Guest guest Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 Bridgitte writes: I think this is probably a silly question, but... I've made sprouts (lentil, mung, adzuki, green pea) a significant part of my diet. I probably eat 2 cups or so every day. They're cheap, they're good, and they're easy to chew (which is great because I have TMJ and can't chew hard things). I eat a good variety of foods, so I'm definitely not limiting myself, but I'm wondering if there's such a thing as too much of a good thing where sprouts are concerned. _____ Hi Bridgitte and all, This is a GREAT question, I'm certain many people have similar questions. And I'll just take this opportunity to repeat that all questions are great questions, as long as they arise from a genuine sense of curiosity and a desire for self-discovery. Sometimes I find it constructive to expand the question, in order provide a higher-quality response. This is one such case. Hence, the subject line now says " Soaking, sprouting, and germinating. " Elchanan ________________________ COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright under Natural Law and Common Law, 5765 (2005 CE) by The Office of the Presiding Chaplain of Vibrant Life and His/Her Successors, a Corporation Sole. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to any natural man, woman, or child to excerpt or use all or any portion of the following text for any noncommercial purpose whatsoever, subject to the following conditions: 1. Any portion excerpted must be of sufficient completelyness to assure no loss of meaning or context. 2. The man, woman or child excerpting or otherwise using all or any portion hereof must place the following (or substantially similar) text prominently and in close proximity to the material excerpted or used: Written by Elchanan. Copyright under Natural Law and Common Law, 5765 (2005 CE) by The Office of the Presiding Chaplain of Vibrant Life and His/Her Successors, a Corporation Sole. All rights reserved. ________________________ SOAKING In a RF context, the word " soaking " means to place dehydrated items, typically nuts or seeds, sometimes also dehydrated fruits and vegetables, in water, usually for some period of time. This partially rehydrates the item, but it does NOT restore the water into the structure of the item, Therefore soaking does not place any of the nutrients that came out of structured solution in the item when it was dehydrated in the first place. In fact, during soaking, many of these nutrients leave the food entirely and enter into solution in the soak water. This occurs by simple process of diffusion, which operates in all water-based fluids. Partially rehydrating these items by soaking them does reduce a bit of the burden on the body to provide water during digestions, but only marginally so. Dehydrated foods are dehydrating inside us, now and always. Many have been taught that soaking certain items, primarily nuts with dark-colored inner coverings (almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, brazil nuts), removes the " enzyme inhibitors " in this covering. Most people who teach this have no earthly idea what an " enzyme inhibitor " might be, but they learned it and repeat it, until it becomes perceived as " true " by virtue of the sheer number or repetitions. But a billion people all chanting, " The Earth is flat, the Earth is flat, " will not likely make it so. These outer coverings DO, in fact, contain acids (tannic acid, among others), and soaking does allow a portion of these acids to diffuse (leach) into the soak solution. This is beneficial, though not to the degree often taught. And it is true that the presence of these acids ON THE NUT helps prevent premature germination in Nature. In this sense, they might be called " enzyme inhibitors. " However, once the nut is broken open and fractured into a bezillion tiny pieces (as by chewing), it is preposterous to believe that the acids in the covering following the interior pieces around preventing anything. I realize that this contradicts what you may read in many books and hear from many RF teachers. Just ask them to explain what an enzyme inhibitor actually is and how it works. Or, for that matter, forget the inhibitor and just ask them to explain what an enzyme is and how it works. Also, as I believe I mentioned in one previous post, the whole enzyme discussion is largely a RF folk myth, propagated diligently via oral tradition. SPROUTING The word " sprouting " is flung about in the RF world (and elsewhere) without much definition or clarity. So let's try and rectify that. A sprout is a young plant. It has a stem and, for green plant, at least a leaf or two. So " sprouting, " if the term is used accurately, means the process of placing a seed in conditions where the seed germinates and grows into a tiny plant, a seedling, a sprout. As far as I know, as long as the plant itself is healthy for humans to eat, eating it in a very young state (sprout) is just fine. Well-known examples of green sprouts are sunflower sprouts, pea shoots, etc. A mung bean is a sprout as it has a tiny leaf or two. An obvious example of a sprout that would not be advisable is a poison ivy sprout. The plant itself is not designed in Nature for human consumption, therefore neither is its sprout. Alfalfa sprouts are popular, largely because they grow rapidly, in large quantity, cheaply, and it is almost impossible to fail when attempting to grow them. However, alfalfa plants are food for grazing herbivores, not really for humans. They are quite high in protein and contain some substances toxic to us. Also, the sprouts contain seeds we should definitely avoid. I do not recommend these, but if you choose