25 Amazing health benefits of sprouts
There are many health benefits of sprouts. Let us talk about health benefits of sprouts shortly. Nowadays, the world has become very competitive. We are not finding any time to take care of ourselves and are completely caught in the rat race.
We are not able to take care of our health, food, and nutrition due to the scarcity of time, and are becoming accustomed to eating more and more fast foods, and junk foods, as they are readily available, and we need not spend any time for the preparation of food. Even the kids of the younger generation are addicted to these junk foods like Pizzas and burgers.
We are not able to take care of our health, food, and nutrition due to the scarcity of time. We are becoming accustomed to eating more and more fast foods, and junk foods, as they are readily available, and we need not spend any time for the preparation of food. Even the kids of the younger generation are addicted to these junk foods like Pizzas and burgers.
We think that having healthy and nutritious diet daily requires a lot of time commitment and efforts. But, it’s not true indeed. You can easily make your daily diet very nutritious by making some simple changes like adding sprouts to your daily meals, and this will surely make you realize the health benefits of sprouts within few days of adding sprouts to your diet.
Breakfast needs to be the heaviest of all meals throughout the day. Then comes lunch, and you should have very minimum quantity of diet for dinner, and that too before 7 Pm at night. You can make a big batch of sprouts and store them in the refrigerator, and then use them as your breakfast every day for at least 3 days. They don’t require much of your efforts in preparing. Bean sprouts are very easy to be made at home.
What are sprouts?
You might be wondering that I am going on speaking about health benefits of sprouts, but I am not telling you what are sprouts? Sprouts are produced by germination of beans or grains or lentils like mung beans, chickpeas, etc. You can make many different types of sprouts at home. Nutritional value of bean sprouts is very high. Bean sprouts are rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals required by our body. If you make a habit of eating bean sprouts daily for breakfast, you will feel energetic throughout the day.
Nutrition facts of sprouts:
Sprouts are a powerhouse of nutrients, and there are many health benefits of sprouts. They are magical foods enhancing our immunity and health. For example, let us talk about mung bean sprouts. Mung bean sprouts have zero percent harmful fat and cholesterol, so they are very good for people having high cholesterol levels. Sprouts are rich in vitamin C and iron. So, they take care of hemoglobin as well.
Health benefits of sprouts are due to the fact that they are also rich in many vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, and many types of vitamin B. They are also rich in healthy fats like omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. They contain essential minerals like iron, calcium, zinc, manganese, magnesium, sodium, potassium, copper, and selenium. All these things help in a proper functioning of our body.
Types of sprouts:
There are many different types of sprouts available in the market. Each one of them has a distinctive taste, nutritional qualities. Let us list out some of best legumes to sprout.
1. Bengal gram sprouts health benefits:
Bengal gram sprouts are called chole in India, and they are very commonly used in many cuisines, including Indian cuisine. Some recipes using Bengal gram like Chole Bhature are very popular in many states of India. They are very yummy and possess high nutritional value too.
Chole is very rich in many essential vitamins and minerals. They contain many types of vitamin B-complex including vitamin B1 or thiamine. Bengal gram sprouts also contain minerals like iron, copper. They are also very rich in dietary fiber, and contain 50% carbohydrates as well. So, they keep you satiated for a long time.
Bengal gram has no cholesterol at all. So, it helps people suffering from high cholesterol levels. But, they contain more calories in comparison to green gram sprouts. So, they are good for people trying to gain some weight. But, people looking to lose weight should try to avoid chole.
2. Green gram sprouts health benefits:
Green gram is also called mung in India. They are mainly grown in Asian countries but are eaten all over the world. Green grams are one of the easiest lentils to sprout. They sprout very fast.
They are very rich in vitamins like vitamin B and vitamin K. Vitamin B improves your overall health, while vitamin K regulates your blood coagulation or clotting pathway, and helps in preventing bleeding disorders. They are also rich in Iron, so you will never suffer from Anemia or lack of hemoglobin if you consume them regularly.
Green gram sprouts also contain vitamin C. Vitamin C also helps in promoting iron absorption. So, iron and vitamin C act synergistically to increase your hemoglobin levels. Vitamin C also acts as an anti-oxidant and helps in preventing damage caused by free radicals to our body. This also slows down aging process.
Mung beans also contain fibers to a great extent. So, if you include them in your weight loss diet plan, you will surely lose weight. You will certainly realize the health benefits of sprouts like green gram sprouts, if you include them in your daily diet.
