Are all sprouts created equal? Greens?

[codajess]

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[Spectatrix]

What kind of sprouts have you tried? There is quite a bit of nutritional variation between various types of sprouts and greens.

[Sharon in Colorado]

I would say that there is not one plant food that is better or more nutritionally adequate than another. They are different, and that is why as long as you are getting a variety (which doesn't mean they should always be mixed up in one meal) you are getting proper nutrients.

I regularly sprout radish, clover and alfalfa in a cycle so there are always fresh sprouts for salads and meals. Radish sprouts are great - they really give a salad some kick - very spicy.

I usually use spinach in my smoothies though. I have found that is the mildest. Or a spring mix of baby lettuces.

[codajess]

I've tried onion, alfalfa, radish, clover, um....a couple others. Some I dislike more than others. I'd eat them if I couldn't taste them, however I have a feeling putting onion sprouts in a smoothie wouldn't work out so great :p

I don't care for them in salads, I think they overwhelm. They taste like dry grass to me.

Have any ideas for how I can get them down without too much pain? :D

[codajess]

Is there that big of a difference between using spinach or kale or chard in my smoothies?

[lane]

Hey codajess,
Aside from the chlorophyll they all contain- i think greens have fairly different nutritional profiles- enough so to make mixing them up worthwhile anyway. Notice any sensitivities-- I've never experienced any allergies of any kind, yet I recently discovered that chard makes me feel ill- which is interesting??
lane

[Brianna]

Have you tried sunflower sprouts? THey are totally different from the little frizzy guys. I used to hate alfalfa, clover, etc, but now I crave them. I really love all kinds of sprouts. The green ones like sunflower, buckwheat, pea green are more cleaning to the body whereas the legume sprouts are more dense "builders" -- strong protein food.

I think as much variety as you can get in your diet is the best.

[Arky]

It's not just about the nutrients each kind of sprout offers - it's ALSO about the anti-nutrients each contains - in other words, ensuring you don't focus excessively on one kind of sprout is important not only for ensuring a variety of nutrients, but also in ensuring you don't get too much of anyone sprout's characteristic anti-nutrients. Buckwheat is a classic example - eat too many buckwheat sprouts on a regular basis and you run the risk of developing photosensitivity - AKA sunlight sensitivity of the skin.

When I first began investigating the raw food diet, I encountered, what I considered to be at the time, 'shock' after 'shock' after 'shock', as I learned about the anti-nutritive effects of certain elements of each fruit, vegetable, bean etc. Looking back, I now realise that this was a natural progression of knowledge which I have now matured to conclude the following from:

I now firmly believe that there is not a food substance on this planet (be it natural or otherwise) that is not potentially detrimental if consumed to excess. The old adage of eating a wide variety of foods is more profoundly true and wise than many people appreciate, even those who avoid refined foods. Hell, even water is unhealthy to consume excessively!

There are certain foods which I really would not now consume, not even in moderation (soy being an example, unless, perhaps, it is in fermented form - a tiny dob of miso may be quite reasonable to consume). However, 99.99999% of natural wholefoods are very safe to eat provided they are not eaten excessively.

I would urge you to seek to overcome your hangup about other types of sprouts (if you wish to eat sprouts in the first place, I mean), and try to retrain your tastebuds to enjoy other kinds of sprouts (how many people on this forum struggled to include adequate quantities of dark leafy greens in their diet, because of their bitterness, but now find their tastebuds can not only handle it but now find sweetened SAD foods unpallatably-sweet, when once they would think nothing of consuming them on a daily basis? In my pre-raw days I was horrified at how much sugar is added to American bread - it's like candy in comparison to British bread, which even itself is shamefully full of sugar and salt, yet many people on this forum probably consumed such products of the US bakery giants without so much as a second thought to the sugar content). If you try to retrain your tastebuds to enjoy a wider variety of sprouts, but still cannot find enjoyment in them then that's fine, so long as it doesn't lead to you unwisely consuming too many of your favourite beansprouts :)


J.