to eat them, definitely swish them about in water first, to remove those seeds. Please keep in mind that NONE of these plants is really " on the program " I have described in various posts. In this program, I suggest building upon a foundation of sweet fruits and tender greens, then adding other fruits. I mean " fruits " in the botanical, not the culinary, sense. So the term includes zucchini, cucumber, avocado, etc., all the " veggie-fruits, " (I also eat celery, though some would argue that this is suboptimal because of the high nondigestible fiber content. I see no rational basis for opposing omission of celery.) On the program I suggest, everything else -- nuts, seeds, sprouts, etc. -- is a treat. So as a supplement to a nice green salad, some green sprouts are fine, from my perspective, and I do use them myself upon occasion. At the same time, I encourage people not to think of sprouts as a primary or central part of their long-term diet. If you eat well and never eat a sprout, you will be just fine! GERMINATING The word " germinate " means " to begin to develop into an embryo or higher form " or " to come into existence: 'An idea germinated in his mind.' " In the RF world, many people speak of " sprouting " lentils, grains, and nuts (almonds in particular). It is correct to say that, if one were to wait long enough, the soaking process would yield a plant, a tree in the case of nuts, grass in the case of grains (all " grains " are merely grass seed renamed), and a " vegetable " in the case of lentils. However, in the RF world, what people actually do is germinate the seed. SOMETIMES you can see a teeny tiny tip of a sprout emerge, sometimes not. In my experience, most people are taught to do this by a timer (sprout for some period of time), so the teeny tiny sprout may or may not actually emerge. So when we eat " sprouted " lentils, grains, and nuts, we are actually eating the lentil, grain, or nut itself, and not its plant. The rationale for eating germinated lentils, grains, and nuts begins with an understanding that these items are all very difficult for our digestive system to break down. Nuts, seeds, and grains are all designed for VERY long-term storage -- they can survive for centuries or longer and still germinate and produce a viable, healthy plant. - They are high in hard, nondigestible fiber. - They contain little water or oxygen, so as not to disturb or " oxidize " the other constituents. - They contain macronutrients (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) in very complex forms designed for long-term storage. These constituents are present in sufficient quantity to allow a new plant to emerge and to sustain that plant until it can begin drawing nutrients from soil, through roots. The thinking goes something like this: when any seed (whether grass seed, aka grain, or a nut, or a true " seed " ) germinates, the complex stored nutrients begin breaking down into simpler forms. These simpler forms are not designed for long-term storage; instead, they are designed for use by the emerging seedling. In this simplified form, these nutrients become much more " bioavailable, " that is, more digestible, for us. Further, as the new plant springs to life, there is an explosion in the quantity of many trace nutrients, or micronutrients. Those who advocate eating these germinated items teach that this high concentration of micronutrients, when taken along with more bioavailable macronutrients, make an excellent food source for us. Problems with this thinking: 1. The nondigestible fiber remains. It effect in our digestive system is still harsh. This material is heavy and burdens our digestive system, slowing everything down. 2. While the soak water does increase hydration and bring in oxygen, these foods remain, on balance, dehydrating inside us. That is, our body must supply considerable additional water to facilitate digestion, assimilation, and elimination. 3. That the macronutrients are " more bioavailable " does not mean that they are in their simplest forms, as would be the case in fruits and leaves. Rather, they are merely less unavailable, not entirely available. 4. Further, the mix of macronutrients remains a mismatch for our nutrient requirements. We need water, oxygen, simple sugar, soluble fiber, and a small quantity of protein and fat. We also need a vast array of water-soluble vitamins, minerals, etc. that are only minimally present in these items. 5. While it is correct to note the explosion in micronutrient content, all of the same micronutrients are fully available from the output of the mature plants, the fruits and leaves. So there is no special benefit or gain. Further, as suggested in #4, the mix of micronutrients does not match our nutritional requirements. Hope this is helpful! Best to all, Elchanan -- ---------------------[ Ciphire Signature ]---------------------- vlinfo signed email body (8625 characters) on 21 March 2005 at 20:15:14 UTC rawfood ------------------------------- : Ciphire has secured this email against identity theft. : Free download at www.ciphire.com. The garbled lines : below are the sender's verifiable digital signature. ------------------------------- 00fAAAAAEAAABSKz9CsSEAAE0CAAIAAgACACBZ36NZd8ice9rJ4ZlYrt6BrEjH8O zzmKDQLsTNDUWDmAEAhgSkE5NuzzvORJkeFIi/NVXB9GCG1XVfaMj+yPGZ0X2Eb2 N0dqf3qogUdlUOwYC6gtfFVKldbAhQnrvuqc6h+g== ------------------[ End Ciphire Signed Message ]---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 Dear Bridgitte I recandly watched a program from chiDiet.com and they use Ann Wigmors material. They sad that you should eat 6 cups of sprouts every day. You can jushe them, make energy soup or jst eat them plain. So I think you can´t eat