Friday, February 11, 2011

Fact Filled Friday

Sprouts
How much do you really know about sprouts? Before I met Eric I had no clue what sprouts were. Then when I first saw them I thought they looked like worms. It wasn't until this year that I actually started enjoying sprouts. When we decided to grow them it was because it was something we could have in the winter. We started looking into the nutritional value of them so we could be informed when we talked to our customers. I personally had NO clue how good they were for you.
Our finished sprouts getting ready to go to market!

Facts:

  • Alfalfa sprouts contain 8 essential enzymes for food digestion. Lipase (fat splitting), Amylase (acts on starches), Coagulase (Clots blood), Emulsin (Acts on sugars), Invertase (converts cane sugar to dextrose), Peroxidase (oxidizing effect of the blood), Pectinase (Forms vegetable jelly), and Protease (digests proteins).
  • Lowers Cholesterol-7 fibers and chemicals in Alfalfa sprouts stick to cholesterol, so that the cholesterol cannot stay in the blood and hence cannot be deposited on blood vessel walls.
  • Regulates bowel movement and reduces inflammation
  • Helps fight infection- Chlorophyll in Alfalfa is an effective barrier against bacterial invasion because of it's stimulation effect on the growth of connective tissue and granulation tissue.
  • Rich in vitamins- vitamin A, Beta carotene, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin A.
  • Rich in Minerals-calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, iron, cobalt, manganese and zinc.
  • High in Protein
  • Slows down the aging process (don't we all want that ;o)
  • Can also help reduce the amount of nicotine in urine, which in turn reduces cravings.
The initial stages of growing sprouts!
Uses:

     Sprouts a lot of times are eaten raw. People put them on sandwiches, in salads, and cereals. I have found some recipes where they are made into smoothies, put on pizzas and in soups and casseroles. 


How do you use sprouts? Any recipes you want to share?



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