By now, you've seen me repeatedly mention the benefits of both sprouted and fermented foods. You may be thinking that this sounds like a lot of extra work. Why bother? Nutrition grows ever more confusing the more we know, and the more we
have to separate what’s good for us and what we need to avoid. What's inspiring to me about sprouted and fermented foods is that they're foods you eat all the time which have latent 'super powers'.
Sprouting
Sprouting raw nuts, seeds, beans and grains is one of the quickest, easiest ways to pack a group of nutrients into your body in just one handful. Sprouted foods have been part of the diet of many ancient races for thousands of years. As a ‘living’ food, sprouts continue to grow higher in nutritional value after being harvested. Sprouting is the process of germinating seeds to be eaten raw or cooked. When seeds are soaked, the dormant seeds turn into a nutritional powerhouse. For instance, when peas are dry they have no Vitamin C; however, when sprouted for 48 hours, they provide more Vitamin C than fresh oranges, while Broccoli sprouts help protect the body against cancer. As someone new to sprouting, I found it incredibly easy and inexpensive. All you need is the food starter, a glass canning jar, some cheesecloth (available at most grocery stores), a rubber band... and some water. There's an amazing website www.sproutpeople.org that has a wealth of detailed information with photos, and even sells supplies. Here's a list of foods that I'll be sprouting for my detox -
Fermenting
Fermented vegetables are created with lactic acid bacteria. This is an important method of processing food that humans have been using for thousands of years. Fermented vegetables are loaded with nutrients, fiber and digestion-enhancing enzymes. They also help the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance of flora by increasing beneficial bacteria like lactobacillus acidophilous, i.e. 'probiotics'. In general, by adding fermented foods into your diets you will likely experience better digestion, clearer skin, increased immunity, increased vitamin and mineral intake... and it's even possible to reverse chronic disease. There's a good website www.whfoods.com that provides a great nutritional breakdown for each of these foods. Here's a list of fermented foods that I'll be eating for my detox -
Sprouting
Sprouting raw nuts, seeds, beans and grains is one of the quickest, easiest ways to pack a group of nutrients into your body in just one handful. Sprouted foods have been part of the diet of many ancient races for thousands of years. As a ‘living’ food, sprouts continue to grow higher in nutritional value after being harvested. Sprouting is the process of germinating seeds to be eaten raw or cooked. When seeds are soaked, the dormant seeds turn into a nutritional powerhouse. For instance, when peas are dry they have no Vitamin C; however, when sprouted for 48 hours, they provide more Vitamin C than fresh oranges, while Broccoli sprouts help protect the body against cancer. As someone new to sprouting, I found it incredibly easy and inexpensive. All you need is the food starter, a glass canning jar, some cheesecloth (available at most grocery stores), a rubber band... and some water. There's an amazing website www.sproutpeople.org that has a wealth of detailed information with photos, and even sells supplies. Here's a list of foods that I'll be sprouting for my detox -
- Almonds (1-3 days)
- Barley (2-3 days)
- Lentils (2-3 days)
- Mung Beans (2-5 days)
- Rye Berries (2-3 days)
- Sunflower Seeds (1-2 days)
- Wheat Berries (2-3 days)
- Wild Rice (2-4 days)
Fermenting
Fermented vegetables are created with lactic acid bacteria. This is an important method of processing food that humans have been using for thousands of years. Fermented vegetables are loaded with nutrients, fiber and digestion-enhancing enzymes. They also help the intestinal tract maintain a healthy balance of flora by increasing beneficial bacteria like lactobacillus acidophilous, i.e. 'probiotics'. In general, by adding fermented foods into your diets you will likely experience better digestion, clearer skin, increased immunity, increased vitamin and mineral intake... and it's even possible to reverse chronic disease. There's a good website www.whfoods.com that provides a great nutritional breakdown for each of these foods. Here's a list of fermented foods that I'll be eating for my detox -
I'll be buying these
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