Living food: Sprouted seeds, legumes, grains and nuts

Sprouts are living food full of health benefits. Sprouting seeds or grains at home can be creative, cheap, healthy and fun! Due to their high water content, sprouts contain absorbable protein, calcium, potassium, sodium, iron, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3 and C. They make a nutritious addition to salads, wraps, breads, smoothies, juices and crunchy topping on noodles.

Why sprout?

Sprouting seeds are consumed very early in its growth cycle. In approximately 2-5 days, your sprouts will be ready to consume. In its early stage of the cycle, sprouts accumulate massive amounts of energy which will soon power a rapid growth spurt. It is this energy that is captured in the sprouts as protein and enzymes. It is this energy which provides its amazing nutritional benefits.

Other health benefits of eating sprouts:

1. Sprouts are called living food because Living sprouts are quality food of high biophotons (bio meaning 'life'; photon meaning 'electromagnetic') and Bio-genic nutrition, which provide a high bio-energetic  value, to energise our body and help the entire organism function, and prevent and repair defects. Sprouted seeds and baby greens are the most beneficial foods, and are called as life-generating Bio-genic Foods, and it is recommended that they comprise 25% of our daily food as it offer the strongest support for the regeneration of cells.

2. Sprouts are a powerful source of antioxidants in the form of vitamins, minerals and enzymes, which assist in protecting the body from free radical damage.

3. Sprouts are alkaline and have an alkalising affect in the body. If we desire health, the body needs to be alkaline. The immune system is made strong by high alkaline and alkalising foods.

4. Sprouts provide us with whole foods, full of living enzymes, a vital life-force. Eating fresh sprouts provides essential nutrients in an easily assimilable form. Living enzymes, in sprouts, go to work to predigest the protein into their constituent amino acids: this makes them easily digested and absorbed by the body. We can digest sprouts in less than half the time of cooked foods.

5. The formula for multi-vitamin B and C is hydrogen, oxygen and carbon, together with the life-force and elements in the seeds, this creates a complex carbohydrate, and nutrients are formed. These are the magical substances that provide the miracle of life and increased nutrients in sprouts.

6. Sprouts have an excellent array of minerals that the body requires. During sprouting, the minerals are enriched and develop in a chelated form (which are more easily utilised by the body).

7. Sprouts have a generous supply of vitamins . In fact the vitamin content of some seeds can increase from 100% to 2000% in several days of sprouting. Even soaking seeds, overnight, produces massive amounts of vitamin B complex and also of vitamin C.

How to sprout your grains and seeds :

1. Soak half a cup of organic seeds (mung beans, sunflowers etc.) overnight in a bowl of fresh filtered water.

2. The next morning, drain water and rinse well.

3. Place in a damp sprouting bag (cheese cloth or muslin bag) or a sprouting glass jar with a cheese cloth cover or mesh.

4. Every morning and night rinse the sprouts to keep them wet and mould-free.

5. Continue the process for desired length of days, usually 2-5 days.

6. Rinse well with fresh water and serve immediately. Yields approximately 2-3 cups.

What you can sprout?

Soaking and Sprouting chart:

Things to note when sprouting:

1. Always make sure that the soaking, sprouting or seed trays are in a well ventilated environment. If there is not good air circulation you will find that you will get fungus growing around the growing roots where it is wettest.

2. Always make sure that the seeds are able to drain freely and are not sitting in stagnant water except during the first 12 to 24 hours where the seeds are initially soaking.

3. Always wash seeds or seedlings at least twice each day, depending on heat of the day.

Simple sprouted salad recipe:

Things you need (to make sprout salad for 4 people)

*Sprouted Mung beans - 1 cup

*Sprouted brown chick peas (Garbanzo Beans)- 1 cup

*Sprouted sesame seeds - Half a cup

*Soaked raw almonds - Half a cup

*Fresh coconut shavings - Two tablespoons

*Juice from half a  lemon or lime

*Pinch of Himalayan salt

*Cilantro or mint leaves for garnishing

How to make it:

1. Mix the sprouts and soaked raw almonds in a bowl.

2. Add shavings of fresh coconut.

3. Add juice of lemon or lime. Sprinkle Himalayan salt and mix well.

4. Garnish with cilantro or mint leaves.

CAUTION FOR PREGNANT LADIES:

It is better to eat cooked sprouts during pregnancy. Raw sprouts should be avoided completely as pregnant women have weaker immune systems and are more at risk of developing the food borne diseases spread by these sprouts.

