Several factors influence health, and nutrition plays an important role alongside effective physical exercise and rest. We also know the other health factors in the NEW START acronym—nutrition, physical exercise, water, sunshine, temperance, pure air, rest, and trust in God—should not be neglected.
In order to enjoy the benefits of a healthy diet to their fullest, our food needs to be obtained as naturally as possible. Therefore, in the following article we propose that you exploit the concept of “indoor gardening.” When we hear “indoor gardening” we probably think of a greenhouse, but in this article we will talk about the garden inside your kitchen or any other room that has some space and natural light. This kind of “garden” involves growing sprouts and microgreens. Harvesting them will bring not only health, but also food independence during the cold season, when food variety is limited. This method of doing “agriculture” in one’s own home is becoming attractive to an increasing number of people who desire a healthy diet and who want to be assured that their food is rich in nutrients.
Definitions
Sprouts are seeds that, when hydrated, have started the sprouting process, leading to the development of a new plant. Sprouts are ready for consumption when they reach a length of 2-5 cm. Microgreens are young plants that have outgrown the sprouting stage and are consumed when they reach a length of over 5 cm. Some microgreens are consumed when 15-18 cm long, such as wheatgrass and barley. In these particular cases, one should only use the juice obtained by pressing the microgreens, since the cellulose fiber that they contain are not adequate for human consumption. The well-known sunflower or buckwheat greens are harvested when 9-12 cm long and are eaten whole in salads or they can be pressed into juice.
Advantages
Growing sprouts and microgreens will greatly enhance nutrition and will boost your health (1):
Maximum of nutrient density – every article of food should be evaluated by using the health equation, which is the ratio of its nutritional content to the amount of calories.
Health = Nutrients / Calories
The bigger the ratio, the more health benefits our food contains; looked at through this equation, sprouts and microgreens become very valuable, because their nutritional density is only exceeded by edible algae, also called superfoods (Spirulina, Chlorella, etc.). Seeds contain all the energy and reserves to start a new life. As soon as the seed is hydrated, that energy deposit is unlocked and the plant gets ready to germinate. When eaten at this stage, as a sprout or young seedling, you will benefit from a wealth of macro- and micronutrients.
Digestibility – seeds contain inhibitor enzymes that keep the life of the embryo in a dormant state. These compounds slow the digestive process; through hydration and germination, however, these enzymes are deactivated and the organism will be able to decompose the food easier, so that the individual components can be absorbed into the bloodstream. When a seed gets ready for germination, the nutritional content doubles or even triples. Additionally, enzyme activity is very intense, which will greatly reduce the energy spent by our digestive system, as opposed to normal conditions.
Availability – one can harvest sprouts or microgreens after 5-12 days, depending on the type of seeds, anytime of the year. By contrast, lettuce, for instance, needs 45 days from the time of planting until it can be harvested.
Freshness – what can be fresher than the microgreens you cut exactly when you need to a salad for lunch or dinner?
Organic – you can’t find a salad with a more reliable quality guarantee than the one you grow yourself. Sprouts and microgreens, therefore, will comply with all conditions for organic growth, because you are the one who controls the environment.
Economy – of course, we also think about the financial aspect. I invite you to do some math. From my own three-year experience of “indoor gardening,” I have noticed that the most affordable seeds, and the ones with the highest nutritional content, are sunflower seeds. I will also specify that, in the following example, I only compare the amount of vegetative material; if I should compare the nutritional content, the financial savings would be much greater. So, from one kilogram of sunflower seeds, which in the current market costs 8 RON [1.62 EUR], we get approximately 3 kg of microgreens, while 1 kg of lettuce grown in organic soil, in January, costs 15 RON [3.03 EUR]. Thus, we can conclude that microgreens are 5 times cheaper.
Even though seeds contain lots of elements that are transformed into quality nutrients, wheatgrass and barley greens, which are grown to be pressed into juice, as well as sunflower seeds and buckwheat, need to be grown in organic soil (soil that is rich in minerals and nitrogen compounds, that has not been depleted through intensive agriculture, and that has not been treated with chemicals; forest soil, for example, is organic soil). During the first days, these seedlings develop a rich radicular system (network of roots) which allows them to absorb minerals from the soil. Other seeds may be grown hydroponically (without soil, only water).
For 1 kilogram of indoor “salad” you will need: |
5 spoonfuls of seeds |
23 cm shelf space |
1-2 min / day for watering |
Natural light |
5-10 days for maturity |
A vertical seed sprouter |
Growing sprouts without soil:
Step 1: Let the seeds hydrate in spring or filtrated water (do not use water filtered with reversed osmosis systems because it is distilled water that lacks minerals) 12-24 h in a dark place inside a glass container. Rinse abundantly 2 -3 times.
Step 2: Drain water and place seeds in the sprouting tray or in a jar covered with a sieve. Place jar upside down at a 45-degree tilt so that excess water can be drained and air is allowed in. Seeds should not block the entrance of air. Place the jar in a dark and ventilated place.
