How to Grow Sprouts in 5 easy steps
- Primal Motherhood
- Apr 18, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 24, 2019
I remember when a friend said to me, “we started growing our own broccoli sprouts.” I had no idea what she was talking about. My friend explained to me how she was doing it and it sounded simple, but I still didn't know anything about what sprouts were. I did a little research on the benefits of sprouts and the growing process and thought I would give it a try.
I bought all the supplies and started to grow my own sprouts. I realized how easy it is and want to share it with all of you.
WHAT ARE SPROUTS?
What are sprouts? According the Healthline.com, "Sprouts are seeds that have germinated and become very young plants." Sprouts are germinated in water and moist areas instead of germinating in soil. Many sprouts when they are in their sprouted form are high in vitamins and nutrients, then in their un-sprouted form.
WHAT SEEDS CAN BE SPROUTED?
A lot of seeds can be sprouted and enjoyed in this way. You always want to use organic sprouts, specifically made for sprouting. You can buy these in bulk, a little goes a long way. (I usually purchase mine from Amazon and used the brand Sprout House or Handy Pantry). For my first time, I bought a pre-mixed sprouting seeds, which consist of Alfalfa, Radish, and Broccoli seeds. Some example of seeds that can be sprouted are:
*Vegetable Sprouts such as; radish, broccoli, beet, mustard greens, and clover
* Grains such as; brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa, and oat sprouts
* Bean or Pea Sprouts such as; lentils, soybeans, black beans, kidney beans, and green pea sprouts.
** These are only some examples of what can be sprouted, I’m sure there are a lot of different variations of different sprouts that you can use and mix and match.
BENEFITS OF SPROUTS?
There are so many benefits of sprouts. When I started my research before I started growing my own, I was so overwhelmed with all the health benefits. A lot of the articles that I read throughout my research kept referring to them as a “Nutritional Powerhouse.” I thought to myself, “these are so easy to grow, why doesn’t everyone grow these?” Growing your own sprouts doesn’t need any advanced gardening skills, it needs minimal time and effort. Which is great for even that busy individual that says, “Oh, I don’t have time to grow anything.” There are several health benefits of eating sprouts some of them include:
1. Control blood sugars
Sprouts help make sugars in the form of glucose, more digestible. According to Healthline.com “A theory is that sprouts may have an increased ability to regulate the activity of the amylase enzyme, which the body uses to properly break down and digest sugars.”
2. Help aide in digestion
High in Vitamin A, B, C,E and essential fatty acid nutrients. When sprouted, the minerals bind to protein, making them easily absorbed. Many foods may cause inflammation, which is causing it more difficult to aide in digestion. Such foods include; grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. When eating sprouts, they unlock beneficial enzymes, which helps with the digestion process.
3. Helps heart health and reduces blood pressure
There has been very minimal studies done on the benefits of heart health and reducing blood pressure linked to sprouts. Some of the studies have been only conducted on rats, which has shown a positive result. These studies appear promising, but further research needs to be conducted to make a conclusion on the benefits of sprouts and hearth health.
In the study that was completed on rat it was shown that eating sprouts may increase HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (Bad) cholesterol. More on this study on the link below: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4484045/
There was another study completed with 39 overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes that was split into 2 groups and one group was given 60 grams of lentil sprouts and the other group was given no sprouts. The group that was given 60 grams of lentil sprouts after 8 weeks showed that 75-84% had lower levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol and 12% higher levels of HDL cholesterol levels. More on this study on the link below: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4667261/
4. Aids in weight loss and Boost Metabolism
Due to sprouts being very high in Vitamin B12 and the ability to control blood sugars and aide in digestion it helps with overall weight loss and help with boosting your metabolism.
WHAT IS NEEDED TO GROW SPROUTS?
A wide-mouth quart size or half gallon size mason jar
A sprouting lid with holes for drainage.
- Cheesecloth with rubber band
- Purchase screen and cut to size
- Needlepoint sheets cut to size. (You need to double up on these to make sure the seeds don’t get out).
A stand or bowl to help the jar stand upside-down at an angle. (I bought my stand off of Amazon or you can just use a bowl from your kitchen)
Organic sprouting seeds- make sure they are specifically labeled “sprouting seeds” and “organic”
HOW TO GROW SPROUTS?
Growing sprouts is simple, and you can do it in 5 easy steps and usually nutritious sprouts within 3-7 days.
Place 1 TBSP of seeds in a mason jar, fill with water and let sit overnight. (If you want more sprouts, increase the number of seeds you place in the jar, I recommend starting with 1 TBSP to see how many sprouts 1 TBSP yields).
Rinse seeds and drain water out of the jar, you want to place your jar at a slight angle so that excess water can be drained off and air can get it.
Repeat this step 3x’s daily, returning to the angle position every time.
Continue to rinse and drain the seeds for 3 days.
Within 7 days you will have sprouts, rinse and enjoy.
Warning: rinsing and draining your sprouts is such an important step. Since sprouts are consumed raw and germinated in warm, humid conditions they do run a risk of developing harmful bacteria. After being sprouted, they should be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator under 48° F for up to a week.
WAYS TO INCORPORATE SPROUTS INTO YOUR DIET
Add to salads
Blend in smoothies
Eat on their own
Add to soups
Put them on sandwiches
Growing sprouts is an easy project that you can enjoy in your home with a quick result. This is such a fun project to work on with kids because you usually start to see sprouts within 24 hours, so it’s quick results to keep your kids involved. Like I said before, you don’t have to be an experienced gardener to grow these in your own home, you just need to follow these simple steps.
Have you experienced growing sprouts? Do you have any questions on growing sprouts? I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment below.
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Happy growing and see you all next Thursday.
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