Please see http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/types/fruits/sprouts.html. for more details.

Happy Sprouting!

Bye for now. With love from PetalDew - Nature's Nurture.

Toasty oats and sesame seeds encrusted dry fruits cacao rounds

Do we say no to chocolates? The sinful taste of cocoa not only satisfies a grownup’s taste buds but is equally tantalizing to children as well. We mothers, employ the tactics of disguising the healthy stuff with cocoa and chocolate flavors to make our children eat without protest. That is the reason we see chocolate-banana smoothies, chocolate flavored milk and yogurt being popular among children.

My mission to make my fussy two and half year old daughter to eat dry fruits and oats is accomplished now! Yes, I made her eat almonds, walnuts, cranberries and oats. Of course I disguised the healthy nuts and dry fruits in the form of a tempting treat. To my amazement I saw my “Toasty oats and sesame seeds encrusted dry fruits cocoa rounds" containing a good balance of nutrients disappearing quickly in no time. It was eagerly devoured by my daughter and by her grandparents !

Recipe for Toasty oats and sesame seeds encrusted dry fruits cocoa rounds

Things you need (for making approx 20 small cocoa rounds)

* Rolled oats – 1 cup

* Raw almonds and walnuts – 1 cup

* Dried cranberries or raisins – ½ cup

* Raw Cacao powder /Cadburys drinking chocolate cocoa powder (If you don’t have raw cocoa powder) - 2 tablespoons

* Honey for sweetness – Honey helps the dough to stick together – 1 to 2 tablespoons

* Clarified butter (ghee) – 1 tablespoon

* Sesame seeds – 1 ½ tablespoons

* Cinnamon and cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon each

* Himalayan crystal salt (optional) – ½ teaspoon

How to make it:

- In a pan, dry roast the oats for two minutes on a low flame followed by dry roasting the raw almonds for three minutes to release the nutty aroma.

- Keep the toasted oats and the almonds aside to cool.

 - In the remaining heat of the pan, toast the white sesame seeds/ black sesame seeds for less than a minute. I prefer using white sesame seeds since it has nuttier flavor and beautiful aroma. Keep this aside which is used to encrust or coat the rounds.

- In a food processor, first powder the oats. Keep the powdered oats aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of powdered oats to be later on used for coating the rounds.

- Next, powder the almonds and the walnuts. Keep it aside.

- Blend the cranberries or the raisins at the end as it becomes a paste when blended and will stick to the insides of the food processor.

- In a wide vessel, mix all the powdered and blended ingredients. Add raw cacao powder, cinnamon, cardamom powder and Himalayan salt and mix it well.

- Add clarified butter, and honey to the mixture and mix it well.

- Keep a tablespoon of mixture onto your palm and roll it to make rounds. The mixture should hold well without crumbling. If it doesn't crumble, then proceed with making the rounds.

- If the mixture crumbles, add few drops of clarified butter or melted butter and mix it well. Adding the clarified butter should help the mixture to stick together.

- Taste and see if you need more sweetness. If you need more sweetness, add honey to the mixture.

After you have made the rounds, moist your palm with clarified butter and press the rounds coating it with clarified butter. Roll the rounds again, coating it with powdered oats which was reserved earlier.

- Finally coat it with toasted white/black sesame seeds to form a thin crust on the top.

These healthy oats dry fruits cocoa encrusted rounds will last for a month. But I bet it will be devoured once it is made. It keeps you full and it is a good snack on the go. Enjoy!

 A note of caution: kids suffering from nut allergy should avoid taking nuts. Substitute the nuts with ragi flour aka finger millet flour which is equally nutritious.

Health benefits of some of the ingredients I used in this recipe

Oats: Oatmeal and oat bran are significant sources of dietary fiber. This fiber contains a mixture of about half soluble and half insoluble fibers. One component of the soluble fibre found in oats is beta-glucans, a soluble fiber which has proven effective in lowering blood cholesterol.

