Healthy Eating – The Benefits of Sprouts

Most of us can appreciate walking into a clean home – there is a calming peace of mind knowing that one major task is out of the way. To build on the positive feelings as a result of professional house cleaning, we turn our attention to health-related topics. Recently, I discovered the immense benefits of eating sprouts. You may be wondering what exactly sprouts are – sprouting is nothing more than germinating seeds for consumption – whether they are raw or cooked.

There are many benefits to eating sprouts – including:

• The quality of the protein improves when the seed is sprouted.
• Sprouted seeds are known to carry many vitamins – some seeds are superfoods (e.g. quinoa)
• The sprout has significantly more fiber than the seed itself
• Sprouts have far fewer calories than most other foods but can be nonetheless filling
• If you believe in alkalizing your body, then sprouts are known to do just this
• Sprouts are inexpensive in the grand scheme of things – especially when compared to other, fancy health foods like organic produce and the like

There are, however, some risks to sprouting seeds. Most notably, sprouts can pick up nasty bacteria which can damage the spleen and make one very sick. Oftentimes, it is advisable to cook the sprouts to ensure that there are no bacteria. In addition, one should rinse the sprouts during germination to ensure no bacteria develops.

Sprouting seeds is a straightforward process:

• Soak the seeds – soak time will vary based on the type of seed you are using
• Place seeds in a germinator – these are very cheap and can be found online
• Rinse the germinating seeds a few times a day and drain off the excess water
• Depending on the seed, you will soon see sprouts emerge in a couple of days
• Once the sprouts are mature just rinse off the hulls and your sprouts are ready for consumption

Try a variety of recipes available online for sprouts – there are many wonderful Asian recipes to consider. Whether you live in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, or even parts of the Bay Area such as San Jose, Fremont, or Mountain View – you can visit pretty much any health food store and buy seeds.  And for the seeds themselves, the sky’s the limit – you can try mung beans, garbanzo beans, and even quinoa! Explore the health benefits of this amazing food that nature provides and enjoy it in the comfort of a professionally cleaned home. Keep your house clean and treat your body like a temple!