing are known as sprouts and micro-greens. These sprouts and micro-greens provide higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other health-promoting phyto-nutrients than the mature, fully ripened vegetables.  In addition, these young greens are ready to harvest sooner. Typically, sprouts are harvested within days while microgreens are normally ready after two to three weeks, when they’ve reached a height of about 2 inches. If microgreens are allowed to grow to a height of 4 inches, then they are called baby greens.

SPROUTS

Because sprouts are nutrient-dense, a small handful can provide a lot of protein, along with many important nutrients. The amounts of vitamin A, B-complex, C and E are greatly increased from sprouting. Sprouts can contain up to 100 times more enzymes than their fully mature counterparts. This allows your body to extract more vitamins, minerals and nutrients from other foods, increasing the nutrient value of your meal even more. Here are other benefits of sprouts.

• Mung bean sprouts increase vitamin B1 by up to 285%, vitamin B2 by up to 515% and niacin by up to 256%.
• Compared to mature broccoli, broccoli sprouts contain anywhere from 10 to 100 times more sulforaphane- a powerful anti-cancer nutrient
• Alfalfa sprouts contain saponins that help normalize cholesterol and support your immune system and bone stren
• Sunflower sprouts are high in phytosterols, which can help lower cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by competing for enzymes used by cholesterol in your gut, thereby lowering the amount of cholesterol absorbed

MICROGREENS

According to research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in which 25 different microgreens were evaluated, all were found to have higher nutritional densities than their full-grown counterparts, including 10 times higher amounts of valuable antioxidant compounds. For instance, Red cabbage microgreens had the highest concentration of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) while cilantro microgreens contains three times as much beta-carotene than mature cilantro.

How to add more sprouts and microgreens to your diet

1. Add lots of microgreens, vegetables, sprouts and sprouted nuts to salads
2. Top your burgers and sandwiches with microgreens and sprouts
3. Juice pea and sunflower sprouts as part of juicing and/or add to smoothies 
4. Use crunchy sprouts as snacks

GROW SPROUTS RIGHT IN YOUR KITCHEN!

Learn to grow your own sprouts. You’ll save money, have fresher produce and avoid the contamination that often occurs with commercially grown sprouts. Food Safety Director, Michael Doyle, states he won’t even eat commercially grown sprouts due to all the outbreaks of contamination with which they deal.

I harvest over a pound of sunflower sprouts from a single 10×10-inch tray for just a few dollars. Store-bought sprouts can cost $20 to $30 per pound. They last longer because they are so fresh and, as already mentioned, they provide the most nutrient-dense and usable form of plant nutrients.

Come to RAW RADIANCEand learn how to grow sprouts, create yummy, enzyme-rich foods,
detoxify your body, and nourish your mind and spirit.

It is very easy to grow sprouts and micro greens but like many other unfamiliar processes, experiencing a hands-on learning process makes all the difference – not only for successful outcomes but for actually learning to integrate the practice into your daily life.  That is why, during this weeklong immersion experience, we not only consume high amounts of delicious health-promoting, detoxifying-enhancing sprouts and micro greens but we actually grow them (and do so much more) during the retreat.  Come to Raw Radiance and experience physical, emotional and spiritual nourishment and detoxification.

You’ll leave:

• Lighter in body, heart and Spirit,
• With clear tools and techniques to implement sustainable lifestyle changes
• Part of a community of like-minded people with whom to share the journey

LEARN MORE ABOUT RAW RADIANCE!