Almonds: Almonds are rich in manganese, vitamin E and magnesium. Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease.

Raw cacao powder: I prefer using unsweetened raw cacao powder for this recipe. To see the health benefits of raw cacao powder, see my posting under my blog http://petaledew.blogspot.in/2012/07/what-is-hype-about-super-food-raw-cacao.html

Dried cranberries: I used dried cranberries as it has a yummy tartness flavour. When combined with the sweetness of honey and cacao powder, the tartness gets evened out and the result is yummy! Dried Cranberries are the dehydrated version of the Common Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus). Dried cranberries are high in Vitamin C and antioxidants. They are used widely for treating urinary tract issues. Dried cranberries are being studied for possible health uses: fighting bacterial infections, cardiovascular benefits, immune system strengthening, and anti-cancer properties. Dried cranberries are even suspected of helping fight tooth decay.

Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds add a nutty taste and a delicate, almost invisible, crunch to many Asian dishes. Not only are sesame seeds a very good source of manganese and copper, but they are also a good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fiber. In addition to these important nutrients, sesame seeds contain two unique substances: sesamin and sesamolin. Both of these substances belong to a group of special beneficial fibers called lignans, and have been shown to have a cholesterol-lowering effect in humans, and to prevent high blood pressure and increase vitamin E supplies in animals. Sesamin has also been found to protect the liver from oxidative damage.

Himalayan crystal salt : To see the benefits of Himalayan crystal salt, see my posting under my blog - http://petaledew.blogspot.in/2012/09/good-salt-and-bad-salt.html

Hope you enjoy making these delicious rounds for your children and why not make these healthy rounds for the upcoming festival – Festival of Lights (Deepavali)?

Bye for now – With love from pD

Good salt and bad salt

Is there anything called good salt and bad salt? Yes. There is good and bad salt.

There was a time when salt was worth its weight in gold – literally. And quite right too. Without salt, life would cease. Your muscles would not function, your ability to think would be impaired, your memory would fail and your heart would stop beating. And yet today salt is the demon of the diet world – because we end up consuming bad salt and not in prescribed quantity!

Majority of us nowadays consume bad salt - Refined and 'chemically cleaned' salt ripped off its nearly 82 out of 84 natural minerals and broad spectrum of trace elements which are vital for maintaining optimum health. 

Consuming too much of refined salt - plain sodium chloride with added anti-caking agents is not beneficial to our health. Sodium chloride in isolation without its natural counterpart like potassium, calcium, magnesium and other minerals and trace elements cannot maintain a neutral pH level in our body. Sodium chloride on its own makes your body hold on to water. The extra water stored in your body raises your blood pressure. So, the more bad salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure. The higher your blood pressure, the greater the strain on your heart, arteries, kidneys and brain. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and dementia and kidney disease.

What’s the fuss about Iodized salt?

The real sea salt is not rich in iodine.

Some countertop table salts have added synthetic iodine as a chemical component, which doesn't have anything in common with the natural iodine that our body needs.

The fact is that we do need iodine in our diet. This element, in its natural form, is mandatory for the thyroid gland, which controls many vital functions in our body - You should consult your doctor about What Vitamins & Supplements Should You Be Taking?

* Iodine can be be added to your diet from natural iodine rich foods like seafood, eggs, cereal grains, legumes and dairy products from cows fed with iodised salt or natural supplements such as kelp and seeweed and multi-vitamins.

DID YOU KNOW?

* 80% of the salt you eat every day is "hidden" in the processed foods you eat. Processed food such as packet chips, biscuits, and store bought savories and snacks contain too much sodium chloride. Before you buy any product, look at the nutritional label on the package to see the salt/sodium content.

* When buying a packet of salt and you see that the only ingredient listed is Sodium chloride and anti-caking agent, you know what you are getting. Put it back in the shelf.

So what kind of salt is good for our health?

Down the memory lane, I remember an old man - a salt vendor moving a huge sack of natural rock salt (harvested from the sea) in his cart down the streets shouting - "Amma, Aiyaa Kallu Uppu vangikanga " ("Ladies and Men of the house buy some rock salt"). My grandfather was his regular customer and after he bought the salt, my grandmother/ my mother stored the rock salt in a medium - sized ceramic jar (Uppu Jaadi). During our grandparents’ time, we all used the good salt. But why there was a shift in our mind-set to use packaged and refined sodium chloride instead of natural sea salt?

