The Magic Powers Of

SPROUTINGActivating Potential

Why Sprout?• Activate POTENTIAL• ENZYMES = electric ENERGY (negative electrons

which act to alkalize and neutralize free radical damage)

• grown easily in four to six days and require no effort and very little cost.

• Increase quality and quantity of PROTEIN– Barley Grass -Original seed 10.1% 4 day old 10.8% 6 day

old 13.7% 8 day old 14.9%Wikipedia, Morgan, 1992– (mung bean sprout protein content equal to steak)

Break Down INHIBITORS! (phytic acid)

– Phytic acid is a strong chelator of important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, and can therefore contribute to mineral deficiencies in people whose diets rely on these foods for their mineral intake

Increases in Crude Fiber content

• Cuddeford (1989), based on data obtained by Peer and Leeson (1985), stated - “In sprouted barley, crude fibre, a major constituent of cell walls, increases both in percentage and real terms, with the synthesis of structural carbohydrates, such as cellulose and hemicellulose”.

• Chung et al. (1989) found that the fibre content increased from 3.75% in unsprouted barley seed to 6% in 5-day sprouts.”

NUTRIENT DENSITY• According to Shipard (2005) - “Sprouts provide a good supply of Vitamins A,

E & C plus B complex. Like enzymes, vitamins serve as bioactive catalysts to assist in the digestion and metabolism of feeds and the release of energy. They are also essential for the healing and repair of cells. However, vitamins are very perishable, and in general, the fresher the feeds eaten, the higher the vitamin content. The vitamin content of some seeds can increase by up to 20 times their original value within several days of sprouting. Mung Bean sprouts have B vitamin increases, compared to the dry seeds, of - B1 up 285%, B2 up 515%, B3 up 256%.

• Even soaking seeds overnight in water yields greatly increased amounts of B vitamins, as well as Vitamin C.

• Compared with mature plants, sprouts can yield vitamin contents 30 times higher.”

Inflammatory Omega 6 Fats TRANSFORM into Anti-Inflammatory

Omega 3 Fats!

• Most seeds/grains are SKY HIGH in Omega 6’s• Main cause of obesity/health problems

because of chronic inflammation• REMEMBER…GREEN = OMEGA 3• So when a seed sprouts and starts to “green

up” the fats are shifting into omega 3’s!!!

Grains Affect Vitamin Levels• Here’s why. Take a steer off pasture and put him in a feedlot. As

he comes off pasture his O6 to O3 fatty acid ratio is 1:1. After about 180 days in the feedlot his fatty acid ratio will have increased to the 15:1 to 18:1 range. As his fatty acid ratio changes his vitamin levels plunge. Vitamin A in the steer’s liver can drop as much as 80%. Vitamin E in his muscle tissue can fall 75%.

• This is the same thing that happens to people who eat grains, grain-based foods, and food products from grain-fed livestock. Alarmingly, knowing scientists estimate that due to the food today’s average American eats he has a fatty acid ratio of from 20:1 to 30:1. It’s no wonder then that children in America (grain-fed from conception) have ADD and diabetes and are obese. Their parents are in deeper trouble, yet they are none the wiser. The entire population resembles deer in the headlights. It focuses on materialistic consumption while its health and well-being empties into the sewer.

• Leafy, green plants are the foundation foods for all animal life. Grains are the leafy, green plants’ means of perpetuating their existence and the existence of all animal life. By violating the natural order of God’s given laws and/or of nature’s way, through grain farming man has created the worst of all WMDs. Now he’s killing himself off—because it’s cheap and convenient.

Alfalfa Sprouts - Saponins

• Alfalfa sprouts are one of our finest food sources of another compound, saponins. Saponins lower the bad cholesterol and fat but not the good HDL fats. Animal studies prove their benefit in arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Saponins also stimulate the immune system by increasing the activity of natural killer cells such as T- lymphocytes and interferon. The saponin content of alfalfa sprouts multiplies 450% over that of the unsprouted seed.

Alfalfa - Canavanine

• Studies on canavanine, an amino acid analog in alfalfa, has demonstrated benefit for pancreatic, colon and leukemia cancers. Plant estrogens (NOTE) are also abundant in sprouts. They increase bone formation and density and prevent bone breakdown or osteoporosis. They are also helpful in controlling hot flashes, menopause, PMS and fibrocystic breasts tumors.

Powerful Cellular Protection

• Sprouts have long been famous as "health food" but recent research shows that in addition to being a superb source of nutrients, they also have important curative ability. Sprouts like alfalfa, radish, broccoli, clover and soybean contain concentrated amounts of phytochemicals (plant compounds) that can protect us against disease.

• http://www.living-foods.com/articles/sproutbenefits.html

• Studies have also shown that broccoli and other types of sprout contain exceptionally high levels of a natural cancer fighting compound called sulforaphane (20 – 50 times more than in mature broccoli) which helps support antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E.

Controversies

• Food Borne Illness• Mold• Sprouted Bread??• Large Beans – should you or shouldn’t you?

Sprouted Grain Bread• ezekiel is still a lot better than regular bread because of the germination

process releasing the "potential" of the seed but unfortunately it still doesn't help a lot to reduce the amount of omega 6's that reside in the seed.

• the omega 3's are in full swing when seeds grow and turn GREEN. The 6's eventually turn into 3's as the plant grows. (wheat grass vs wheat)

• the other thing about bread is that it's baked. any heat over 118 degrees destroys all enzymes and eliminates the electrical charge the germinated seeds once possessed.

• and these free electrons are what we need. they act to neutralize the plus charges that are associated with acids and oxidative stress that "ages" our body.

• so...in summary...ezekiel is a much better bread option than anything else but the best bread is no bread.

