When it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet can be key. In addition, exercising regularly can help you remain fit. Health experts typically consider plants as one of the most important sources for vital nutrients – including proteins. Thus, a diet based on plant-based foods can yield enhanced levels of health and vitality. A casual visit to the farmer’s market can help you stock up on a wide range of fruits and vegetables. But, visiting the local wholesale spices suppliers can be worthwhile too. In many cases, these suppliers will have in stock a diverse selection of dried beans, lentils and grains. You could use these to grow your own sprouts. For the uninitiated, sprouts denote the very young shoots of plants that people can consume raw. Sprouts can be nutrient-rich superfoods. As such, including sprouts in your diet can boost your health and well-being significantly.

Many people soak lentils and dried beans in water to produce sprouts. Thereafter, they consume these raw. In some cases, they might add these sprouts to other dishes to make them healthier. Lovers of sprouts usually stock a diverse collection of seeds, nuts, grains and legumes in their kitchens. You can use each of these to produce your own sprouts. Some of the most common sprouts that Australians consume include:

• Bean Sprouts: Each type of bean has a distinctive flavour. Thus, when you sprout beans, you can expect them to be both tasty and healthy. Once you soak dried beans, the amount of folate, vitamin C and proteins the beans contain increases significantly. Folates play an important role in the synthesis, repair and maintenance of DNA cells. Similarly, Vitamin C remains one of the most effective antioxidants. Thus, when you consume bean sprouts, you will be taking a big step towards improving your overall health.
• Lentil Sprouts: All varieties of sprouts can be rich in proteins. However, lentils do not just contain large amounts of proteins. They also remain extremely low in calories. Thus, they can be perfect for adding to your diet and weight loss programs. Sprouting lentils will not be as easy as sprouting beans. The process can take four to five days. You will need to rinse the soaked lentils at least twice a day. But, lentil sprouts can be rich in iron, copper, Vitamin C, manganese and thiamine.
• Alfalfa Sprouts: More often than not, sprouts enhance their vitamin content as opposed to the original seed or bean. But, the reverse holds true for alfalfa. Alfalfa sprouts remain one of the top sources for calcium and magnesium. They also contain a significant amount of potassium. This makes these sprouts useful for building bones and improving muscle health.
• Sprouted Nuts: Any dried fruit supplier will stock a diverse variety of nuts. Germinated nuts will usually be healthier than their original forms. In many cases, people prefer soaking the nuts in water. Doing so enhances the nutritional value of the nuts. In addition, soaking the nuts makes them easier to digest.
• Radish Sprouts: As mentioned earlier, germinated radish seeds can be extremely rich in vitamins. But, doctors often recommend these sprouts to people suffering from jaundice and similar ailments. Eating radish sprouts can aid in the removal of bilirubin. Hence, radish sprouts can be useful for improving the functioning of your gallbladder and liver.

Ideally, you should only sprout certified organic seeds. In addition, you should handle the seeds and sprouts with care. Rinse the seeds with filtered water only. Prevent the contamination of the seeds and sprouts by any external sources. On obtaining the sprouts, ensure that you store in airtight containers. By following these tips, you will be able to derive optimal benefits from the sprouts that you grow.

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