4) Alfalfa Sprouts
100 grams of alfalfa sprouts contain 23 calories, 0.7 grams of fat, 2.1 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of protein.
The alfalfa plant is a type of legume but it is usually bitter and can’t be consumed directly so eating the immature sprouts of the plant is the way you get the most benefits out of this wonderful plant, it has been used for ages for its medicinal properties, they are very easy to grow at home by just watering the seeds and you can have a big amount of sprouts in a couple of days.
The sprouts are full of vitamins and minerals, it has an abundance of vitamin k that helps your blood clotting cascade go smoothly and is very important for binding calcium to your bone matrix to make it stronger and prevent some diseases like osteoporosis and fractures.
These sprouts are full of vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant that reduces the oxidative damage on your cells from the accumulated reactive oxygen species that arise from all of the different metabolic processes in the cells along with helping you produce more white blood cells to boost your immunity, there is a high content of saponins in alfalfa sprouts that help you lower your LDL cholesterol levels.
Alfalfa has been used traditionally to cause diuresis to lower high blood pressure, used by mothers to increase breast milk production and by menopausal women to decrease the hot flashes that come with menopause.
The only problem with them is that they can get easily infected with salmonella and E-coli which can cause food poisoning, it is best to grow your own sprouts at home to see their progress and have them under hygienic conditions, if you are pregnant or immunocompromised it is best to stay away from eating them so as not to have severe opportunistic infections.
The sprouts are actually pretty delicious and add a satisfying snap to your food you can add some to all types of sandwiches, you can add them to the top of any plate, you can add them to salads, and you can even add them to simple soups and cook them well and they will taste bright and refreshing.
