Sprouted Seeds & Grains: A Healthy & Delicious Choice

Sprouting is the practice of germinating seeds — whether grains, nuts or other kinds of seeds — so they are easier to digest and your body can access their full nutritional values. Because sprouts are more digestible, the human body can absorb more of the vitamins, nutrients and minerals that are naturally present in all whole grains and seeds. Those nutrients include magnesium, zinc, protein, vitamin c, folate and iron.

Sprouted foods also have many health benefits. “This germinating process breaks down some of the starch, which makes the percentage of nutrients higher. It also breaks down phytate, a form of phytic acid that normally decreases absorption of vitamins and minerals in the body. So sprouted grains have more available nutrients than mature grains,” states Kristina Secinaro, a nutritionist at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The latest research shows that when you compare sprouted seeds to unsprouted grain seeds, the unsprouted grains had a lower protein content including deficiency of certain essential amino acids. Many different types of “seed” foods can be sprouted, some that you probably don’t even realize are seeds. Grains, for example, are really the seeds of cereal grasses, so they make some of the best sprouts. Sprouting seeds makes them edible even when raw, but sprouted seeds can also be used in baked and cooked recipes too. Now you can add sprouted seeds and grains in your diet and enjoy these delicious and extremely healthy foods.

Special thanks to Dr. Josh Axe and Heidi Godman. For the latest healthy lifestyle info visit https://draxe.com and www.health.harvard.edu. Image by Wallpapercave