By Dr. Mercola
A diet of mostly whole, organically-grown foods is
undoubtedly among the most effective ways to prevent disease and
achieve optimal health, and sprouts may offer some of
the highest levels of nutrition.
From my perspective, broccoli, watercress, and sunflower
sprouts are foods that virtually everyone can and would benefit
from growing. Adding these to your diet can go a long way toward
improving your nutritional status—and it won't cost you much to
grow them.
The Many Health Benefits of Broccoli Sprouts
Science has proven time and again that Mother Nature is the
best physician, and food is the best medicine.
Broccoli, for example—and to an even greater degree,
sprouted broccoli seeds—has been linked to a
rather impressive list of health benefits. Research has shown
broccoli has the capacity to prevent a number of health issues,
including but not limited to:
Hypertension1 |
Osteoarthritis2,
3,
4,
5 |
Cancer |
Heart disease |
Allergies6 |
Diabetes7 |
Ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori8 |
UV radiation damage to your skin, when applied topically9 |
Broccoli Sprouts Can Help Combat Exposure to Environmental
Pollutants
Some of the latest research10,
11,
12 into this "super food" suggests that broccoli
sprouts may help detox toxic pollutants. As reported by Time
Magazine:13
"Broccoli sprouts specifically are a source of
glucoraphanin, which creates sulforaphane when chewed or
swallowed. That compound accelerates the body's ability to
detoxify from various pollutants..."
The three-month long study included about 300 Chinese men and
women living in one of the most polluted areas of China, a rural
community in the Jiangsu Province.
The test group drank half a cup a day of a beverage
consisting of sterilized water, pineapple, and lime juice, with
dissolved freeze-dried broccoli sprout powder. The control group
drank the same mixture without the addition of the
sprouts.
After urine and blood tests were collected and analyzed, the
researchers found that the test group, who received the broccoli
sprout powder, excreted far greater levels of two carcinogens.
Excretion of benzene increased 61 percent, and the rate of
excretion of acrolein increased by 23 percent.
Benzene is usually found in car exhaust fumes, but can also
be ingested via
soda, where it can form from benzoate salt—used as a
preservative. Acrolein forms from the breakdown of certain
indoor air pollutants, from the burning of organic matter such
as tobacco, and the burning of fuels like gasoline. Study author
Tom Kensler told Time Magazine:14
"The situation is that people throughout China are
breathing dirty air, and the exposure is largely
unavoidable. We wanted to boost the defense mechanism that
accelerates the rate that these are cleared form the body so
there is less opportunity for harm to be evoked by
chemicals."
When asked if people living in other large cities
like New York or Los Angeles could benefit from drinking the
same mixture, Kensler says he thinks their approach could be
extended across all people."
Broccoli Sprouts Contain a Number of Health-Promoting Compounds
As mentioned, fresh broccoli sprouts are FAR more
potent than whole broccoli, allowing you to eat far less in
terms of quantity. For example, previous tests15,
16 have revealed that three-day old broccoli sprouts
consistently contain anywhere from 10-100 times the amount of
glucoraphanin—a chemoprotective compound—found in mature
broccoli.
Broccoli sprouts are also an excellent alternative if you
don't like the taste or smell of broccoli. Best of all, you can
easily and inexpensively grow broccoli sprouts at home. Another
major benefit is that you don't have to cook them. They are
eaten raw, usually as an addition to salad or juice.
As noted in the featured study, the compound called
glucoraphanin appears to have a protective effect against toxic
pollutants by improving your body's ability to eliminate or
excrete them. Glucoraphanin has also been shown to protect
against cancer. Other health-promoting compounds found in
cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli sprouts (and mature
broccoli) include:
- Glucosinolate glucoraphanin, which
helps improve blood pressure and kidney function.17
It also boosts cell enzymes that protect against molecular
damage from cancer-causing chemicals.18,
19
- Sulforaphane, a metabolite of the
glucosinolate glucoraphanin, has been shown to normalize DNA
methylation20
— a crucial part of normal cell function that allows cells
to "remember who they are and where they have been."
It's also important for regulating gene expression, and
this compound has been found to play a role in activating
more than 200 different genes.
Sulforaphane also has anti-diabetic and antimicrobial
properties, and kills cancer stem cells, which slows tumor
growth.
- Isothiocyanate, a specific sulforaphane
compound, has very strong cancer-protective benefits,
sparking hundreds of beneficial gene changes. This compound
activates some genes that fight cancer, and switch off other
genes whose job it is to aid in tumor growth.
One 2008 study21
found that just four extra servings (equating to about 10
spears) of broccoli per week could protect men from prostate
cancer, largely because of the anti-cancer activity of this
compound.
Watercress Sprouts—Another 'Superfood' to Add to Your Daily Diet
Although broccoli sprouts contain the highest amounts of
isothiocyanates, other cruciferous vegetables also contain this
anti-cancer compound, including
watercress. This often-overlooked, leafy green is a close
cousin to mustard greens, cabbage, and arugula.