to much of good things. Maria Oskars From Iceland www.lifandi.net Kær kveðja María Óskarsdóttir www.lifandi.net maria sími 861-9467 INFO @ Vibrant Life [VLinfo] 21. mars 2005 20:13 rawfood RE: [Raw Food] Soaking, sprouting, and germinating Bridgitte writes: I think this is probably a silly question, but... I've made sprouts (lentil, mung, adzuki, green pea) a significant part of my diet. I probably eat 2 cups or so every day. They're cheap, they're good, and they're easy to chew (which is great because I have TMJ and can't chew hard things). I eat a good variety of foods, so I'm definitely not limiting myself, but I'm wondering if there's such a thing as too much of a good thing where sprouts are concerned. _____ Hi Bridgitte and all, This is a GREAT question, I'm certain many people have similar questions. And I'll just take this opportunity to repeat that all questions are great questions, as long as they arise from a genuine sense of curiosity and a desire for self-discovery. Sometimes I find it constructive to expand the question, in order provide a higher-quality response. This is one such case. Hence, the subject line now says " Soaking, sprouting, and germinating. " Elchanan ________________________ COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright under Natural Law and Common Law, 5765 (2005 CE) by The Office of the Presiding Chaplain of Vibrant Life and His/Her Successors, a Corporation Sole. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to any natural man, woman, or child to excerpt or use all or any portion of the following text for any noncommercial purpose whatsoever, subject to the following conditions: 1. Any portion excerpted must be of sufficient completelyness to assure no loss of meaning or context. 2. The man, woman or child excerpting or otherwise using all or any portion hereof must place the following (or substantially similar) text prominently and in close proximity to the material excerpted or used: Written by Elchanan. Copyright under Natural Law and Common Law, 5765 (2005 CE) by The Office of the Presiding Chaplain of Vibrant Life and His/Her Successors, a Corporation Sole. All rights reserved. ________________________ SOAKING In a RF context, the word " soaking " means to place dehydrated items, typically nuts or seeds, sometimes also dehydrated fruits and vegetables, in water, usually for some period of time. This partially rehydrates the item, but it does NOT restore the water into the structure of the item, Therefore soaking does not place any of the nutrients that came out of structured solution in the item when it was dehydrated in the first place. In fact, during soaking, many of these nutrients leave the food entirely and enter into solution in the soak water. This occurs by simple process of diffusion, which operates in all water-based fluids. Partially rehydrating these items by soaking them does reduce a bit of the burden on the body to provide water during digestions, but only marginally so. Dehydrated foods are dehydrating inside us, now and always. Many have been taught that soaking certain items, primarily nuts with dark-colored inner coverings (almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, brazil nuts), removes the " enzyme inhibitors " in this covering. Most people who teach this have no earthly idea what an " enzyme inhibitor " might be, but they learned it and repeat it, until it becomes perceived as " true " by virtue of the sheer number or repetitions. But a billion people all chanting, " The Earth is flat, the Earth is flat, " will not likely make it so. These outer coverings DO, in fact, contain acids (tannic acid, among others), and soaking does allow a portion of these acids to diffuse (leach) into the soak solution. This is beneficial, though not to the degree often taught. And it is true that the presence of these acids ON THE NUT helps prevent premature germination in Nature. In this sense, they might be called " enzyme inhibitors. " However, once the nut is broken open and fractured into a bezillion tiny pieces (as by chewing), it is preposterous to believe that the acids in the covering following the interior pieces around preventing anything. I realize that this contradicts what you may read in many books and hear from many RF teachers. Just ask them to explain what an enzyme inhibitor actually is and how it works. Or, for that matter, forget the inhibitor and just ask them to explain what an enzyme is and how it works. Also, as I believe I mentioned in one previous post, the whole enzyme discussion is largely a RF folk myth, propagated diligently via oral tradition. SPROUTING The word " sprouting " is flung about in the RF world (and elsewhere) without much definition or clarity. So let's try and rectify that. A sprout is a young plant. It has a stem and, for green plant, at least a leaf or two. So " sprouting, " if the term is used accurately, means the process of placing a seed in conditions where the seed germinates and grows into a tiny plant, a seedling, a sprout. As far as I know, as long as the plant itself is healthy for humans to eat, eating it in a very young state (sprout) is just fine. Well-known examples of green sprouts are sunflower sprouts, pea shoots, etc. A mung bean is a sprout as it has a tiny leaf or two. An obvious example of a sprout that would not be advisable is a poison ivy sprout. The plant itself is not designed in Nature for human consumption, therefore neither is its sprout. Alfalfa sprouts are popular, largely because they grow rapidly, in large quantity, cheaply, and it is almost impossible to fail when attempting to grow them. However, alfalfa plants are food for grazing herbivores, not really for