What does sprouting mean and what does it do?
Lets start back a couple steps and talk about food. All things that we as humans eat have a defense mechanism. Animals have something called consciousness that they use to keep themselves alive. When there is a threat, there is a fight or flight response that we as humans have as well. Fruits tend to have some sort of fibrous peel or protective shell. Veggies usually fall under the protective shell, but the veggies we eat tend to have different ways to disperse their seeds so the part that we eat is either not a fully mature plant (Broccoli) or has another method of releasing its seed.

Grains and some nuts have a different kind of defense mechanism that is chemical which simply means you can not see it. It acts on you when it is digested in your belly. These chemicals (different in grains and nuts/seeds) are called Anti-Nutrients. They just sound bad. If you are in love with these foods, there are a couple ways to decrease the presence of these Anti-nutrients. The best way, and easiest, is to sprout the nut or grain.

Sprouting allows the seed (nut or grain, both are seeds) to germinate and come alive. Once this happens, the seed deactivates the anti-nutrients which have been keeping it dormant and protecting it. The sprouting process allows the seed to begin its life cycle and therefore shed its need to protect the seed further.

Let step off for a side note really quickly: Grains are never okay for people that are sensitive to them. If you don’t know if you are sensitive to them then you need to pull them completely out of your diet for at least 30 days then intelligently insert them back into your diet and assess your condition. I am one of those people that are sensitive to grains so I may not be the best person to complain to about grains…

Sprouting nuts and grains is simple: Place the raw form of each into a bowl of water and let it sit for 12-24 hours. Usually, the longer it sits, the more anti-nutrients are dissolved (If the nuts or grains sit in water too long, you may end up with a small garden in the bowl. The goal is not to grow something, but rather to let it come alive then stop the process). Then take it out, drain it and let it dry. We like to dry our almonds in the oven, but in this weather you could probably put them on a baking sheet and set them outside. Our oven only goes down to 170 degrees so thats what we use. We keep them in the drying temp for up to 24 hours dependent upon how crispy you like them. Once this process is done you should taste a difference. These grains and nuts should be more refreshing and sometimes sweeter.

Have Questions? Bring them with you to class.

-Dutch Lowy

Workout:
TRX Jump Squats x8,
SLDL x6;

10min AMRAP:
6 Burpee Box Jumps,
9 KettleBell Swings,
12 Wallballs