IN THE SPOTLIGHT
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stay-healthy secrets from leading experts
Growing Your Nutrition with Sprouts
The time to discover the incredible health benefits of sprouting is now, says Doug Evans, author of The Sprout Book. He explains why.
When Organic Avenue co-founder and Juicero CEO Doug Evans started growing sprouts on his countertop 20 years ago while living in the remote California desert, he had no idea that his new life purpose
Everyone Wants to Know … BN: What are your top three reasons to eat sprouts? DE: Sprouts are high-quality plant-based nutrition, they are easy/accessible, and very affordable. They are under a dollar a serving, and there’s even bigger economic leverage when you sprout on your own instead of buying sprouts in the store.
BN: How can sprouting ease food security concerns during uncertain times? DE: The time to sprout is not for your next New Year’s resolution or summer cleanse, but now, when the question of where your next bag of fresh produce will come from has suddenly become uncertain. Running
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as a sprout advocate was also taking root. As he took control of his diet and started researching this sustainable way of eating, “I began to realize that sprouts could be the answer to personal nutrition and food security for people everywhere,” Evans says.
to the store might not necessarily be the safest option, but if you have a pound of broccoli sprout seeds in your kitchen, you can feed your family fresh veggies for a few months. They are the diamonds that you don’t need to leave your home to find.
BN: Which sprouting method do you recommend for beginners? DE: The easiest method is unequivocally the sprouting jar. If you already have a mason jar and a piece of cheesecloth, you have all the equipment you need. Online you can buy a mesh screen, either plastic or metal, that screws onto the jar so you can strain them—that is generally the easiest and most successful means of sprouting. You add the seeds and water, soak them
“Just about every vitamin and nutrient can be found in sprouts. It’s simply a matter of which sprout you eat for higher degrees of certain nutrients,” he says. And even those who’ve long gone plantbased can up their game. “Sprouts contain all of the potent, naturally occurring
between five hours and overnight, then rinse them. In a few days you can harvest and eat them. The most important thing is to make sure that you’re rinsing them and draining them fully at least twice a day. There are many nuances, as every seed is different. My book has a simple overview of the different seeds and how to successfully sprout them.
BN: So that really keeps them as clean as possible to avoid contamination? DE: Correct. The seeds need water to germinate and they need air. Because the water is still, it can easily become contaminated. I recommend rinsing the seeds several times before you soak them to make sure they are clean. And to make sure they don’t develop mold when you store the sprouts in the
fridge, you need to dry them off.
BN: You recommend buying organic seeds. But when should we also look for seeds with a higher germination rate? DE: A lot of seeds such as lentils and peas may be grown for the purpose of cooking, so if you’re cooking them, the germination may not matter. But if your intention is to sprout them to eat them (raw), a higher germination rate will give you better-quality nutrition and less likelihood of getting mold.
BN: Any tips for buying sprouts in the store? DE: Part of it is establishing a relationship with your vendors. You want to get the freshest sprouts with the longest shelf life, and you want to develop a rapport to
• JUNE 2020
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4/23/20 10:59 AM
Photo: adobestock.com
BY CHRIS MANN