• eat the sprouts while they're still living and capture their energy for your cells.

Natural Toxins?• Lathyrogen

Toxin One of the natural toxins that has been mentioned comes from the peas of the genus Lathyrus. It is blamed for causing a disease known as lathyrism. Lathyrism causes paralysis in the legs in susceptible individuals and is believed to be caused by a toxic amino acid. This sounds scary, but it’s not, because peas of the genus Lathyrus are not edible peas. The toxin is only found in the seeds of certain Lathyrus species (L. sativus, L. cicera, L. clymenun)! Edible peas and beans are of the genera Cicer, Glycine, Phaseolus, Pisum, and Vigna. They do not contain any such toxin. Non-edible peas of the genus Lathyrus include sweet peas, which are ornamentals grown for their scented flowers. In India, where food is often scarce, some people have resorted to eating a non-edible pea known as Lathyrus sativus. It is often called "chickpea" but is NOT the same chickpea eaten in this country or any other developed country.The edible chickpea is of the genus Cicer and in botany is known as Cicer arietinum. Outbreaks of lathyrism in India have been blamed on eating large amounts of the non-edible chickpea without proper cooking. Well-cooked, it is safe to eat. But it shouldn’t matter to us at all because it is considered an inedible species.

SAPONINS• Saponins

The second mistake often made in talking about natural toxins is to call something toxic that, in the body, is not toxic at all but rather, is beneficial. Such is the case with saponins. Saponins are a compound found in legumes and legume sprouts. They are toxic to red blood cells only in vitro (outside the body in a test tube) but harmless when ingested.

• In fact, Saponins appear to be beneficial, being responsible for a major part of the cholesteral-lowering effect of legumes. Perhaps it is more than coincidence that the increase in the increase of heart disease in the 20th century in the Western countries coincides with the with a decline in the consumption of saponin-rich legumes. Saponins also seem to be anticarcinogens; in one study they inhibited colon cancer. Even some of the most beneficial nutrients, such as vitamin C, can be shown to be toxic under certain laboratory conditions. Vitamin C is concidered an important antioxident, and substantial evidence shows that it is involved in cancer prevention. Yet under the right experimental conditions, in the presence of iron (Fe III) or copper (Cu II) ions, ascorbic acid can actually cause the formation of harmful free radicals. Does this mean you should try to avoid vitamin C? Absolutely not! These experimental conditions do not appear to be relevant to what goes on in our bodies.

Canavanine •

The third mistake made in the warning about some natural toxins is failing to say that the amount encountered in food is so miniscule that it is completely insignificant. Such is the case with a toxin called canavanine, which is found in alfalfa seeds. While some writers may make canavanine sound like a dangerous carcinogen ¾ it isn’t. Canavanine is a non-protein amino acid that’s toxic in high amounts. In the dry seed it serves as storage protein, a growth inhibitor, and a defense against natural predators. As you might guess, as a sprout grows, canavanine falls rapidly to insignificant levels. The text, Seed Physiology, clearly states that "Canavanine…is non-toxic to mammals at low concentration." Canavanine is so irrelevant that in the 1980 text, Toxic Constituents of Plant Foodstuffs, doesn’t even mention it. A 150-pound human would have to consume 14,000 milligrams of canavanine all at once for it to be toxic at the same level it is toxic in mice. This is an incredible amount! It is doubtful that with a generous helping of alfalfa sprouts, you would get no more than a few milligrams. There is NO canavanine at all in other legumes that are commonly used as human food. Even in toxic amounts, canavanine has nothing to do with cancer. In very high, toxic amounts it can cause a lupus-like anemia in susceptible animals due to an alteration in the red blood cells. These studies are not relevant to the human diet. The minute doses found in the diet are completely irrelevant and harmless. Just remember that most substances can show some kind of toxic effect at a high enough dose. Vitamin A, selenium, copper, zinc, and iron will all kill you at a high enough dose. So don’t stop eating alfalfa sprouts any more than you would any other food because of some minute toxin that might be present. They are a good source of vitamin C, folic acid, and othe protective compounds.

• ANTI-NUTRIENTS IN SPROUTED LEGUMES As far as the sprouts of other legumes go, the only other toxins for which any concern has been raised is for a class know as anti-nutrients. These are substances that bind enzymes or nutrients and inhibit the absorption of the nutrients. The commonly alleged anti-nutrients are protease inhibitors, amylase inhibitors, phytic acid, and polyphenolic compounds such as tannins. With proper soaking and germination, none of these are anything to worry about.

• Natural Toxins in Sprouted Seeds: Separating Myth from Reality by Warren Peary and William Peavy, Ph.D. http://www.living-foods.com/articles/sproutmyths.html

• Reduction of Anti-Nutritional Factors• Phytic Acid occurs primarily in the seed coats and germ of

plant seeds. It forms insoluble or nearly insoluble compounds with minerals including Calcium, Iron, Magnesium and Zinc, such that they cannot be effectively absorbed into the blood. Diets high in phytic acid and poor in these minerals produce mineral deficiency symptoms in experimental animals (Gontzea and Sutzescu, 1958, as cited in Chavan and Kadam, 1989). The latter authors state that the sprouting of cereals has been reported to decrease levels of Phytic Acid. Similarly, Shipard (2005) states that enzymes of germination and sprouting have the ability to eliminate detrimental substances such as Phytic Acid.

• Even after you harvest your sprouts and refrigerate them, they will continue to grow slowly, and their vitamin content will actually increase.

Sprouted Lentils

Wheat Grass

Low Tech, Inexpensive Tools

Pumpkin Seeds Sprouting

Hairs, not Mold

VERY Handy

Type A Little Faster, Please…

BTW…Amazing Image From www.donnacaulton.com