Perhaps most amazing of all—particularly in
comparison with the chemically preserved but nutritionally
next-to-worthless foods from the supermarket—all the
body builders which appear as sprouts grow . . . turn out
to be almost perfectly stable. Even after
dehydration or freezing, sprouts retain their enhanced
nutritive values.
RELATED CONTENT
HOW DO THOSE LITTLE BITTY SEEDS DO
IT?
But where do all these great things come from? How can
seeds full of fat and starches . . . plus plain old air,
water and a little sunshine . . . add up to vitamins,
proteins and enzymes?
Simple. During sprouting, those fats and starches are
converted into vitamins, simple sugars and proteins as they
absorb the air and water.
Seeds, you see, are divided into two basic parts: a
miniature replica of a plant (the embryo) and a supply of
stored carbohydrates, oils and proteins (the endosperm).
When environmental conditions are suitable—here's
where the warmth, moisture and air comes in—a seed
germinates. That is, the tiny embryo feeds upon the
endosperm until it has roots sunk into the soil and leaves
opened to the sun.
During this process, much of the until-now-inactive
endosperm is converted into readily-available nutrients . .
. and that metamorphosis is the key to the miracle food
value of sprouts. If we harvest the little shoots
after the endosperm has been transformed into rich
vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, etc. but before
the embryo gets a chance to consume the nourishment . . .
we've got about the best-for-us food imaginable!
Well, the theory is beautiful . . . but what about
practical results? "I'm glad," said he, in his best W.C.
Field's voice, "you asked that question." Here are just a
handful of astonishing health cures credited to sprouts:
During WWI, Dr. Cyrus French used sprouted peas and lentils
rich in Vitamin C to rid British and Indian troops in
Mesopotamia of scurvy symptoms.
In the Philippines, a Dr. Santos cured patients of
beri-beri by administering sprouted mung beans as the only
source of B-complex vitamins.
Ann Wigmore of Boston has demonstrated the beneficial
effects of sprouts in retarding and curing problems ranging
from diabetes to ulcers to cancer.
Fertility was restored to barren cows at the Agricultural
Experimental Station in Beltsville, Maryland by feeding the
animals Vitamin E-laden oat sprouts.
Major Wiltshire of King's College in England, finding that
Algerian laborers in France suffered from scurvy (although
they'd been healthy at home), traced their diet deficiency
to commercial beer . . . which lacks the Vitamin C of their
native sprouted millet beer.
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 | 5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Next >>
