Alfalfa sprouts are a nutritious health food that can be eaten year-round and grown at home with minimal equipment. They are high in vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids, but claims about their health benefits are not fully substantiated. Commercially produced sprouts can be a source of foodborne illness, but home-grown sprouts are usually safe to eat. To grow alfalfa sprouts at home, place seeds in a jar, rinse and drain three times a day, and expose to sunlight on the fourth day.
Alfalfa sprouts are the young shoots of the alfalfa plant, eaten within 4 to 7 days of germination. Along with many other sprouts, they are eaten as a health food and can be found sprinkled on sandwiches, mixed into salads, or added to stir fries. Since the seeds can be germinated in controlled environments all year round, there is no specific season in which they are grown. Besides being available at the store, it is also possible to grow sprouts at home with minimal equipment.
Sprouts in general tend to be very nutritionally rich, as they contain much of the energy the plant needs to grow. Alfalfa sprouts are high in vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, along with an assortment of antioxidants and amino acids like canavanine. Additionally, they contain substances known as phytochemicals, which are not nutritionally necessary but appear to benefit human health.
Many people in the health food community have made a number of claims about the health of alfalfa sprouts. Such claims have yet to be substantiated, in most cases, as there is incomplete evidence. Sprouts certainly have nutritional benefits, but they may not be the wonder food they are claimed to be. Canavanine, for example, can actually be toxic in large quantities, according to studies by the National Institutes of Health.
Commercially produced alfalfa sprouts have also been identified as a source of potential foodborne illnesses by the United States Food and Drug Administration FDA. Unless the sprouts are grown very carefully and managed well, they can become a breeding ground for bacteria. This becomes especially true once they leave the grocery store, where they can sit in the fridge for several days before being eaten. When grown indoors, however, these sprouts are usually a healthy addition to the diet.
To grow alfalfa, individuals can place a tablespoon (about 15 grams) of seeds specially designed to germinate in a wide-mouth glass jar and pour enough water into the jar to cover the seeds. A sheet of gauze or other breathable fabric should be stretched over the top of the vase and held in place with a rubber band, then the vase should be placed in a dark cupboard overnight. In the morning, the water should be drained and the seeds rinsed by adding water and swirling them. After rinsing, the person should drain the seeds again and put them back in the cupboard. This process should be repeated three times a day until the fourth day, when the seeds have started turning into sprouts. At this point, the individual should rinse and drain the seeds as usual and then expose them to sunlight. They should be used within three days.
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