Broccoli Sprouts
Sprouts are Very Healthy
There are many types of sprouts you can easily grow in your kitchen. Three-day-old sprouts of crucifers including broccoli and cauliflower contain 10–100 times higher levels of glucoraphanin (the glucosinolate of sulforaphane) than do the corresponding mature plants.1 Research shows that broccoli sprouts have a broad spectrum of health benefits and even help to cure influenza.2 They can prevent DNA damage, metastatic cancer, activate defenses against pollutants, help prevent lymphoma, mitigate breast and prostate cancer.3 Also, sprouting is very economical at about 25 cents per cup and you can easily order the broccoli sprout seeds online.
How to Sprout
Here is how to grow broccoli sprouts which have an abundance of nutrients even more than mature broccoli. Take four wide-mouth Mason jars with a 2 ¼ cup capacity and order or make screen tops that are screwed on with a Mason jar lid. It is best to order stainless steel or plastic tops and screens to avoid eventual rust. Put two tablespoons of broccoli seeds in the first jar, fill with water, and let soak for 8 or more hours. Drain, place the jar at an angle so sprouts dry and don’t bunch up, and replace the water once or twice daily until the jar is filled with sprouts (about 4 days). Put the jar with mature sprouts in the refrigerator so the sprouts don’t spoil and use in salads, sandwiches, and smoothies. Repeat the process with the other jars on succeeding days so you always have a supply of grown sprouts on hand.
Options
Some refinements to sprouting are using fresh organic seeds made for sprouting that have a high germination rate. There are sources available online that meet these criteria. Another option is that seeds can be initially soaked in apple cider vinegar and soap for 10 minutes to mitigate the possibility of bacteria on the seeds if you are unsure of your source. Rinsing grown sprouts in 160 F water can increase the production of sulforaphane three-fold.4
Try sprouting. It’s healthy and fun to have a continuous economical supply of green veggies always available in even the smallest kitchens.
1. Fahey JW, Zhang Y, Talalay P. Broccoli sprouts: an exceptionally rich source of inducers of enzymes that protect against chemical carcinogens. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997;94(19):10367-10372. doi:10.1073/pnas.94.19.10367.
2. Müller L, Meyer M, Bauer RN, et al. Effect of Broccoli Sprouts and Live Attenuated Influenza Virus on Peripheral Blood Natural Killer Cells: A Randomized, Double-Blind Study. PLoS One. 2016;11(1):e0147742. Published 2016 Jan 28. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147742.
3. Greger M, Stone G. How Not To Die. New York, NY: Flatiron Books; 2015: 304-305.
4. Matusheski NV, Juvik JA, Jeffery EH. Heating decreases epithiospecifier protein activity and increases sulforaphane formation in broccoli. Phytochemistry. 2004;65(9):1273-1281. doi:10.1016/j.phytochem.2004.04.013