Let us discuss on some of the good salts that have naturally present minerals and trace elements. Moderate consumption of good salt will not harm our body. The National Academy of Sciences advises that we consume at least 500 mg of salt a day to maintain good health. How much a person actually needs varies quite a bit, depending on their genetics and daily routine.

Natural rock salt

The so called "rock salt" is also a sea salt that comes from underground mines, where salt deposits have been formed after the evaporation of primordial seas or oceans. All natural salt existing in the world is actually sea salt, whether or not it has been harvested from sea water or from salt mines. There is plenty of it all over the world but only the unprocessed version is healthy for us.

Unrefined sea salt

Sea salt is a broad term that generally refers to unrefined salt derived directly from a living ocean or sea. It is harvested through channelling ocean water into large clay trays and allowing the sun and wind to evaporate it naturally. Manufacturers of sea salt typically do not refine sea salt as much as other kinds of processed salt, so it still contains natural traces of other minerals, including iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and iodine. Proponents of sea salt rave about its bright, pure, clean flavor, and about the subtleties lent to it by these other trace minerals. Sea salt is thought to be healthier and more flavorful than traditional table salt. Available in coarse, fine & extra fine grain size, and many sizes in between!

Celtic salt

Refers to naturally moist salt harvested from the Atlantic seawater off the coast of Brittany, France.  This type of salt are harvested using the Celtic method of wooden rakes allowing no metal to touch the salt. It is naturally air and sun-dried in clay ponds and gathered with wooden tools to preserve its living enzymes.  Because it is unrefined, it contains all of the 84 beneficial live elements found in sea water, with no chemical and preservatives nor any other additives. Among the live minerals and trace elements found in Celtic sea salt are iodine, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium and zinc.  The 84 trace minerals provide the necessary nutrients and protect the body from the harshness of sodium chloride that we consume from commercial salt.

 Himalayan pink salt

It is one of the purest salt on the earth. This salt is over 250 million years old. Himalayan Pink Salt was originally formed from marine fossil deposits over 250 million years ago. Harvested from ancient seabeds, this rare and extraordinary salt has been a valuable commodity for centuries.  Historically, the Himalayan people used this salt to preserve their fish and meat throughout the year, and every spring they transported the salt to Nepalese valleys for trade. Heavily burdened yaks would carry the salt along narrow sloping paths, mountains, and cliffs in order to sell and exchange the salt for other commodities. Himalayan Pink Salt is still extracted from mines by hand, according to long-standing tradition, and without the use of any mechanical devices or explosion techniques. After being hand-selected, the salt is then hand-crushed, hand-washed, and dried in the sun. However it should be noted that most of the commercial supply of Himalayan Pink Salt on the market today is currently coming from the mountainous regions of Pakistan.

Himalayan pink Salt contains many natural trace minerals required by our body in minute quantities. 

Benefits of Himalayan pink salt:

The benefits:

• Regulating the water content in your body.
• Promoting a healthy pH balance in your cells, particularly your brain cells.
• Promoting blood sugar health and helping to reduce the signs of aging.
• Assisting in the generation of hydroelectric energy in cells in your body.
• Absorption of food particles through your intestinal tract.
• Supporting respiratory health.
• Promoting sinus health.
• Prevention of muscle cramps.
• Promoting bone strength.
• Regulating your sleep -- it naturally promotes sleep.
• Supporting your libido.
• Promoting vascular health.
• In conjunction with water it is actually essential for the regulation of your blood pressure.
•  

Kala namak (black salt/ Sanchal)

Kala namak, or Indian black salt, is an unrefined mineral salt. It is actually a pearly, pinkish-gray color rather than black, and has a strong, sulfuric flavor and aroma. Vegan chefs have made this salt popular for adding in egg-y flavor to dishes like tofu scrambles. Kala Namak is used in authentic Indian cooking, and popular in mango smoothies.  

Basic rules to follow when buying your salt:

* Look for unrefined and natural salt like sea salt/rock salt and other natural exotic salts like Celtic or Himalayan pink salt. The natural and un-refined salt will not be pure white colour as it is not chemically treated.

