Striving4Zen

Seeds are densely packed with many nutrients in order to survive. For example, they are high in fat because fat is the most efficient way for energy to be stored. Seeds are not, however, metabolically active, and they wait until sprouting to begin most of their metabolic activities.

Important antioxidant nutrients, for example, are usually more concentrated at this point in the plant's development than at any other time. Vitamin C, for example, is commonly higher during this sprouting stage than at any later time in the plant's growth processes. Antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) also become more plentiful during this time, although there remains a large debate about the value of this enzyme inside our digestive tract when raw sprouts are eaten.

There has recently been considerable media coverage on the benefits of broccoli sprouts. According to Dr. Paul Talalay, M.D., J.J. Abel Distinguished Service Professor of Pharmacology at John Hopkins University, three-day-old broccoli sprouts consistently contain 20 to 50 times the amount of chemoprotective compounds found in mature broccoli heads, and may offer a simple, dietary means of chemically reducing cancer risk.

However, not all sprouts are such nutritional superstars. In fact, according to the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter (School of Public Health) V 12, N 1, 10/95:

"Bean sprouts are a good low-calorie way to liven up your salad or sandwich but they're no nutritional giants, particularly since portions are typically small. Even if you eat half a cup of mung bean sprouts, you'll get only 7 mg of Vit C, about one-tenth the daily RDA, plus small amounts of iron and B vitamins. Alfalfa sprouts are the least nutritious."

One benefit of sprouts is that they may be easier to digest. This may be because of some of the conversion of some starch into simple sugars that occurs with the sprouting process.

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Labels: cancer, chia seeds, eating healthy, sprouts