AN INTRODUCTION TO SPROUTS

There's been a lot of hype lately in the gardening and survivalist worlds about sprouts. Sprouts...just what are they? Why are they so good for you? In this article, I will attempt to explain to my readers a little bit about what a sprout is and what nutritional value these little guys can offer you.

A sprout is a baby plant, to put it simply. It is the stage of a plant after the seed has germinated but before the plant has grown and matured enough to begin photosynthesizing. You see, inside each seed is a dormant plant waiting to come to life. Once that seed germinates, the tiny plant inside of it gets a kick-start and begins to grow, bursting out of its shell.

Now, much like a human or an animal inside of its mother's womb or enclosed in an egg, the now living plant, still encased in its shell, is provided with tons of nutrients to help it grow. And even after emerging from the shell casing, the baby plant continues to feed off of the nutrients inside of the seed.

Just like with any form of life, the beginning stages of a plant's life are so very important, and the plant needs a lot of nutrients when it's little to help it grow strong and healthy. During the short time a plant is considered a sprout (approximately 2-4 days after the seed germinates and the little plant emerges from the seed shell) the baby plant contains more nutrients in this brief time than it ever will again. This is why sprouts are so good for you.

Sprouts contain living enzymes that help you break down foods. There is a reason doctors tell you to eat your greens. The enzymes in green foods assist in breaking down other foods into their building block components, which then allows your body to absorb more of the nutrients food can offer you. In addition, sprouts can be high in protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Remember, all of these nutrients are at their highest concentration when a plant is in its sprout stage.

Each type of sprout offers you different combinations of these ingredients-some are high in protein but low in vitamins, some are high in amino acids, but low in minerals, etc. That's why it's important to eat many different kinds of sprouts. For example, you can't just throw some alfalfa sprouts on your salad and think you're done for the day. A good variety of sprouts in your daily eating routine will benefit you the most.

Now, growing your own sprouts is definitely the best way to go about ensuring you are eating healthy, non-contaminated sprouts. Due to poor handling and improper storage, commercially grown sprouts can be at a higher risk for food-borne illnesses. By growing your own sprouts, you are in control of how they are grown, how they are handled, and how they are stored.

Jerry_Greenfield is the author of this article. Visit his most interesting website,  http://www.growlikecrazy.com and http://mygardenwalk.com.

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