Re: Footnote on raw sprouts

[Guest guest]

Hi Suzanne,

Actually, I have a lot of problems with thinking sprouts are good, mainly I don't have any USDA data for most. Even SR 15 doesn't have it. I'd like to think the backers know what they're talking about - I just don't see any data to support it.

I wonder about logical things, like why not just eat the seeds? I'm not short of vitamins. How many do I need? RDAs are easy to come by in ordinary vegetables. When you sprout you just add a lot of water to the mix although you may remove the seed hulls, which, BTW, might contain chemicals that kill cancer cells.

My one experience growing my own sprouts led me to the bathroom a lot, so now I cook them, regardless where I get them. It might be a reaction to beans.

But my reluctance is mostly lack of data. And I like fresh veggies, fruit and rice.

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: Suzanne Cart

CR Support Group

Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2003 9:41 AM

Subject: [ ] Footnote on raw sprouts

If you include raw sprouts in your diet, by all means grow your own from good quality seeds. The sprouts you find in the market are notorious bearers of e-coli and other things that go bump in the night. As we discussed just a few days ago, many foods are healthy in moderation but sickening by the pound...sprouts probably no exception.

www.sprouthouse.com

Suz

[Guest guest]

While I don't claim any expertise regarding sprouts (I did read one beginner book) I know what I like, and fresh sprouts just taste good.

About just eating the seeds, there are changes in the macronutrient ratios and surely the micro nutrients after vs, before sprouting. I can't speak specifically about the benefits of sprouting but recall some discussion of toxins in the seeds that were converted by sprouting, this may vary from type to type.

Regarding fresh vs. store bough, I can't speak from experience because I've never bought sprouts. I can hardly look at them in the store.. they just look nasty compared to fresh home grown.

Spouting is easy to do and fairly low maintenance for what you get. While I doubt sprouts have any magical curative properties, they are not likely to be harmful. In fact they're mostly water. A good source of variety and something tasty to graze on with near zero calories....

Just my $.02 YMMV

JR

-----Original Message-----From: jwwright [mailto:jwwright@...]Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2003 10:44 AM Subject: Re: [ ] Footnote on raw sprouts

Hi Suzanne,

Actually, I have a lot of problems with thinking sprouts are good, mainly I don't have any USDA data for most. Even SR 15 doesn't have it. I'd like to think the backers know what they're talking about - I just don't see any data to support it.

I wonder about logical things, like why not just eat the seeds? I'm not short of vitamins. How many do I need? RDAs are easy to come by in ordinary vegetables. When you sprout you just add a lot of water to the mix although you may remove the seed hulls, which, BTW, might contain chemicals that kill cancer cells.

My one experience growing my own sprouts led me to the bathroom a lot, so now I cook them, regardless where I get them. It might be a reaction to beans.

But my reluctance is mostly lack of data. And I like fresh veggies, fruit and rice.

Regards.

----- Original Message -----

From: Suzanne Cart

CR Support Group

Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2003 9:41 AM

Subject: [ ] Footnote on raw sprouts

If you include raw sprouts in your diet, by all means grow your own from good quality seeds. The sprouts you find in the market are notorious bearers of e-coli and other things that go bump in the night. As we discussed just a few days ago, many foods are healthy in moderation but sickening by the pound...sprouts probably no exception.

www.sprouthouse.com

Suz

[Guest guest]

--- " jwwright " <jwwright@e...> wrote:

> Actually, I have a lot of problems with thinking sprouts are

> good, mainly I don't have any USDA data for most.

> Even SR 15 doesn't have it. I'd like to think the backers

> know what they're talking about - I just don't see any data

> to support it.

There's some nutritional data about sprouts on a page Dean cited:

http://www.easygreen.com/articles/nutritional_data.html

USDA has data for wheatgrass, cress, alfalfa, mustard, mung beans,

kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans, lentils, peas, radishes,

and soy beans.

Of course this leaves very much unsaid - since such databases can

only give a hint of the nutrients in natural foods.

> I wonder about logical things, like why not just eat the seeds?

Well sometimes you can do that as well. I eat both sunflower

seeds and sunlfower greens, for example.

There are substantial nutritional differences between a seed and a

green plant, though. Seeds often contain much fuel as stored fat -

which is burnt off during the germination process. Also seeds often

contain a variesy of anti-nutrients, things to prevent them from

being eaten before spring arrives - and enzyme inhibitors, that keep

the enzymes within the seed inactive until it is ready to grow;

these inactivate some of our own digestive enzymes - as well as

those in the seed.

Some things are lost during sprouting, and - if you take the process

far enough - other things are added from the soil, or synthesized.

Many of the seeds I sprout are unpalatable or indigestible on their

own. Flax, Buckwheat, Kamut, radish, alfalfa, etc.

The choice is between cooking them, grinding them into a paste or

sprouting them - and sprouting often seems the most attractive

of these alternatives.

If anything I would like to reduce my intake of unsprouted seeds.

Too many calories - and a bad omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratio - are

two of the factors there.

> I'm not short of vitamins. How many do I need? RDAs are easy

> to come by in ordinary vegetables. When you sprout you just

> add a lot of water to the mix although you may remove the

> seed hulls, which, BTW, might contain chemicals that kill

> cancer cells.

If you really think this, there's nothing stopping you from eating

them.

Sprouts themselves are pretty impressive cancer protectors.

Brassica vegetables seem to be the best against cancer overall.

However I don't think maky people eat the seeds. They are typically

tiny and rather tasteless - though not that hard to chew up. The

studies on cancer protection that I'm aware of have been on sprouts

or mature plants - e.g.:

http://members.xoom.virgilio.it/glioblastoma/integrative/potential_su

pplements/brassicas/fahey_1997.htm

Sprouting /does/ add water - but if anything I prefer eating water

in plant form to drinking it.