Sprouting grains involves soaking grains in water and keeping them in a warm dark place until they sprout, which usually occurs in about one day. You can then use the sprouted grains in salads or recipes or dry them and grind them into a flour. This process changes the composition of the grain, increasing the grain's nutrition and potentially providing health advantages.
Sprouted grains and flours contain more nutrients than regular grains and flours. For example, sprouted wheat flour has more fat, protein, riboflavin and thiamine, according to an article published in June 2008 in the "Journal of Food Science." Sprouted flours that are dried in a vacuum oven have more thiamine than those dried in a convection oven. Sprouting may also make the grains easier to digest and some of the vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, more bioavailable, according to the Whole Grains Council.
Blood Glucose Control
Diabetics and people with insulin resistance may benefit from using sprouted grains instead of refined grains. A study published in "The Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism" found that breads made with sprouted grains resulted in a lower blood glucose response than with sourdough, 12-grain or white breads in overweight individuals at risk for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes.
Heart Disease Risk
Eating sprouted grains may also help lower your heart disease risk, although the research is still preliminary. An animal study published in "Phytotherapy Research" in July 2009 found that sprouted buckwheat may help lower blood pressure. Another animal study, published in "Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism" in 2007, found that a type of sprouted brown rice may help increase high-density lipoprotein, or good cholesterol, and decrease the risk of clogged arteries.
Using sprouted flour in place of regular flour can help you add nutritional value to the foods you make. However, you cannot always use sprouted flours as a replacement for regular flour in baked goods unless you make changes to both the other ingredients in the recipe and the baking method. Often you need to either increase the amount of liquid you use or decrease the amount of flour. If you use recipes specifically designed for sprouted flour you can limit the potential problems that may come from trying to adapt your regular recipes, although this can be done once you are familiar with how the different sprouted flours affect the results.
Articles For Your Diet
- Journal of Food Science: Nutritive Value of Sprouted Wheat Flour
- Food and Agriculture Organization: Home Processing and Preparation of Weaning Foods
- Journal of Food Science: Breadmaking Quality and Nutritive Value of Sprouted Wheat
- Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism: The Acute Impact of Ingestion of Sourdough and Whole-Grain Breads on Blood Glucose, Insulin, and Incretins in Overweight and Obese Men
- Whole Grains Council: Sprouted Whole Grains
- Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism: Cholesterol-lowering and Antioxidant Status-improving Efficacy of Germinated Giant Embryonic Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) in High Cholesterol-fed Rats
- Phytotherapy Research: Germinated Buckwheat Extract Decreases Blood Pressure and Nitrotyrosine Immunoreactivity in Aortic Endothelial Cells in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
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