Looking to supercharge your diet with green and sustainable food that packs a powerful nutritional punch? It’s time to get your sprout on!
From delicate and sweet green pea sprouts, cute and colorful beet sprouts to spicy broccoli ones, these tiny but mighty superfoods are a surefire way to add crunch, texture and some serious zing to your favorite dishes. But before you reach out for a store-bought pack, did you know that sprouting at home is an easy, fun and cost-effective way to add fresh produce to your diet and take your health and sustainability game to the next level?
Here are the top 10 reasons why we love sprouting at home!
1. A Budget-Friendly Way to Eat Green and Clean
Let’s be real: eating healthy can sometimes put a strain on your wallet. But worry not — sprouts are one of the most budget-friendly superfoods out there. Especially if you sprout them at home! No need for fancy sprouting equipment, either. Just 1-2 tablespoons of seeds will fill out your jar nicely and give you plenty of fresh produce to harvest.
2. Fuel Your Body With Nutrient-Dense Petite Veggies
Abundant in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fiber, plant protein and calcium, sprouts are a fantastic addition to any diet. Plus, they are generally low in calories, which makes them a go-to choice for those looking to maintain a healthy weight or improve their overall health.
3. Get a Natural Detox
Holistic medicine sees sprouts as living food. Chinese traditional medicine practitioners have been recommending them as a natural remedy for various conditions for thousands of years. Results of a 2014 clinical trial, published in the American Association for Cancer Research Journal, have shown that broccoli sprouts help eliminate two harmful chemicals: benzene and acrolein. So, next time you're looking for a healthy snack, give sprouts a try and enjoy their detoxifying benefits.
4. Sprout for a Healthy Gut
Sprouting raises the insoluble fiber content in a seed which acts as a prebiotic— making your gut microbiome flourish and helping to prevent constipation.
5. Unlock a Robust Immune System
Sprouts are rich in vitamins that support the immune system — like vitamins C, K and B-complex — which makes these tiny veggies the ultimate natural immune system boosters.
6. Less Waste and Greener Lifestyle
By choosing to sprout in reusable containers or jars you help reduce the packaging waste — most of which ends up in landfills. But also, sprouting at home gives you better control over the amount of produce you want to use, so you can avoid food waste at home and work your way towards a zero waste kitchen.
7. Take the Low Carbon Path
By growing your food at home, you don't have to worry about the environmental impact of transporting sprouts from the farm to the store to your home. This can reduce the amount of carbon emissions associated with transportation and help lower your overall carbon footprint.
8. No Green Thumb Needed
Sprouting at home is easy — even if you’re not a master gardener. You don’t have to worry about having a garden or outdoor space, weather, temperature, sunlight or soil. You can sprout in any weather, any time of year — all you need is a jar, some seeds, some water and a tiny bit of space. Your kitchen counter will work perfectly!
9. Spruce Up Your Meals With Sprouts
Days of tossing a fistful of sprouts on top of your salad and calling it a day are long gone. Upgrade your sandwiches, wraps, soups, omelets, tacos, smoothies, Buddha bowls and stir fries with sprouts for extra crunch, freshness and nutritional kick — you can even use them as a healthy pizza topping! While it’s best to enjoy them fresh for the greatest nutritional benefit, some — like mung bean, soybean, lentil and radish sprouts — can be lightly cooked. To avoid overcooking the sprouts, it's best to add them toward the end of the cooking process.
10. Fun and Rewarding Way to Grow Your Own Food
Knowing you have grown your own food — or at least some of it — is incredibly rewarding, and sprouting is a simple and easy way to start. It’s also a fun way to bond with others through a healthy, sustainable activity that can be enjoyed by all — your partner, kids, roommate(s), and family! Plus, you can experiment with different types of seeds (grains, seeds, beans and nuts) and create your own unique blends!
Ready to Start Reaping the Benefits of Sprouting?
Feeling inspired and ready to start growing your own tiny greens? We got you covered! Meet Sprout Huggers — the latest addition to our family of eco-friendly kitchen tools and a great alternative to fancy sprouters.
This silicone sprouting set doesn’t just look cute — you can use it to grow your fresh greens over and over again (and yes, it’s covered by our lifetime guarantee). Plus, we designed it to be dishwasher safe — making cleaning between uses a breeze and your home-sprouting safe and healthy.
You’ll be happy to know that Sprout Huggers fit most regular-mouth jars, so you can re-use those old jars you have lying around your home and turn them into pint-sized gardens abundant in fresh greens.
The best part? Sprout Huggers are incredibly easy to use — even for a complete beginner. Each set comes with detailed picture-based instructions that cover every step of the process, from selecting and soaking the seeds or beans to care and cleaning. Want to learn more about how to kick off your home sprouting project? Read all about it in our sprouting help page How to Use Sprout Huggers.
Let’s Sum It Up
Sprouting is an easy, affordable, and eco-friendly way to boost your nutrition and add some fun, flavor and fresh goodness to your meals.
Plus, it allows you to minimize waste, reduce your carbon footprint, and watch your food come to life — before your very eyes!
Ready to get your sprout on? Check out Sprout Huggers today.
References:
- Egner, P.A., Chen, J.-G. ., Zarth, A.T., Ng, D.K., Wang, J.-B. ., Kensler, K.H., Jacobson, L.P., Munoz, A., Johnson, J.L., Groopman, J.D., Fahey, J.W., Talalay, P., Zhu, J., Chen, T.-Y. ., Qian, G.-S. ., Carmella, S.G., Hecht, S.S. and Kensler, T.W. (2014). Rapid and Sustainable Detoxication of Airborne Pollutants by Broccoli Sprout Beverage: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial in China. Cancer Prevention Research, 7(8), pp.813–823. doi:https://doi.org/10.1158/1940-6207.capr-14-0103.