How To Eat Sprouts | Recipes And Methods
Sprouted foods have become more and more popular to grow and consume. Although having been eaten for thousands of years, their nutritional benefits are just starting to get studied and researched recently. The most popular and common sprouts are broccoli sprouts, mung bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts. Each has their own unique taste and texture.
In this article we’ll dive into all the different ways you can enjoy sprouts at home, including tasty recipes and preparation methods, as well as explaining the health benefits and answering all common questions.
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Benefits Of Eating Sprouts Daily
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Best Sprouts To Eat
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How Many Sprouts Should You Eat Per Day?
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Preparing Sprouts Before Eating
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Ways To Eat Sprouts
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How To Eat Sprouts For Specific Purposes
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Common Sprout Eating Questions:
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Sprout FAQ’s
Benefits Of Eating Sprouts Daily
There are many health benefits; each sprout has their own unique benefit, due to containing different vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
Common Health Benefits From Sprouts:
Vitamin K From Alfalfa Sprouts - 1 cup of alfalfa sprouts will provide you with 13% of your daily vitamin K requirement. Why Is Vitamin K Important? “Vitamin K refers to a group of fat-soluble vitamins that play a role in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and regulating blood calcium levels.” Source: medicalnewstoday.com.
Sulforaphane From Broccoli Sprouts - Broccoli sprouts contain high amounts of sulforaphane which is a compound only found in cruciferous plants. The potential health benefits include: anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and even protection against sunlight. For more information check out the health benefits of broccoli sprouts for more.
Potential Benefits Of Mung Bean Sprouts - Although plain in color and taste mung bean sprouts have some great health benefits. They include: lowering blood glucose levels, anti-inflammatory, and even help lower blood pressure too. For more information check out healthline.com.
Best Sprouts To Eat
This really depends. All sprouts have health benefits, and are all high in fibre. If you’re looking for a specific vitamin, mineral or nutrient from your sprouts then we recommend researching that first. Many people opt for broccoli sprouts for the specific phytonutrient: sulforaphane. If you’re looking to consume just for general all round health then we would suggest to consume a variety of different types.
How Many Sprouts Should You Eat Per Day?
If you’re new to eating sprouts then we would recommend no more than one serving. If you’re changing your diet dramatically or have an underlying health condition, then it’s essential to consult with your local physician first.
[Note: Always consult your doctor before altering your diet, especially if you have an underlying medical condition]
Preparing Sprouts Before Eating
Sprouts are a very simple food to prepare, here’s a foolproof method to preparing your sprouts.
1. Remove from your storage area
2. Inspect to make sure there is no mold or bad smell (if there is dispose of them immediately)
3. Place your sprouts in a colander or sieve
4. Run fresh water through your sprouts turing and mixing them
5. After cleaning inspect to make sure they’re clean before cooking
Ways To Eat Sprouts
There are an unlimited number of ways to eat your sprouts, from a raw snack, to mixing into a stir fry. They’re the ultimate food for experimenting with flavors, tastes and textures. Below is a summary of some of our favourite ways to eat sprouts.
In A Salad
The most common method and often seen in restaurants is to garnish or sprinkle a handful of broccoli sprouts on top of your salad. It will finish it off making it look great and giving it a mustardy kick too. Alternatively you could make an entire salad from you favourite sprouts too!
Here Are Our Favourite Recipes:
An asian inspired broccoli sprout salad with matcha-ginger vinaigrette. Its tangy and packed with flavor, ideal as a summer side dish or to accompany a meaty main.This recipe is from betternutrition.com recipe can be found here.
Crunchy Apple Sprouted Salad with Lemon Creamy Dressing. Apples always add an extra dimension to a salad, the crunchy texture makes for a really refreshing side dish. This recipe is super simple and can be made within 10 minutes! Containing alfalfa sprouts this recipe is also packed full of many health benefits too. For the full recipe check out Epicurious.com and the recipe here.
Cooked
There are many ways to cook sprouts, the most typical way of consuming cooked sprouts is to stir-fry them with meat to make classic Korean and Asian dishes. The most commonly cooked sprout is the mung bean sprout. [Note: Most sprouts are not best eaten cooked as they will wilt and become a small wet mass.]
