Growing Your Own...Alfalfa Sprouts

4 day old Alfalfa Sprouts

Growing your own alfalfa sprouts is an extremely simple operation,  providing health benefits to your diet that border on sounding absurd.  I started my first batch of alfalfa sprouts on Sunday, and now, only 4 days later, I’m tempted to throw a pinch or two on my salad.  They’ll officially be done tomorrow.

Nutrition Information:

According to Nutrition Data, alfalfa sprouts are a good source of protein, vitamin A, niacin, and calcium, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, pantothenic acid, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and manganese.  They, of course, contain no saturated fat and are low sodium, and very low in cholesterol.  They contain 49mg of Omega 3, and 65mg of Omega 6.  A one ounce serving (about what you might put on a salad or sandwich) has only 6 calories.  And to top it all off, they are considered mildly anti-inflammatory.

Rich in phytochemicals, according to HealthyEatingAdvisor.com, they protect against cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and fibrocystic breast disease.  They stimulate natural killer cell activity which strengthens the immune system, and are beneficial for reducing symptoms of PMS and menopause, including hot flashes.  HealthyEatingAdvisor.com goes on to state that alfalfa sprouts contain chigh concentrations of antioxidants, the body’s defense against the destruction of DNA which is the cause of aging.  Alfalfa sprouts are also abundant sources of carotene, chlorophyll, amino acids, and trace elements.  They contain 45% protein, according to Nutrition Data.  One pound of alfalfa seed can produce 10-14 pounds of sprouts…that is a LOT of sprouts.

Eat them on salad, on sandwiches, by themselves, with dressing, in a smoothie if you just want to add a mild-tasting, easily covered-up-with-fruit spike to the nutritional goodness of your smoothies.  Growing them is simple, buying them is cheap (I paid $3.40 for 4 oz. of organic alfalfa seed at a local health food store.)  You can order them online at SproutPeople.org for only $8.40 for a WHOLE POUND.  (Please mention I sent you J)

Size of my container in relation to spoon.

Left: 3 day sprouts. Right: 4 day sprouts.

I grew my sprouts in a Rubbermaid plastic container covered with cheesecloth, which was secured to the top with a rubber band.  Here is a video (you'll want to see it) showing how to grow sprouts.  But my basic procedure was:

1.     Add 2 tablespoons organic alfalfa sprouting seeds to a one quart container. Soak in 2 cups water for 8 hours.

2.     Drain and rinse, and drain again.

3.     Rinse and drain 2 or 3 times a day.

4.     Be amazed every time.

5.     Rinse, drain thoroughly, and store in the frig.

6.     Enjoy on salad or whatever.

Interesting Links:

Nutrition Data

SproutPeople