By Kristin Eddy, Tribune Staff Writer.
Roots and seeds and green leafy vegetable tops have been a staple of healthful eating forever, but it was eating sprouts that tagged diners as vegetarians in recent decades.
Bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts were an integral part of the natural food diet and about as glamorous as a broken-in pair of Birkenstock sandals. Now sprouts are back in a big way: for crunch, for color, and yes, for health.
Six years ago, researchers at Johns Hopkins University identified a phytochemical called sulforaphane as something that would enhance the cancer-fighting ability of animal cells. Sulforaphane is naturally found in the plant family that includes broccoli.
In September 1997, the Johns Hopkins team found that 3-day-old broccoli sprouts, the delicate shoots of the broccoli plant, contain per ounce up to 50 times the level of sulforaphane as the average head of broccoli.
Suddenly, it was cool to be crunchy.
Growing market
“We sell about $2,000 a week worth of sprouts,” says Jessie Medina, sprout buyer for the Whole Foods Market on North Avenue. That figure includes bean and alfalfa sprouts as well as sunflower sprouts, radish sprouts and packaged sprout salad mixes.
“We have a steady flow of customers for these things,” says Medina, who reports customers tell him they are buying sprouts for their purported health benefits.
(Sprouts other than those from broccoli plants are also low in calories and are sodium- and fat-free, but have not been shown to have the same cancer-fighting abilities.)
A new entry into the sprout scene is Fresh Alternatives, whose BroccoSprouts are made from a patent licensed from Johns Hopkins. Introduced in this area in May, and sold at Whole Foods, Dominick’s and Jewel stores, BroccoSprouts sell for about $3 per 4-ounce package. Experts say that eating 1/2 ounce of the sprouts per day is the equivalent of eating 2 pounds of whole broccoli a week, which can help reduce the risk of getting colon cancer by 50 percent.
Healthy boost
The sprouts “certainly are not a substitute for whole vegetables, but can be a supplement to a healthy diet,” says Julie H. Burns, a nutritionist with SportFuel Inc. in Western Springs. “And they are a fresh supplement; it’s not like eating a pill.”
The sprouts are fine to eat fresh, Burns says, but because the nutrients are water-soluble, they can leach out if cooked in liquid. “If you put them in soup you want to drink the broth.”
Burns adds that the sprouts can be cooked in casseroles and meat loaf as well as served in cold salads.
But even if you’re not trying to get a broccoli boost, the whole sprout group makes sense as an addition to your diet.
A familiar shoot in stores and Asian restaurants is the crisp, water-rich sprout from mung beans. A cup of raw mung bean sprouts contains 3 grams of protein; that figure jumps to 8 grams per cup of fresh soybean sprouts, also seen more frequently on shelves. Both are moderate sources of iron and calcium; sunflower sprouts have twice as much of each, according to “The Nutrition Bible,” by Jean Anderson and Barbara Deskins. Uncooked and eaten in large quantities, however, the sprouts can be toxic. Because heat breaks down the toxic compounds, the authors suggest soybean sprouts be cooked-for instance, in a stir-fry-to deactivate toxins.
Alfalfa sprouts are less nutrient-rich, but contain small amounts of vitamins A and C. Again, be careful of consuming too many, as they can be a “gassy” food, according to Anderson and Deskins. Radish sprouts get the same rap, though they are a much better source of vitamins and calcium.
A sprout-heavy diet may be impractical for many people, and the flavor for all varieties, which range from bland to slightly biting, may not be for everyone.
But as a way to get texture and bulk in your meals, and a subtle way of adding nutrients to the diet, the idea is something to munch over.
SMOKED SALMON FOCACCIA WEDGES
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
One 9-inch roound focaccia bread
1/4 cup softened light cream cheese
4 ounces smoked salmon or lox
1 cucumbus, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 ounces broccoli sprouts or other sproouts.
1. Cut focaccia in half, horizontally; spread bottom half with cream cheese.
2. Arrange salmon, cucumber, onion and sprouts on cheese. Top with remaining focaccia half; slice into six wedges.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …….. 160% calories from fat .. 33 g Carbodhydrates ..18 g
Fat …………. 6 g Cholesterol ……. 10 mg Protein ……….. 9 g
Saturated fat .. 1.8 g Sodium …….. 1.110 mg Fiber ……….. 1.4 g