3. Nutritional value of Bean sprouts:
Health benefits of sprouts like bean sprouts are due to them being rich in vitamin C and folate, a type of B vitamin. As vitamin C acts an antioxidant, bean sprouts help you in keeping cancers at bay, and they make your skin glow young. Folate also helps in the formation of red blood cells, white blood cells, and they also play a major role in the formation of DNA which is part of all the cells of the body.
4. Nutritional value of Alfalfa sprouts:
They contain vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K. Many people suffer from diminishing eyesight nowadays. Alfalfa sprouts address this problem very well. Vitamin A helps to promote the function of your eyes, and regular usage of this sprouts helps in improving your eyesight to a great extent.
Alfalfa sprouts are rich in calcium and so they help in building strong bones. They also help in lowering harmful cholesterol levels. So, people with high cholesterol should certainly make them part of their diet to benefit from the health benefits of sprouts.
5. Sunflower sprouts nutritional value:
Proteins are the building blocks of our body. We need an optimum amount of proteins in our diet to maintain proper functioning of the body. Sunflower sprouts are a rich source of proteins which help in strengthening our body and also the immune system. They are also rich in various vitamins and minerals like vitamin E, iron, magnesium, etc.
They contain high amounts of calcium, and vitamin D. We get vitamin D from sunlight. They are very few food sources of vitamin D, and sunflower sprouts are one of them. Vitamin D helps in proper absorption of calcium from the body. So, eat these sprouts to get strong bones, and it’s one of the health benefits of sprouts.
6. Pumpkin seeds sprouts:
They are also rich in amino acids that help your cells to function properly. They also help in the proper growth of your muscles tissue.
7. Nutritional value of Radish sprouts:
Radish sprouts are rich in antioxidants like the vitamin, A, vitamin C, and vitamin E. This protects your cells from damage caused by free radicals, which are produced during the metabolism of the cells. In other words, radish sprouts protect you from detrimental effects of free radicals which are produced during carrying out normal day to day activities of the cells.
8. Red lentil sprouts:
Red lentil sprouts are rich in potassium. Potassium is absolutely essential for a healthy heart. Their calorie content is very low, which makes them ideal for people wanting weight loss as well. They are also rich in folate, which is necessary for the production of cells in the body.
9. Fenugreek sprouts:
This is one type of sprout that many people are not aware of. Yes, you have heard me right. You can sprout fenugreek seeds too. If you consume fenugreek seeds even in small amounts regularly, you will not get diabetes, as these sprouts reduce blood sugar levels very effectively. Reducing blood sugar levels is one of the important health benefits of sprouts.
10. Brussels sprouts:
Health benefits of sprouts like brussels sprouts are also seen in detoxifying your body and also help in reducing the risk of many types of cancers. They also help in getting a long, shiny hair.
Health benefits of sprouts:
You might want to know all the different ways in which sprouts can help you. This will inspire you to make the sprouts a part of parcel of your daily diet. Let us list out the benefits of eating sprouts.
1. Good source of dietary fiber:
Many of us suffer from constipation regularly. Constipation makes us feel very uncomfortable, and it might also lead to many more health ailments like hemorrhoids or piles which bleed and cause embarrassment in public.
If you include sprouts in your diet, you will surely notice a reduction in constipation, and you can pass your stools easily. Fibers in sprouts also help in getting rid of excess cholesterol. Reducing cholesterol and getting rid of constipation are one of the most common health benefits of sprouts.
2. Controlling blood sugar levels:
Diabetes is a very commonly seen disease all over the world. It leads to fatigue, lack of energy, weight loss, and so many more problems in the long term. Almost one in every 5 to 10 people suffer from diabetes. Even small kids are getting diabetes.
If you are diabetic and want to avoid developing complications of diabetes, it is very important to maintain blood sugar levels within limits. We need to eat foods with the low glycemic index for that. This means that you need to eat foods which cause a very less rise of blood glucose after eating your meals. Sprouts are ideal for this purpose.
If you are diabetic and want to avoid developing complications of diabetes, it is very important to maintain blood sugar levels within limits. We need to eat foods with the low glycemic index for that. This means that you need to eat foods which cause a very less rise of blood glucose after eating your meals. Sprouts are ideal for this purpose, and the health benefits of sprouts in controlling diabetes is being noticed by many people around the world.
