Growing Alfalfa Sprouts For Your Health

You've probably seen alfalfa sprouts at the grocery store or in a salad bar. You may have even tried them in a sandwich or on a salad. But what do you really know about sprouts.

The most popular sprouts have been alfalfa sprouts and bean sprouts. You can also find radish sprouts, broccoli sprouts, and sunflower sprouts at many local grocery and health food stores. In actuality any seed, grain, bean, and nut can be sprouted as long as it hasn't been pasteurized.

You can find alfalfa seeds at a local coop or health food store. You can also order sprouting supplies online. Alfalfa seeds cost between 2 and 5 dollars per pound. One pound of seed will grow between 8 and 10 pounds of sprouts. If you can, get organic seed.

Growing your own sprouts is a relatively simple process. The first step you will take is to soak 1 tablespoon of alfalfa seed in a quart jar for about 4 hours. Find a cover for your jar. I recommend a clean old nylon and a rubber band to secure it to the jar. You can also buy a ready made lid just for sprouting.

After you've soaked the seed you will want to rinse it several times to remove any contaminates. Now the sprouting begins. Place the jar at an angle so any excess water can drain out. Make sure it is in a secure place. If you can, place the jar in the dark.

Rinse the now growing sprouts at least twice a day. This is a very important step to insure a nice healthy crop. Don't forget or they will dry out and you will have to start all over. Within 5 to 7 days you will have a quart jar full of healthy delicious alfalfa sprouts. Rinse and repeat.

You can have a fresh healthy supply or alfalfa sprouts all year round. Considering the fact that sprouts can cost more than $4 per pound at the store you can save a bundle of money too.

Not only are sprouts easy to grow, they are a powerhouse of healthy nutrition. It is at the sprouting stage that a plant has its greatest nutritional value. As the plant continues to grow the concentrated food value of the sprout diminishes.

Alfalfa sprouts are the most nutritious of sprouts. They are very high in protein. A 4 oz. serving has 5 grams of protein. They are also very high in vitamin C, the B vitamins, and minerals. In fact pound for pound alfalfa sprouts have the highest nutritional value for any fruit or vegetable you will find in the produce department of any grocery store.

Since sprouts are a live food they also offer the benefits of living enzymes. In a world full of over cooked over processed foods, living enzymes are a rare commodity. Living enzymes are very important for a healthy body.

Alfalfa sprouts are a dieters best friend also. They are the perfect food to compliment a weight loss program. They are low in calories, high in nutrition, and high in fiber. What more could you ask for!

Alfalfa sprouts should be a part of every persons diet on a regular basis. Do your body a favor and eat some sprouts today.