Air-fried Ayam Berempah on a bed of spinach, broccoli sprouts and zucchini flowers, Sprouted beans & egg salad, freshly baked Almond & Banana rye bread
Growing up in Asia, I can still remember my grandma throwing away food that had sprouted. My mom and aunts continued with that habit. 'They are cancerous,' I was told.
'But we eat bean sprouts (豆芽),' I protested.
I learn from young that when something doesn't make sense, it is important to find out factually why make your own verdict.
Fast forward a few decades, sprouted food is gaining popularity. Are there really benefits to eating these baby shoots?
Seeds, legumes and nuts can be sprouted.
When they are sprouts, they are in an intriguing space of nutritional benefits. In short, sprouted foods are in infancy but rapid growing phase of development. They contain much higher proportion of nutritional content (protein, fiber, minerals etc) than their adult version.
It's intuitive when you think about it.
A corollary benefit is that the glycemic index for a sprouted food is lower than their non-sprouted cousins. The growing sprout consumes part of the grain's starch in its bid to blossom. This means the a sprouted food is great at maintaining a steady sugar level.
Great for providing a sustained release of energy for both adults and child.