Takeaways
Germination enhances the nutritional value of grains
The body can easily absorb the nutrients of sprouts
Mung bean sprouts have increased polyphenols, vitamin C, zinc, iron, and antioxidant activity
Germination basics
🌱 When dry grains are hydrated, germination begins. This process is dictated by enzymes that break the grains’ dormancy, causing significant alterations in their biochemical makeup. These grains' proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids are broken down into free amino acids, basic sugars, and fatty acids.
Germination enhances the nutritional value of the grain as well as its bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and GABA [a neurotransmitter known for producing a calming effect]. On top of that, most nutrients are fully available for absorption.1
🤓 It is important to remember that germination is affected by environmental factors such as temperature, oxygen, light, moisture, grain variety, and duration. These factors will determine the nutritional quality of the sprouts you eat. If you are interested in a specific grain's chemical profile and health benefits, you have to look for studies on that particular grain. In this article, I will focus on my favorite: Mung beans.
Looking closer at mung bean sprouts
🥗 When I first started eating sprouts, I had vaguely heard they were nutritious and good for health. My mom would add them to our summer salads. What I liked the most back then was the texture they brought to the green mixture. It was only decades later I realized the power of sprouts.
😺 Mung beans are the most important pulse crops grown in South, East, and Southeast Asia. They are a rich protein source (21 to 32.6 g in 100 g of beans), although not a complete protein (having 7 out of 9 essential amino acids).2 Pair mungo beans with cereals like rice to significantly increase the quality of the protein intake.3
😼 What are some of the known benefits of mung bean sprouts?
1️⃣ They are richer in polyphenols, antioxidant activity, and vitamin C4 (see image below). In a nutshell, these molecules inhibit a pro-inflammatory body state.
2️⃣ Amino acids are readily available for absorption. Germination enhances the digestibility of legume proteins, translating into more accessible amino acids for muscle reparation and beyond. Adding them to your snack after a running section is a great idea. 🏃♀️
3️⃣ Increase of essential micronutrients. Zinc and iron, in this case (see image below).
4️⃣ Decrease of anti-nutritional factors. What the heck are anti-nutritional factors? These are substances generated in natural food due to the normal metabolism of species. They can lead to the inactivation of some nutrients. The bottom line is that they can have adverse effects on optimal nutrition. An example of an anti-nutritional molecule in mung beans is phytic acid.
🧲 Phytic acid can bind to essential cations such as iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium. This interaction forms insoluble complexes. The result? The utilization and absorption of these chemical elements in the small intestine are jeopardized… 😣
🙋You want to absorb these micronutrients, don’t you? Note that germination helps reduce the phytic acid content in the grains by 76 %. How cool is that? Go get your zinc and iron! 💃🕺
5️⃣ Health benefits. According to the same study — an instructive scientific literature review in this matter — mung beans confer health benefits such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-melanogenesis (=pigmentation deficiency inhibition), anti-hypertensive (=blood pressure regulation), and hepatoprotective (=liver protection), and others. But as I like to keep in mind, “Any whole food has its beneficial properties. I don’t obsess about any specific benefit myself; I do my best to eat a balanced diet to keep my overall health in check.”
Inspiration corner
🫛As you have guessed by now, mung bean sprouts are my favorite! They have a crunchy texture and a fresh, nutty flavor.
🌱I usually enjoy sprouted seeds as a side dish, adding them to my summer salads or homemade burgers.
Sprouts are super easy to prepare. Wanna give it a try? Then follow these steps:
Soak the mung beans overnight in fresh, clean water.
Drain the water the next morning and leave the mung beans exposed to natural light. To avoid external contamination, I suggest using the germinator model below. This specific model works well for mung beans but not all grains.
Rinse the mung beans with clean, fresh water every evening and morning.
They are ready to eat starting on Day 3 or 4.
😇A little trick: put the sprouted beans in the fridge after Day 3 or 4. The fridge's temperature will slow their growth, giving you more time to consume them over the next few days. Enjoy!
😋Until the next post, stay hungry.
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PS2: It is springtime—my favorite season in Corsica.
🏃♀️"One foot after another, eyes gazing at the arduous trail path. I see the scrambling rocks and steep ascensions ahead. The effort makes me feel alive, so I keep running on the rhythm of the season and inhaling the sweet notes of the wildflowers’ blossoms at sunset."🏃♀️
Chandrapala J. et al., Germination effects on nutritional quality: A comprehensive review of selected cereals and pulses changes, 2024 (link)
Shen Q. et al., Mung Bean (Vigna radiata L.): Bioactive Polyphenols, Polysaccharides, Peptides, and Health Benefits, 2019 (link)