3. Rich source of enzymes:
Sprouts contain many enzymes. We need enzymes for the proper digestion of the food, and to assimilate all the nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals from the food. As they are rich in enzymes, it also helps in alleviating any indigestion symptoms that you may have.
4. Prevents colon cancer:
Nowadays, people are eating outside due to the dearth of time. Most of the time people just grab a burger or a sandwich or some sort of junk food to make up the lack of time in this competitive world. These junk foods don’t pass through your digestive system easily.
They take a lot of time to pass through the gut. As a result of this, the food eaten remains in the gut for a long time leading to the production of many toxins and harboring the growth of bacteria. These toxins make people prone to various diseases including colon cancer.
These junk foods don’t pass through your digestive system easily. They take a lot of time to pass through the gut. As a result of this, the food eaten remains in the gut for a long time leading to the production of many toxins and harboring the growth of bacteria. These toxins make people prone to various diseases including colon cancer.
Sprouts are rich in fibers, and so they help the food to pass easily through your gut. You can notice that you have an easy passage of stools the next morning after you eat sprouts. This makes developing colon cancer very less likely. You will definitely appreciate the health benefits of sprouts as you become healthy day by day if you start eating them.
5. Sprouts for Weight loss:
Sprouts help in weight loss in many ways as they are rich in fiber. So, they keep you satiated for a long time, and avoid any hunger pangs that you might have. This makes you less likely to indulge in fast foods or junk foods. Bile juice which is produced by your liver contains cholesterol.
Sprouts also help in reducing cholesterol by combing with bile juice and getting rid of excess cholesterol in the body. Sprouts also help in promoting metabolism of your body, as they are rich in many vitamins and minerals.
6. Get beautiful glowing skin:
Health benefits of sprouts on the skin are manyfold. Sprouts are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are absolutely essential for a glowing and supple skin. If you eat sprouts regularly, you will notice that your skin becomes smooth, and shining.
7. Reverse the aging process:
Aging is a natural process. We are living in a world full of pollution and harmful chemicals used for food production. This has many detrimental effects on our body. Our cells are becoming prone to aging, and many of us are looking old at a very young age.
Health benefits of sprouts in reversing the aging process is known by many people. Eating sprouts helps in slowing down aging as they are rich in antioxidants like vitamins A, C and E. They help in regeneration of new cells, and repair any damaged cells in the body. People who eat sprouts regularly look younger than their counterparts.
8. Reduces your risk of heart diseases:
Cholesterol is a major culprit in the development of atherosclerotic plaques which lead to heart diseases like a heart attack or myocardial infarction. As sprouts contain fibers, they help in reducing your cholesterol levels. Health benefits of sprouts in preventing heart diseases is due to the antioxidant and cholesterol reducing properties of sprouts.
9. Reduces risk of stroke:
Stroke is another common disease that many people are suffering from. This makes a person debilitated, paralyzes their arms, legs, slurs their speech. Many people don’t recover completely from stroke, and they suffer from weakness of body parts for the rest of their life.
Cholesterol leads to blockage of arteries which supply the brain and lead to stroke. Eating sprouts reduces cholesterol levels, thereby reducing the chances of developing stroke.
10. Acts as bone strengthening diet:
If your bones are weak, you tend to fracture your bones just with a minor trauma. Sprouts contain calcium in high amounts. Some types of sprouts also contain vitamin D. This helps you to get strong bones.
Many people are allergic to milk, and they have lactose intolerance. This makes them unable to consume milk and get necessary calcium. Eating sprouts is a good alternative for people with lactose intolerance. Women have low calcium levels during menopausal years. So, it is also very beneficial for such women to make sprouts part of their diet.
11. Improves Hemoglobin levels:
Low levels of hemoglobin are seen in a condition called anemia. Anemia leads to dizziness or fainting, weakness, getting easily tired, shortness of breath, and many more problems. Sprouts contain iron in good quantity. So, they improve your hemoglobin levels and prevent all such awful symptoms in you.
12. Acts as natural flu prevention remedy:
People tend to catch a cold or flu due to weak immune system. If you have strong immune system, you are less likely to catch a cold than your peers with weak immune system. Sprouts contain vitamin C which helps in enhancing immunity and prevents cold.