Step 3: For the next 3-5 days, rinse twice a day with water or even 3-4 times during the summer when it is very hot.
Step 4: When the first blade appears, we let the sprouts develop for 1 or 2 more days, after which we expose the jar to natural light. Do not expose to direct sunlight.
Step 5: Harvest sprouts when they reach a length of 2-5 cm, depending on the type of seed, and when the blade has turned green.
Growing microgreens in soil:
Step 1: Let the seeds hydrate in spring or filtrated water (do not use water filtered with reversed osmosis systems because it is distilled water that lacks minerals) 12-24 h in a dark place inside a glass container. Rinse abundantly 2 -3 times.
Step 2: Drain water and spread equally on a plastic or metal tray 4-5 high in which 2-3 cm of humid soil has been placed beforehand. Place the tray in a dry and ventilated place.
Step 3: For the next 3-5 days, spray water twice a day or 3-4 time during the summer when it is very hot.
Step 4: When the first blade appears, we let the sprouts develop for 1 or 2 more days, after which we expose the tray to natural light. Do not expose to direct sunlight.
Step 5: We harvest the microgreens whenever we notice the appearance of the next series of blades. After the plant has germinated and produced the first blade (2 blades for dicotyledons: sunflower seeds, beans), the plant will start gathering energy, nutrients, enzymes to produce the next leaf, so now is the best time to harvest since it contains the maximum nutritional content. For wheatgrass and barley, this moment is called the connecting point. If harvesting is not done right away, the seedling will consume that reserve for an intensive cellular division process. We then immediately observe the next generation of leaves/leaf, and the nutritional value decreases.
What can we sprout?
· Alfalfa
· Mustard
· Breckland thyme
· Basilicum
· Cabbage
· Broccoli
· Mungo beans
· Adzuki beans
· Sunflower
· Buckwheat
· Fenugreek
· Cress
· Peas
· Lentils
· Soy
· Chickpeas
· Kohlrabi
· Clover
· Radish
· Turnip
· Wheat
· Oats
· Rye
Ways to Eat
Sprouts and microgreens can be eaten raw and fresh in all kinds of different salads; all greens can be combined without any problems, so the limit of combinations lies only in individual preference and taste. I would point out not to combine any green thing with fruits (an exception would be avocado) or anything that is sweet or contains sugars. You will experience fermentations, bloating and a hindrance of absorption. The only microgreens that cannot be consumed in their normal state are wheatgrass, barley, and oat, because their fibrous stems are rich in cellulose and are inadequate for human consumption. These microgreens can be pressed in the green juicer, and the juice obtained is one of the richest sources of nutrients. People who suffer of tumors will not be able to eat sprouts because they are rich in growth elements; nevertheless, they may eat microgreens.
Even though I have presented in the beginning different reasons to encourage you to grow your own sprouts and microgreens, I would like to complete the list with results from research that emphasize their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, reduction and prevention of menopause symptoms, osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, intestinal diseases and heart diseases. A recent study (2) done in 2015 demonstrated that the amount of sulforaphane and vitamin C ingested through 30 g of broccoli microgreens has been associated with a decrease in urinary concentration of compounds related to inflammation and vascular reactions. These results confirm older data about the effect of isothicynates upon the inflammatory processes found in a majority of diseases, including tumors. Furthermore, a double-blind controlled placebo study done randomly on youth aged 13-27 suffering from moderate to severe autism has demonstrated that administering sulforaphane extracted from broccoli microgreens for 18 weeks resulted in an improvement of 53.8% of abnormal behavior, compared to 9.1% on placebo participants. (4)
As a closing, I would like to leave you the following statement by Steve Meyerowitz: “The food in your life doesn’t matter; what matters is the life in your food.” (3)
Bibliography
1. Steve Meyerowitz, Germenii mâncarea miraculoasă, Editura Benefica, București, 2009, pp. 19, 22
2. Sonia Medina, “The intake of broccoli sprouts modulates the inflammatory and vascular prostanoids but not the oxidative stress-related isoprostanes in healthy humans,” Food Chemistry, 173 (2015) 1187–1194
3. Steve Meyerowitz, Vindecări miraculoase cu iarbă de grâu, remediu pur, dăruit de natură, Editura Benefica, București, 2011, p. 55
4. Ren-You Gan, “Bioactive compounds and bioactivities of germinated edible seeds and sprouts: An updated review,” Trends in Food Science & Technology, 59 (2017) 1-14
5. Kanwaljit Singh, “Sulforaphane treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD),” PNAS | October 28, 2014 vol. 111 | no. 43 | 15555,
Geo Nedelcu, cofounder of the association Societatea Română de Medicina Stilului de Viață (Romanian Society for Lifestyle Medicine). I sustain and practice the principles that underlie a healthy lifestyle, which based on medical evidence plays an important role in the prevention and reversal of chronic diseases.
This article was published in the magazine Viață + Sănătate.
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