* Natural and unrefined salt do not consist anti-caking agent. The salt may clump as it draws moisture from the air. Store your un-refined salt in an air-tight glass or ceramic jar and grind your rock salt with mortar and pestle before adding it to your food. 

Bye for now - Until then with Love from PetalDew.

What is the hype about the super food – Raw Cacao?

Raw cacao powder is considered as one of the new super food. Why? It is supposed to contain antioxidants; magnesium and bliss nutrients that can help keep you energized, healthy and happy. 

It contains up to twice the amount of antioxidants of traditional Cocoa Powder made from roasted beans.

Why raw cacoa is good?

The raw cacoa is cold pressed from the nibs without solvents, and then fine-milled and sifted so the most bio-available cacao particles filter into the final product. As the temperature is never allowed to exceed 40°C, the powder is considered a ‘raw’ food with all heat-sensitive vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants remaining intact, thereby maximizing digestion and absorption.

Health benefits of raw cacao powder:

Antioxidants:

Raw Cacao beans contain 10 grams of flavonol antioxidants per 100 grams, which is an incredible 10%. Research has also demonstrated that the antioxidants in cacao are highly stable and easily available to human metabolism.

Magnesium for the Heart and Brain

Raw cacao is the primary dietary source of magnesium. Magnesium is the most important mineral for a healthy functioning heart. It also plays a key role in producing energy for the neurons in the brain from glucose. So when there is an abundance of magnesium the brain works with clarity and focus.

Mood elevators and Anti-depressants

Cacao is a great source of serotonin, dopamine, anandamide and phenylethylamine (PEA), four well-studied neurotransmitters, which are associated with feelings of well being and help alleviate depression. Both PEA and Anandamide (the bliss chemical) are found in abundance in the brains of happy people and are particularly released when we are feeling happy. Both of these neurotransmitters are present in raw cacao in large enough quanitities to affect the brain and lift our moods. Cacao also contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO Inhibitors) that keep neurotransmitters in the bloodstream for longer without being broken down.

Raw cacao is much more potent than the processed chocolate and doesn't have any sugar or  dairy products blocking the positive effects of all the goodies in raw cacao.

I wanted to find out if cacao is really different to cocoa and the below website http://www.allchocolate.com/understanding/cacao-vs-cocoa/ states the difference as -

Cacao: pronounced Ka-Kow. Refers to the tree, its pods and the beans inside.

Cocoa: pronounced Koh-Koh. Refers to two by-products of the cacao bean – cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Both are extracted from the bean when it is processed in the factory.

According to FDA guidelines, cocoa powder and cacao powder are simply different terms for the same powder, and are nearly interchangeable; however, "cacao powder" specifically refers to raw, unsweetened powder. "Cocoa powder," on the other hand, may still have a very small amount of cocoa butter present to enhance the flavor subtly."

When looking for cacao powder, it's important to look at the nutritional labels. There are two forms of cacao powder -- the post-fermented powder obtained before the processor removes the cocoa butter and the powder obtained after separation. The raw cacao butter that hasn't been further processed to remove the butter still retains the natural fat from the cacao bean. 

Cocoa butter obtained after the separation process does not retain the fat from the cocoa butter. Refer to - (http://www.livestrong.com/article/450243-what-is-raw-cacao-powder/ )

Raw cacao powder can be added to milkshakes, smoothies and drizzled on ice creams and on muffins.

I had a beautiful smoothie made with raw cacao powder, almond milk and agave nectar in a vegetarian restaurant recently. If you are unable to get agave nectar, substitute it with raw honey for sweetness. You will be taken to heavenly bliss when tasting this smoothie.

Recipe for raw cacao powder almond smoothie:

3 cups cold milk

1 cup raw almonds

1 tbsp - sweet almond oil

¼ cup honey or agave nectar

2 tablespoon raw cacao powder

1 pinch nutmeg powder

1 pinch cinnamon powder

Soak raw almonds overnight in hot water. Next day morning, grind the almonds in a blender until it becomes a smooth paste and to this add cold milk,sweet almond oil, honey/agave nectar, raw cacao powder and pinches of nutmeg and cinnamon powder and blend it again. Have it chilled and Enjoy!