13. Strengthen immune system:
We need a strong immune system to resist the attack of a plethora of bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc. WBC or leukocytes are the building blocks of our immune system. Sprouts repair the damaged cells including the leukocytes. They help in DNA synthesis of all the cells including WBC. They help you in having healthy WBC cells, thereby promoting immunity.
14. Improve your vision:
Sprouts are rich in vitamin A. Vitamin A helps you in having a very good vision. Couple eating the sprouts regularly with a few eye exercises daily, and you are all set to enhance your eyesight.
15. Prevent urinary tract infections:
Sprouts help in making your blood and urine alkaline. Alkaline nature of sprouts helps in preventing the growth of bacteria in the urinary tract. This helps in getting rid of and preventing UTI or urinary tract infection.
16. Prevents blood clotting problems:
Sprouts are rich in vitamin K which regulates blood clotting. If you eat them regularly, you will not suffer from blood clotting problems.
17. Prevention of osteoporosis:
As sprouts are rich in calcium, eating sprouts help in reducing the risk of osteoporosis and subsequent fractures.
18. Make your liver healthy:
Proper functioning of the liver is essential to prevent diseases like jaundice. Sprouts enhance the health of organs like liver and gallbladder.
19. Improve mental health and memory:
Sprouts contain many vitamins and minerals that promote the function of neurons or nerve cells. They also help in the optimal function of neurotransmitters which are signals between the nerve cells.
20. One of the best food during pregnancy:
Sprouts contain many vitamins, minerals, and proteins which are very healthy for the developing fetus or baby in the womb of a pregnant woman. They also enhance the health of pregnant woman at the same time.
21. Controlling menopause symptoms:
Menopause is a troublesome phase of a woman life. Women suffer from many symptoms like hot flushes during this period. Many types of sprouts help in relieving the debilitating symptoms of menopause.
22. Relieve depression:
It is aptly said healthy mind in a healthy body. Sprouts improve the overall health of a person, improve the health of nerve cells, and makes a person feel healthy and good about himself. This controls the symptoms of depression to a great extent.
23. Helps to lower high blood pressure:
Sprouts reduce the cholesterol level and improve the health of the heart. This helps in reducing the high blood pressure or hypertension.
24. Stimulate hair growth:
Sprouts contain many vitamins like vitamin C which promote the growth of your hair. They also help in preventing diseases causing hair loss like alopecia.
25. One of the best ways to detox at home:
Sprouts help in detoxifying your body. This helps in preventing premature aging, graying of hair, and developing many diseases.
Ways to include sprouts in your diet:
Sprouts stir fry:
Just take a spoon of oil in a pan and heat it.
Add some onions, and slit green chilies and fry very well.
Then add the sprouts and give a quick stir for some minutes.
Add coriander leaves, salt, and lemon juice and switch off the flame.
Sprouts salad:
Take some sprouts of 2 to 3 varieties (take any sprouts you wish) and mix them.
Add some onion pieces, coriander leaves, salt, lemon juice, and mix.
You can also add pieces of vegetables like carrots, cucumber, beetroot to your salad to make it more healthy.
Sprouts sandwich:
Take some sprouts, and add hung curd or mayonnaise to it.
Also, add some salt and coriander leaves to it and mix well.
Then take 2 slices of brown bread, and place this mixture between them.
Place 2 slices of cucumber and a slice of tomato over the mixture, between the bread slices.
You can eat the sandwich as it is or grill it in a sandwich maker.
Sprouts dosa:
Use any sprouts of your choice like mung bean sprouts.
Make a rough or coarse paste.
Add some onions, coriander leaves, some rice flour, salt to the sprouts paste and mix well.
Make a dosa with batter.
You can even try making Paniyaram’s or idlis with the batter.
Dosas, idlis, and Paniyaram’s are popular dishes in south Indian cuisine.
Some precautions before you eat sprouts:
Make sure you buy sprouted grains outside only if they are of good quality.
If sprouts are made with unhygienic water outside, you may end up developing gastroenteritis, diarrhea or some sort of infection due to bacterial contamination.
Try to sprout the grains at your home as much as possible.
If you are allergic to any kind of sprouts, try to avoid eating them.
We have seen all the amazing health benefits of eating sprouts. You too make sprouts a part of your daily diet, and enhance your health in all possible ways, and ward off all the diseases. Do let us know how have sprouts benefited your health? Do you use sprouts in any unconventional way in your diet? We would love to hear from you.