Have you noticed breads and cereals made with sprouted grains in the market? Perhaps you've seen sprouted seeds, beans and grains in the bulk bins? A quick glance at sprouted foods can be puzzling for sprout newbies. Sprouted foods don't look very different from the unsprouted counterparts but they cost more. So what's the rationale?
Well, sprouted foods are made from seeds or grains that have been allowed to germinate. In the process of converting from seed to plant, the chemistry of the food changes, making various nutrients and minerals more bioavailable and thus more easily absorbed by the body.
Sprouted foods often have more fiber than their unsprouted counterparts as well. Though that may not sound very thrilling, fiber is one of the best things you can put into your body. It's the reason why I'll always prefer a smoothie over a juice and I promise you there will be an in-depth post about this in the near future. Fiber should be a key part of meal-planning—if only everyone understood how important fiber is to good health, there wouldn't be a day where we didn't all sing the praises of fiber!
The funny thing is the act of sprouting and eating foods even minimally has been done for centuries. Many of us think we're discovering something new but like many trends we're embracing for the first time, food sprouting has been practiced and consumed for ages.
So yes, sprouted seeds and grains are wonderful for you. You can buy them at most grocery stores and online or you can sprout rice, legumes and other healthy grains at home. Just be sure to thoroughly cook everything you sprout. Have you tried them yet?