You heard it here first: “If you’re not sprouting, you should be,” says Bulsiewicz. Sprouts are chock-full of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and detoxifying qualities (example: Sprouted lentils have twice the antioxidant content as unsprouted), and it’s a relatively inexpensive, accessible, and low-lift venture. “It’s almost a miracle from nature,” says Bulsiewicz. “It increases the fiber, it increases the protein, it increases the vitamins, and they will also take on these medicinal properties.”
Broccoli sprouts, for example, contain higher amounts of the antioxidant sulforaphane than the mature broccoli plant. Sulforaphane is an incredibly gut-healthy antioxidant that has an ability to stabilize free radicals by activating the protein Nfr2, which, in turn, activates certain antioxidant genes in your body. One study even showed that sulforaphane from broccoli sprouts activated enzymes in the body that picked up pollutants from the bloodstream and flushed them out via urine.
“All you need is 1 square foot on your kitchen counter, and it requires no soil,” Bulsiewicz says. “It takes about five minutes a day, and it is literally the freshest food on the planet because there is zero time lapse between when you harvest and when you consume—it’s highly nutritious.” Here’s an easy, no-fuss guide to sprouting all of your beans and legumes.