humans. They are quite high in protein and contain some substances toxic to us. Also, the sprouts contain seeds we should definitely avoid. I do not recommend these, but if you choose to eat them, definitely swish them about in water first, to remove those seeds. Please keep in mind that NONE of these plants is really " on the program " I have described in various posts. In this program, I suggest building upon a foundation of sweet fruits and tender greens, then adding other fruits. I mean " fruits " in the botanical, not the culinary, sense. So the term includes zucchini, cucumber, avocado, etc., all the " veggie-fruits, " (I also eat celery, though some would argue that this is suboptimal because of the high nondigestible fiber content. I see no rational basis for opposing omission of celery.) On the program I suggest, everything else -- nuts, seeds, sprouts, etc. -- is a treat. So as a supplement to a nice green salad, some green sprouts are fine, from my perspective, and I do use them myself upon occasion. At the same time, I encourage people not to think of sprouts as a primary or central part of their long-term diet. If you eat well and never eat a sprout, you will be just fine! GERMINATING The word " germinate " means " to begin to develop into an embryo or higher form " or " to come into existence: 'An idea germinated in his mind.' " In the RF world, many people speak of " sprouting " lentils, grains, and nuts (almonds in particular). It is correct to say that, if one were to wait long enough, the soaking process would yield a plant, a tree in the case of nuts, grass in the case of grains (all " grains " are merely grass seed renamed), and a " vegetable " in the case of lentils. However, in the RF world, what people actually do is germinate the seed. SOMETIMES you can see a teeny tiny tip of a sprout emerge, sometimes not. In my experience, most people are taught to do this by a timer (sprout for some period of time), so the teeny tiny sprout may or may not actually emerge. So when we eat " sprouted " lentils, grains, and nuts, we are actually eating the lentil, grain, or nut itself, and not its plant. The rationale for eating germinated lentils, grains, and nuts begins with an understanding that these items are all very difficult for our digestive system to break down. Nuts, seeds, and grains are all designed for VERY long-term storage -- they can survive for centuries or longer and still germinate and produce a viable, healthy plant. - They are high in hard, nondigestible fiber. - They contain little water or oxygen, so as not to disturb or " oxidize " the other constituents. - They contain macronutrients (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates) in very complex forms designed for long-term storage. These constituents are present in sufficient quantity to allow a new plant to emerge and to sustain that plant until it can begin drawing nutrients from soil, through roots. The thinking goes something like this: when any seed (whether grass seed, aka grain, or a nut, or a true " seed " ) germinates, the complex stored nutrients begin breaking down into simpler forms. These simpler forms are not designed for long-term storage; instead, they are designed for use by the emerging seedling. In this simplified form, these nutrients become much more " bioavailable, " that is, more digestible, for us. Further, as the new plant springs to life, there is an explosion in the quantity of many trace nutrients, or micronutrients. Those who advocate eating these germinated items teach that this high concentration of micronutrients, when taken along with more bioavailable macronutrients, make an excellent food source for us. Problems with this thinking: 1. The nondigestible fiber remains. It effect in our digestive system is still harsh. This material is heavy and burdens our digestive system, slowing everything down. 2. While the soak water does increase hydration and bring in oxygen, these foods remain, on balance, dehydrating inside us. That is, our body must supply considerable additional water to facilitate digestion, assimilation, and elimination. 3. That the macronutrients are " more bioavailable " does not mean that they are in their simplest forms, as would be the case in fruits and leaves. Rather, they are merely less unavailable, not entirely available. 4. Further, the mix of macronutrients remains a mismatch for our nutrient requirements. We need water, oxygen, simple sugar, soluble fiber, and a small quantity of protein and fat. We also need a vast array of water-soluble vitamins, minerals, etc. that are only minimally present in these items. 5. While it is correct to note the explosion in micronutrient content, all of the same micronutrients are fully available from the output of the mature plants, the fruits and leaves. So there is no special benefit or gain. Further, as suggested in #4, the mix of micronutrients does not match our nutritional requirements. Hope this is helpful! Best to all, Elchanan -- ---------------------[ Ciphire Signature ]---------------------- vlinfo signed email body (8625 characters) on 21 March 2005 at 20:15:14 UTC rawfood ------------------------------- : Ciphire has secured this email against identity theft. : Free download at www.ciphire.com. The garbled lines : below are the sender's verifiable digital signature. ------------------------------- 00fAAAAAEAAABSKz9CsSEAAE0CAAIAAgACACBZ36NZd8ice9rJ4ZlYrt6BrEjH8O zzmKDQLsTNDUWDmAEAhgSkE5NuzzvORJkeFIi/NVXB9GCG1XVfaMj+yPGZ0X2Eb2 N0dqf3qogUdlUOwYC6gtfFVKldbAhQnrvuqc6h+g== ------------------[ End Ciphire Signed Message ]---------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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