How to Sprout Seeds in a Jar for Vitamins, Minerals and to Improve Digestion

We have been regularly sharing healthy recipes to help support your natural health and immune system… and today we have a really good one for you! Sprouting seeds isn’t exactly a recipe, but it is a regular eating practice that I do myself to produce fresh vitamin-packed greens every day and they can be a great food for breaking your fast. We're going to show you how to easily sprout seeds in a jar and fill you in on all the health benefits. Quite simply, “sprouts” are 3-5 day old sprouted seeds which can easily be grown on your windowsill. Seeds most commonly used are mung beans, lentils, clover, radish, alfalfa, broccoli and mustard seeds (nice spicy flavor!) They may then be eaten in their entirety, including the sprout and seed, on salads, sandwiches, soups, in stir-fries and as a garnish or accompaniment to almost any dish. Sprouted seeds contain an impressive list of vitamins, including vitamin A , vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, pantothenic acid, niacin, thiamin and riboflavin. They also contain several minerals, including manganese, copper, zinc, magnesium, iron, and calcium as well as a notable amount of protein and dietary fiber. Perhaps less widely known, are the digestive benefits of sprouting seeds. Proteolytic enzymes contained within sprouts help to make carbohydrates and proteins digestible by your body. Your body also makes this enzyme, but as we age, our ability to manufacture enzymes wanes and regularly consuming them can preserve your enzyme-making ability for other essential enzymes. You may have heard some bad press about eating sprout seeds and this is mainly due to the mass production and commercial supply of sprouts. There have been some incidence of grocery store sprouts containing bacteria, including Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli. This has led many stores to add preservatives to the sprouts… yuck! Sprouting your own seeds is much safer, so easy and you’ll have a constant fresh crop of sprout seeds to add to your food every day! Click here for a printable version of this recipe.