Sprouts for Days
This additional complement to raw vegan and fruit based diets is one of my personal favorites. Sprouts are live foods that contain exceptional nutrition at a very affordable price. They can be easily grown at home with a two step process. The seeds and legumes used to make sprouts can be stored for years.
Well know benefits from consuming sprouts include the ability to improve the digestive process, boost metabolism, increase enzymatic activity throughout the body, prevent anemia, aid in weight loss, lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, prevent neural tube defects in infants, protect against cancer, boost skin health, improve vision, support the immune system, and increase usable energy reserves. (1)
Unfortunately, sprouts have been linked to cases of food poisoning, which makes people question whether the potential benefits are worth the risks. Some people have noted raw sprouts to contain harmful bacteria. This is due to the fact that sprouts grown in warm and humid conditions, in which harmful bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella can reproduce.
Bacterial contamination does sound scary, but its not much to worry about. Over the last two decades, the US Food and Drug Administration has linked a total of 48 outbreaks of food-borne illness to raw or lightly cooked sprouts. (2) Symptoms may appear 12–72 hours after eating the sprouts, and can include diarrhea, stomach cramps, and vomiting. (Source[https://www.fda.gov/food/resourcesforyou/consumers/ucm103263.htm]) These symptoms are rarely life-threatening.
I’ve been sprouting seeds and legumes for two years and never had a problem with them. Most of the potential risks from sprouts have more to do with their cultivation, than their inherent properties. It is actually very easy to grow sprouts at home, minimizing the risk for bacterial grow or contamination.
Its possible to live on nothing but sprouts. There are people, such as Brian Nexus, who base most of their diet on sprouts. These people live on a combination of 25 different sprouted foods. They believe that sprouts are the best food source for humans. (3)
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Acknowledgments
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Sources:
(1) https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/seed-and-nut/sprouts.html
(2) https://academic.oup.com/ofid/article/3/suppl_1/1438/2635778
(3) http://www.thesproutarian.com/apps/profile/77862003/