Do You Have To Cook Sprouted Foods?
Most people will opt to cook their sprouts if they’re worried about possible side effects. Most health professionals also recommend cooking your sprouts too. Sprouts often sit in stagnant water and are sprouted in warm temperatures. This makes bacteria and mold growth likely, therefore they’re classed as a high-risk food.
Here Are Our Favourite Cooked Sprouts Recipes:
Chinese Mung Bean Sprouts (Vegan). This recipe has strong notes of garlic and onion flavorings, we would suggest consuming it with a spicy meat or noodle dish for maximum enjoyment. Cooking time is quick and tastes great. To check the recipe out head over to TheSpruce.com or the link here.
Korean Style Mung Bean Sprout Salad (Sukju Namul Muchim). Packed with fragrant vegetables, sesame oil, and seeds. It has a mild nutty taste and savory flavor, you can eat this on it’s own or as a side dish. The recipe can be found at MyKoreanKitchen.com or by clicking the link here.
Smoothies
One of the easiest ways to consume sprouted foods is to incorporate them into a smoothie. Many health conscious people add a serving size of broccoli sprouts into their smoothie. That way they can get the health benefits whilst making them tasty to eat too!
A Quick Sprouted Smoothie Recipe:
Super Sprout And Mango Sprout Smoothie. The thing we love about this smoothie is that it’s so versatile, you can add any amount of your favourite sprouts. If you’d like you can even mask the taste of your least favourite sprouts too! The most common varieties of sprouts used are broccoli, alfalfa and clover sprouts. Here’s the link to MySolluna.com’s tasty recipe.
Snack
The simplest and quickest way to consume your sprouts is to eat them raw as a snack. No adding anything, no time preparing, chopping or dicing. Place your sprouts in a clean bag and enjoy them on the go! Perfect for post gym snacks, an afternoon office treat or just at home.
How To Eat Sprouts For Specific Purposes
For The Gym - When at the gym most people are looking for weightloss and/or muscle gain. By consuming sprouts you’re nourishing your body with many different types of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Each of which will help support your overall health and fitness goals.
When Pregnant - As sprouts are a high-risk food, you should not eat them whilst pregnant. Sprouts can often contain many unwanted bacteria and mold growth - do not eat.
For Weight Loss - Sprouts contain very few calories per serving. Alfalfa sprouts only have 8 calories per cup of sprouts! They’re perfect for incorporating into your dinners if you’re looking to lose weight. Alternatively you could eat a large mung bean stir fry or salad and feel satisfied and not have consumed many calories.
Common Sprout Eating Questions:
Which Sprouts Can Be Eaten Raw?
It’s generally not recommended to eat raw sprouts. Raw sprouts are a high risk food, making them prone to having food-borne bacteria and disease. Commonly e-coli, salmonella and listeria.
Can We Boil Sprouts?
Yes, boiling and blanching sprouts is very common. Most of the time before cooking mung bean sprouts they’re first blanched.
Can We Eat Sprouts Daily?
Yes, you can include sprouts to your diet and consume them daily. They can be a great way to help get your daily intake of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
How Do You Eat Sprouts For Breakfast?
We would recommend incorporating sprouts into a fruit smoothie to drink for breakfast. It’s easy to palate in the morning, as well as a tasty way to fuel you through the day.
Should We Eat Sprouts Raw Or Boiled?
For at risk groups, those with low immunity, pregnant women, older and young people, as well as underlying health conditions it’s always recommended to cook your sprouts thoroughly.
Is It Advisable To Eat Just Sprouts For Breakfast Everyday?
It’s important that you get all of your daily nutrient requirements. It’s not possible to get them just by only eating sprouts, therefore we would rather recommend them to accompany a meal or dish.
Sprout FAQ’s
Does Sprouts Cause Gas?
This will depend on the person’s reaction to eating them. It’s possible that they can as they’re very high in fibre although this adverse effect is not so common.
Why Are Sprouts Healthy?
Yes, sprouts are very healthy. There are many different types of sprouts, each with varying amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Are Sprouts Good For Hair Growth?
It has been reported that sprouts do help with hair growth. Certain sprouts contain high amounts of vitamin C which help support the growth. For the full article check it out here.