When phytochemicals like sulforaphane are excluded from the
equation, watercress may actually be the most
nutrient-dense vegetable out there—scoring higher on nutrient
density scores than both broccoli and sunflower sprouts.
Based on 17 nutrients, including potassium, fiber, protein,
calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, zinc, and
vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K, watercress scored a perfect
100 in a recent study titled, "Defining Powerhouse Fruits and
Vegetables: A Nutrient Density Approach."22,
23
Vitamins A, C, and K, and phytonutrients like isothiocyanates
and gluconasturtiin in watercress strengthen your bone, limit
neuronal damage, fight infection, help maintain healthy
connective tissue, and prevent iron deficiency.
Previous studies have also found that a compound called
phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) in watercress may suppress
breast cancer cell development and prevent DNA damage in
cells—just like broccoli sprouts.
One of the best culinary aspects of watercress is its
versatility. It can be used as a salad green in salad or
vegetable juice, or you can steam and eat it as a vegetable. You
can also add it to soups or on top of sandwiches for a subtle,
peppery flavor.
Growing Your Own Sprouts Is Easy and Inexpensive
Sprouts are far less expensive (90 percent or greater) if
made at home rather than purchased, so I strongly recommend
growing your own sprouts. It's easy and can radically
improve your overall nutrition. Just consider this: sprouts can
contain up to 30 times the nutrients of organic
vegetables! They also allow your body to extract more of the
vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and essential fats from the
rest of your diet.
Add to that the boon of requiring very little space, and
the ability to grow them indoors, year-round. I'm working on a
comprehensive guide to sprout-growing, but in the meantime, you
can find instructions on rawfoods-livingfoods.com.24
I started out growing sprouts in Ball jars about 15 years
ago, but I've found that growing them in potting soil is a far
better option. With Ball jars, you need to rinse them several
times a day to prevent mold growth and it is a hassle to have
them draining in the sink, taking up space. Trays also take up
less space. When grown in soil, you can harvest your sprouts in
about a week. I strongly recommend using organic seeds, and a
pound of seeds will probably make over 10 pounds of sprouts.
As mentioned, you can use sprouts in salad, either in
addition to or in lieu of salad greens, or add them to vegetable
juice or smoothies. When it comes to which sprouts to
grow, taste preference may ultimately guide your selection, but
I'd encourage you to consider growing some of the most
nutritious varieties, which include:
- Sunflower spouts. They will give you
the most volume for your work and, in my opinion, have the
best taste. They also provide some of the highest quality
protein you can eat, along with plenty of iron and
chlorophyll, the latter of which will help detoxify your
blood and liver. In one 10x10 tray, you can harvest between
one and two pounds of sunflower sprouts, which will last you
about three days. You can store them in the fridge for about
a week.
- Broccoli sprouts look and taste similar
to alfalfa sprouts. Again, when you consider the
nutrient-density of sprouts, calculations suggest 10 pounds
of broccoli sprouts translate into as many cancer-protecting
phytochemicals as 1,000 pounds (half a ton) of mature
broccoli!
- Pea sprouts, like sunflower sprouts,
provide high-quality protein. They're also an excellent
source of bioavailable zinc and magnesium.
- Watercress. Based on their exceptional
nutritional profile, watercress may turn into a new favorite
of mine. I recently started growing some to try them out.
Sprouts—An Ideal Home-Grown Food for Small Spaces
Sprouts are an authentic super food that many overlook or
have long stopped using. In addition to their superior
nutritional profile, sprouts are really easy to grow if you're
an apartment dweller, as they don't require an outdoor garden.
During sprouting, minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, bind
to protein, making them more bioavailable. Furthermore, both the
quality of the protein and the fiber content of beans, nuts,
seeds, and grains improves when sprouted. The content of
vitamins and essential fatty acids also increase dramatically
during the sprouting process.
Watercress, sunflower seed, and pea sprouts tend to top the
list of all the seeds that you can sprout and are typically each
about 30 times more nutritious than organic vegetables. As
discussed above, many sprouts also contain compounds with
anti-cancer and detoxifying properties. Speaking in general
terms, sprouts also have the following beneficial attributes:
- Support for cell regeneration
- Powerful sources of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins,
and enzymes that protect against free radical damage
- Alkalinizing effect on your body, which is thought to
protect against disease, including cancer (as many tumors
are acidic)
- Abundantly rich in oxygen, which can also help protect
against abnormal cell growth, viruses, and bacteria that
cannot survive in an oxygen-rich environment
Fermented veggies are another outstanding super food that
can help your body eliminate toxic pollutants such as
pesticides. But whatever method you choose; juiced, whole,
sprouted, cooked, or fermented, do make it a point to eat your
veggies. This is one food group that is incredibly diverse, so
there's a wide variety to choose from and plenty to suit
virtually everyone's tastes.
Copyright 1997- 2014 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.