Sprouted Seeds: "Forgotten Food,"
enhances immune system and rejuvenation

By Sol Azulay

Five thousand years ago Chinese nobles ate sprouted seeds for rejuvenation and healing. Today, research seems to be confirming that sprouts are the food of the future, as well as a food of the past.
During WWII, when the United States was concerned about a possible meat shortage, the scientific community advised the government that the consumption of germinated seeds was the best and the cheapest alternative to proteins in meat. Today, the increasing tendency to avoid eating meat means that sprouts are taking a serious place in modern culinary approach.
The value of sprouts is becoming more and more accepted among many in the scientific community today. Sprouts are found to be a complete protein. Untampered natural sprouts assist in the building of nerves, tissue, bones and blood.
Dr. Ann Wigmore, founder of the Ann Wigmore Foundation in Torreon, New Mexico, has dedicated her life to confirming the healing properties of sprouts. For the past 30 years, the foundation and four related institutes have treated people for different disorders. Sprouts were found to contribute extensively to the immune system, and were shown to be excellent detoxificants.
Studies at Washington University have shown that a shortage of metabolic enzymes can jeopardize our health. Apparently, if we get digestive enzymes from our food, more metabolic enzyme is freed to prevent disease and maintain health. Unfortunately, all processed food has been heated by one of more means, and thus, all natural enzymes have been destroyed. It seems that eating raw foods is the answer.
The work of researchers such as Dr. Edward Howell, author of the book "Enzyme Nutrition," has shown that we literally wear out our enzyme making machinery by forcing our bodies to produce such a concentrated flow of digestive enzymes all of our lives. By squandering our enzyme making capacity on digestive enzymes, our body has less capacity to create and preserve the thousands of other enzymes in other systems in our body. As a consequence, enzyme activity throughout the entire body declines rapidly and the aging process accelerates at a much faster rate than it should.
Research, such as that done by the Wigmore Foundation, has shown that there are 10 to 100 times more enzymes in sprouted seeds than in vegetables or fruits, depending on the enzyme and the seed being sprouted. Sprouted seeds are also a great source of vitamin C, carotenoid A, B vitamins, and minerals.
There are a variety of sprouted seeds which can be added to one's diet. Some of the most nutritious are rye, fenugreek, wheat, mung bean, lentils, and alfalfa. The increase of vitamins in sprouts is tremendous during the sprouting period, compared to the unsprouted seed. Studies from India and Asia show increases in carotene and vitamin A, Dr. C.W. Bailey of the University of Minnesota showed, in a study attempting to establish the importance of enzymes in the human body, that vitamin C value increased by 600 percent in sprouted wheatgrass.
All that's needed is a container of clean water and seeds from your local health food store to get a fully grown, crispy, tasty vegetable. In addition, there are some automatic sprouters available for individuals who do not have the time to soak and rinse their sprouts a few times a day. Adding sprouts to your favorite salads, soups, sandwiches, etc., will make a world of difference to your health. I believe that a few cups of sprouts daily as a supplement to your food can make a world of difference to your health.
Sol Azulay is researcher of sprout cultivating products from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is also the president of Season Grain Technologies.

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Cash-starved outlets spice up recipes with desi masala

Amin Ali, TNN | Sep 8, 2013, 02.09 AM IST

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NEW DELHI: Exotic meats and vegetables were the flavour of the city till just a couple of years ago. While gourmet eateries stocked foreign fare as a rule, even popular city restaurants started dishing out Norwegian salmon tikka, New Zealand lamb chops and Italian cured ham sausages, along with imported asparagus, basil, eggplant and zucchini. The hike in petroleum prices, coupled with the plummeting value of rupee against dollar, however, has pushed up food prices, and restaurateurs are looking at local farm produce and equipment to stay afloat. Salmon and basa have been replaced by trout, while Indian goat meat has supplanted exotic lamb variety and local herbs are serving as a spicy alternative to imported ingredients.

Such innovations assume significance in light of the shooting prices of raw materials. Chef Sabyasachi Gorai of Olive says earlier the focus was on tasty preparations using Parma or Spanish ham, imported cheese and exotic organic herbs, but now chefs are rustling up imaginative recipes from locally sourced chicken, lamb or ham and cheese. "Only ingredients without a substitute are being imported," he observes. An upshot of this is the edging out of ingredient-based cuisine in the city by multi-cuisine with a similar taste.

As new joints have to import kitchen equipment to compete with established eateries, the cost of setting up a restaurant has also gone up considerably even as expensive ingredients have dented profits. Restauranteur Sohrab Sitaram feel the double whammy has hit culinary business in the city. "High dollar value makes imports dearer, while rising petrol prices bring up transportation costs," he says. Sohrab observes that he could have set up a fine dining outlet with imported lighting, seating, kitchen equipment and a menu boasting gourmet fare at a price that would afford him only a budget eatery today.

A restauranteur confessed that to beat this rise, one had to look at superior local ingredients. "With such a stiff competition, passing the burden on to food lovers will spell doom for any eatery. We can't say our dish is expensive today as rupee has fallen or petrol prices have risen. We either look at local produce or keep absorbing the price rise and perish," he said.

This has spelt boom for local producers. Ayesha Grewal of The Altitude Store, which supplies ingredients to various outlets in the city, thinks it makes perfect business sense to procure goods from nearby areas. "Good quality duck, lamb, fish, asparagus to even European quiches and sausages are available within the country. As more people gravitate towards it, the quantity and quality too will improve," she feels.

While stand-alone outlets are feeling the pinch, five-star outlets too are in the doldrums. A hotel manager said fluctuating prices have impacted the cost of importing liquor. Flying in foreign chefs and sourcing exotic ingredients has made food festivals expensive. They are looking at regional Indian cuisine and Indian spirits. Chef Ashish Joshi of Jaypee Siddharth says good quality quails, ducks, fish and other meats even in the cut of their choice, along with vegetarian ingredients like broccoli, capsicum and zucchini are being supplied by local producers. These ingredients are being actively used by chefs for their regional Indian food festivals as it allows diners to experiment with a new cuisine while keeping the costs under control.