Adding sprouted greens to your diet is definitely a way to live long and prosper. Research has shown that seed and bean sprouts have more nutrition than just the seed or bean itself. This is because extra vitamins, antioxidants and enzymes are formed as a seed is in the sprouting process. A study at Johns Hopkins in 1997 reported finding 50 times more glucoraphanin in broccoli sprouts than in mature broccoli. Glucorphanin is a compound found mainly in broccoli that some experts have reported can reduce the risks some chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. Sprouts of various types have also been found to improve immune system function, blood purification, improve mood, maintain the balance between acidity and alkalinity in the body, detoxify the body, guard against ulcers, feed the body on a cellular level and improve energy by stabilizing blood sugar levels. Green sprouts, which are the germinated seeds of grains or legumes, are good sources of fiber, protein, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, micro-nutrients, antioxidants and best of all they are low in calories and are digested and used by the body easily.
According to Chris D. Meletis, N.D., naturopathic physician and director of science and research at Trace Minerals Research in Roy, Utah, in 2007 it was reported that 89% of Americans don’t get the amount of fruits and vegetables they need. If you aren’t getting 5 to 7 servings of veggies and fruits each day in your diet then green sprouts may be just what you need to live long and prosper.
Green Sprouts and Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is what makes plants green and is very important in the process of photosynthesis which is how plants get energy from the sun. Chlorophyll has a structure much like human red blood cells. Eating green foods can help replenish red blood cells thus boosting energy. Plants with chlorophyll are also a good way to get vitamin K, necessary for clotting the blood, into your diet naturally. Chlorophyll has also been shown to stimulate liver function and excretion of bile, strengthen immunity, and detoxify chemical pollutants. The best way to make sure you are getting chlorophyll in your diet is eating algae, cereal grasses or green sprouts.
Maintain Acid-Alkaline Balance
Another benefit of green sprouts is that they can help your body maintain the proper balance of acidity and alkalinity. Having a pH level that is too acidic can affect how many of the body systems work. According to Brandon Bert, cofounder of Amazing Grass, San Francisco, CA, eating processed foods, drinking too much coffee or alcohol, having a diet with a lot of meat or dairy and being under too much stress can all raise acidity in the body. He emphasizes that one detriment of having a pH level in the acidic range is that it increases the amount of fat the body stores to protect the organs from too much acid. A pH level of 7 on a scale of one to fourteen is the balance that greens can help the body maintain through the alkaline effect they produce.
Green Sprouts and Immunity
Greens have been shown to nourish the body cells helping them to work at their best. This includes the immune cells which need to be in good working order to fight off damage from free radicals and foreign invaders that enter the body and can make us sick. The immune system particularly benefits from the chlorophyll in green foods since it is able to kill off bacteria and viruses and replenishes red and white blood cells which are part of the immune system. According to Brandon Bert, chlorophyll’s ability to detox and to ward off the growth of bacteria makes it a real asset to immune system function.
An Easy Way to Add Green Sprouts to Your Diet
If you are on the run and holding down a demanding busy lifestyle, it can be difficult to get all the greens you need to stay healthy into your daily meals. This is where supplementation can be a great solution. Synthetic vitamins just don’t do the trick when it comes to how the body takes in the nutrients it needs and converts them to a form it can use. This is a complex process and vitamins from a pill often don’t have the extra components that should naturally go with it in order for it to be helpful. Getting sprouted greens from real wholefood sources is necessary. These wholefood sources however can be in a supplement form which are merely the concentrated form of the food source put in powder form. This wholefood supplement gives you a combination of kale sprouts, red clover sprouts, wheat sprouts, Dunaliella salina algae and AFA bluegreen algae making it rich in chlorophyll, glutathione, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. The nutritional value of this combination of wholefood ingredients gives you:
- the antioxidant power, vitamin K, minerals, vitamins, lutein and zeaxanthin compounds, carotenoids and flavonoids of kale sprouts
- the protein, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, enzymes, and antioxidants associated with red clover sprouts
- the fiber, protein, essential minerals, amino acids, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, active enzymes, and the powerful antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) from wheat sprouts
- all the nutritional value from AFA bluegreen algae and Dunaliella Salina, a sea microalgae with high carotenoid content (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein), antioxidants, important vitamins, a high concentration of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and a broad spectrum of readily assimilated minerals
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