Why You Should Be Eating Sprouted Grains | Adventure Yogi

Getting to Know Sprouted Grains

Offering a more easily digestible and nutritious alternative to every day (un-sprouted) flours and oats, Rude Health has launched the UK’s first four Sprouted and Organic foods made from sprouted grains.

So, what is Sprouted Grain?

To begin, prior to the industrialisation of the agricultural world, grains sprouted naturally in fields across Britain. Of course, nature created sprouted grains all by its magical self!  However, for over 70 years grains have been harvested and milled before they’ve had a chance to sprout. Hpwever, Rude Health’s new range of organic sprouted grains flours and oats are made from grains that have been nurtured and allowed to sprout. Favourably, this keeps all of the fibre from the whole grain and releasees valuable nutrients.  Additionally, they’re raw too.

Often, what we think as “grains”, such as rice, wheat, oats, corn and barley, are the mature, dormant seeds of cereal grasses. And, just like any other seed, under the right conditions, these seeds can germinate into young plants and start the life cycle anew. By creating sprouted grains, we’re essentially allowing them to transform from starch into a vegetable. Amazingly, your body then digests the grain as a vegetable rather than starch, making it much easier for your body to process! 

Why are they better?

Three very simple reasons:

1. To start, there are more nutrients
2. Sprouted grains more efficiently digested and absorbed by the body
3. They taste better

Nick Barnard, the co-founder at Rude Health, comments. “Sprouting a grain makes it come alive and releases nutrients that are more readily absorbed by the body.”

Leading nutritionist Vicki Edgson, adds.  “The abundance of nutrients found in sprouted grains is superb, rendering a grain into a higher-protein compound. Sprouting is set to be one of the biggest new trends in foods, as we recognise the importance of ‘living foods’ .

The Technical Bit: Nutritional benefits of sprouted grains and oats

1. To start, sprouting helps to mitigate the anti-nutrients like enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid.  These, are naturally present in whole grains. As a result of sprouting, the flour is richer in vitamins with a full array of minerals.

2. The sprouting process breaks down starches within grains into simple sugars, makeing them easier to digest.

3. Furthermore, Vitamin C and enzymes are produced by the grains during germination. Additionally, this increases the levels of vitamin B (B2, B5 and B6) and carotene within the grains.

4. Sprouting neutralises enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid. This is present in the bran of all grains that inhibits the absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron copper and zinc.

5. Sprouting grains also initiates the process of breaking down gluten proteins. Sadly, this does not make sprouted wheat safe for people with coeliac disease. However,  it may make those grains easier to digest for people who are sensitive to gluten.

So now, all there is left to do is get creative in your kitchen with these flours! Enjoy!