My years of nutrition research have taught me that the best
foods are not the most expensive ones. People that spend more on their
groceries are most often paying for convenience and convenience foods are
nearly always full of calories but decidedly devoid of the nutrients our bodies
need to heal and grow.
Besides, it's a proven fact that most of our behavior
problems are often nutrition related! According to Dr. Barbara Reed Stitt, author of Food & Behavior, youth and adults
assigned to correctional facilities are nearly always undernourished, a direct
result of eating too much white flour, white sugar, fatty foods, and way too
much meat and dairy.
What's the best way to get super nutrition?
Did you know that your body doesn't crave calories...it
craves nutritious foods! When you eat nutrient-dense foods like whole grains,
legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, your body quickly gets what it needs to
burn for fuel and to build healthy cells, signaling you to stop eating long
before you've eaten enough to make you full. But what if there are no fresh
fruits and vegetables? What if you get caught without any way of cooking your
food? Would you like to know what to store that doesn't require any cooking?
Especially during periods of hot weather, wouldn't you just
love to know that you could serve your family a nutritious meal you didnšt have
to cook? Just think no dirty pots and pans, and no more standing over a hot
stove!
It takes only 2 days to grow a fresh supply of food - the
most nutritious food on earth! According to Gary Harrison, Ready Foods 2000,
sprouted broccoli seed has 10 times the nutrition of the plant. That means I
can get the nutrients I need from far less food....and from far fewer calories.
It could be the next miracle weight-loss program... The Emergency Slim-Down
Diet!
Sprouts to the rescue!
"Sprouts grow practically anywhere; flourish in any
climate, during any season of the year; need neither soil nor sunshine; are ready
for harvest in 2-5 days; taste delicious raw or cooked; have no waste; and are
so nutritious that they are one of the most complete foods known to man,
rivaling meat in protein and citrus fruits in vitamin C at a fraction of the
cost." (Northrup King Co., Consumer Products
Division)
Growing a "garden" of sprouts requires much less
effort than traditional outdoor or window gardens. Rinsing and draining several
different kinds of sprouts takes only about 15 minutes a day and can provide a
large variety of fresh vegetables not available in markets...and all for just
pennies a day. So, stock up now and get ready for a deliciously unique
experience.
Why sprout?
Sprouts add enzymes and enzymes heal the body, aid in
digestion, and take the gas out of beans!
Sprouts are valuable sources of vitamins, minerals and
proteins. Vitamins and minerals increase from 13-600% during sprouting.
Leafy green sprouts contain cancer-fighting chlorophyll, as
well as Vitamin A and protein.
Sprouts are low in calories. Nutrients increase as sprouts
grow in bulk, but calories remain the same.
Sprouts are a low-calorie source of fiber, an important
factor in avoiding colon cancer and many other diseases.
Sprouts provide cheap food! A 15-ounce can of cooked beans
contains about 4 oz. of dry beans. Sprouting 4 oz. yields over 1 1/2 pounds!
How much to store?
The Benson Institute at
Because the volume of dry beans, peas, lentils and other
seeds increases at least three to four times during the soaking and sprouting
process, you would only need to store 125 pounds per person of a variety of
seeds that can be sprouted and eaten raw, for fresh salads and greens, or
cooked.
If you're one of the lucky few who has
a fairly good supply of canned, bottled or dehydrated fruits and vegetables
stored, then consider storing the following amounts for variety and better
nutrition and essential enzymes:
40 pounds per person of seeds to be used in salads or as
salad greens (sunflower, pumpkin, pea, alfalfa, barley, clover, buckwheat,
lentil, radish, adzuki, garbanzo, quinoa, wheat, oat, and mung
bean)
40 lbs. per person of seeds to sprout and use in cooking (mung, lentil, garbanzo, pinto, pink, black, kidney, small
white, navy,
It is important to try a wide variety of sprouts and to
experiment with different methods of preparing them so you will know what types
your family enjoys and which ones to store. Because sprouts are such a good
source of nutrition, I use them to supply necessary nutrients and consider most
of the rest of our foods merely enjoyable "bulk."
In addition to bottled and dehydrated fruits and
vegetables, I store the following quantities of seeds for sprouts to be eaten
raw:
For sprouts to be cooked, I store:
Storing seeds
Seeds should be frozen or stored in a cool, dry place in
air-tight containers. Vacuum sealed or nitrogen treated seeds store the
longest, with a shelf life of up to 15 years. Do not use tomato or potato
sprouts, or any treated seeds (usually found in the gardening section), as they
are extremely poisonous. Use only untreated seeds intended for human
consumption.
How long to store seeds
There is a controversy raging about how to best store
sprouting seeds. Some say "sprouting seeds need to 'breathe.' If they are
stored too long in an oxygen-free environment they smother because they create
their own carbon dioxide." How long is too long to store seeds without
oxygen? Some people say 2 years is too long.
Recently, I tested 30-year old wheat that was stored using
the dry ice method of eliminating oxygen. At the same time, I also tested
15-year old lentils packed with nitrogen. That's a long time without oxygen!
The wheat and lentils both sprouted in only 2 days, with almost 100%
germination!
However, I was unsuccessful in sprouting seeds stored in a
glass jar for only 3 years. The key seems to be whether or not the seed will
sprout when it is first purchased. To be safe, buy a small amount and test the
seed before purchasing and storing large quantities.
What about bugs?
One reason for taking out the air in stored foods is to
prevent weevil and other crawley
things from living in them and eating more than their share so that you end up
with only hulls and carcasses.
The safest, most effective pest control for grains and
small seeds that will be used for sprouting is to add diatomaceous earth (2 1/2
Tbsp. per gallon) while filling containers to distribute evenly and coat ALL
the seeds. Merely pouring the powder on top and trying to stir it in does not
work.
Diatomaceous earth is a white, powdery substance made up of
the interior spiny skeleton of small marine creatures whose soft body parts
have decomposed, leaving the remaining skeletons that accumulate on the ocean
floor over thousands of years. Geological processes bring these layers to the
surface where they can be mined and used for filtering systems and pest
control.
It does not produce a change in taste and it is not
nutritionally harmful. Besides, all traces of this fine powder are eliminated
in the soaking and rinsing process of sprouting. (In fact, it is an ingredient
in many toothpastes.) (The Sense of Survival, by J.
Allan South) A 5 lb. bag containing about 40 cups of diatomaceous earth costs
only about $15. The cost of this valuable protection is only about 20˘ per
6-gallon bucket and about 4˘ per gallon!
Seed Sources:
Ready 2000 Foods
7300 NW Expressway, Suite 126
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
(405) 373 2855
Sprouting Seeds, Wheatgrass Kits, Sprouting Trays and
Bags
Life Sprouts
745 W. 8300 S.
1-800-241-1516
Sprouting Seeds, Sprouting Trays, Diatomaceous Earth
For more information on sprouting, gardening, preserving,
and do-it-yourself tips, see The New Passport to Survival, 12 Steps to
Self-Sufficient Living ($14.95), by Rita Bingham and Esther Dickey. See book
description and free recipes at www.naturalmeals.com/passport.html.