To Your Health
July, 2007 (Vol. 01, Issue 07) |
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The nutritional profile of broccoli sprouts is impressive. However, all sprouted seeds and young cereal grasses are chock-full of stored nutrition and recuperative powers.
Dr. Barry Mack at the University of Pennsylvania found that sprouted seeds have an average vitamin increase of more than 500 percent. There's a lot of energy stored up inside sprouts and the young shoots of sprouted grasses. For example, wheat grass and barley grass sprouts contain over five times more iron than spinach, 13 times more of the antioxidant beta-carotene than carrots, and 55 times more vitamin C than apples. Incidentally, wheat grass and barley grass are gluten-free, which makes them safe for individuals who have gluten allergies or sensitivities.
Green foods, like wheat grass and barley grass, capture the sun's power to produce chlorophyll - the green pigment in plants and the source of human life. Nutritionists agree that the more green foods we can eat, the better. That's why spirulina and chlorella, two nutrient-dense green superfoods, should be included in your diet for optimal health. Both spirulina and chlorella boost the immune system. Spirulina is 65 percent protein by weight. Chlorella is the richest source of chlorophyll on the planet. Can you see why superfoods are one of the hottest current research and public interest topics?
So, by all means, continue to eat whole-wheat bread or barley soup; these whole grains are good for you. But as you can see, eating wheat or barley sprouts is even better for you and goes way beyond basic nutrition. It's almost hard to believe there is that much nutrition in such a tiny package, isn't it? If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. When a farmer plants a tiny little seed of broccoli, wheat barley or any other seed in the ground, in just a few short days the seed has to muster up enough energy to push its way up through the soil and burst out into the sunlight on its way to becoming a mature plant. It takes a lot of energy to do that. That's why I tell my patients that if you want to have as much energy as you did when you were a kid (only this time, with much better judgment), be sure you take your daily dose of superfoods. Take it from Paracelsus, the father of pharmacology: "All that mankind needs for good health and healing is provided in nature ... the challenge to science is to find it."
Scientists have now discovered more than 4,000 compounds in plants that reduce inflammation, stimulate growth and repair cells, tissues and organs, as well as detoxify or neutralize cancer-causing chemicals in our industrialized world. (You can visit www.biovalidity.com for current research on 250 of them.) That is why the National Cancer Institute (NCI) currently has the "designer foods" project underway. According to Dr. Herbert Pierson, a toxicologist at NCI, the project is seeking to take advantage of the cancer-fighting potential in our diet by creating foods enriched with health-promoting substances already found naturally in many fruits, vegetables, grains, herbs and spices. But don't hold your breath - it may take years before their findings are reported.
Superfoods are nature's "designer foods," and they're available now. They contain a whopping dose of these health-promoting compounds. They also have a high concentration of protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals and trace minerals - all contained in one tiny package. Superfoods are very low in calories, yet are nutrient-dense. Consequently, they curb food cravings and are a perfect weight-loss tool.
