Eat Your Sprouts by Mandy Wrangles

No, no. I don’t mean Brussels Sprouts. I mean the squiggly little white and green things you find in a good salad sammich. Or as pretty decorations on the side of your plate in a fancy restaurant. Alfalfa, broccoli, adzuki beans, lentils, fenugreek, radish, kale, snow peas – and let’s not forget that old favourite – mung beans. They’re seriously awesome for anyone who’s trying to be kind to their body.

One of the biggest benefits of eating raw sprouts is your immune system loves them. Take alfalfa for example. It’s pumped full of enzymes and protein, fibre, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, folate, pantothenic aid, vitamins B6 and K – all the good stuff, especially if you’re prone to coming down with constant colds and flu.

But the best part of being a sprout eater is they’re the real fast food. No cooking required (in fact, it’s best if you don’t cook them). I like them best piled on crackers with a little hommus. Delish. My favourites are the more peppery flavours like radish, red kale and broccoli, but the others in my household just enjoy them as salad with a little lemon juice.

If you’ve never been a sprout-eater, go and experiment with flavours, don’t be scared. They’re also way too easy to grow at home. In the kitchen. Yourself. Without dirt. You probably had a go in science class as a 6 year old. As long as you remember to add water, it doesn’t matter if you have a brown thumb. And by eating them straight from your own kitchen bench, you’re actually eating LIVE food.

Yes, LIVE!

This way, you get the most of their sprouty benefits.

Here’s how I grow them:

I purchased a specialised sprout-sprouter from our local hardware shop (Bunnings), the brand was Mr. Fothergill’s. It was about $19, but you don’t necessarily need one of these. Just a recycled plastic container with drainage holes cut into the bottom will do (just make sure the holes are really little so you don’t wash away the smallest seeds). Basically, you don’t want your sprouts sitting in water all day, you just need to rinse them. Seed and salad packs can also be purchased at your local hardware or health food shop for about $4 each – CHEAP!

Pop about a teaspoon full of your chosen seed into the tray and give it about a cup of water. Make sure your container is draining well. Repeat 2 or 3 times a day. The seeds don’t even need to be in direct sunlight. Apart from watering, you need to… well, nothing actually. Just watch. In 3 or 4 days, you’ll have a tray full of healthy snacks that your body will love you for.