Benefits of sprouting at home

Home sprouting is an easy and affordable way to add fresh, nutrient-rich food to your diet. Sprouting involves soaking and rinsing seeds, nuts, or grains until they germinate and produce sprouts. This process enhances their nutritional value, making them a great addition to any meal.

Saving Money

One of the biggest benefits of home sprouting is saving money. Fresh produce can be expensive, and buying organic fruits and vegetables can add up quickly. Sprouting at home is a cost-effective way to enjoy additional fresh produce without breaking the bank. A small package of seeds or grains can produce a large quantity of sprouts, which can last for several meals. This means you can save money while still getting the nutritional benefits of fresh produce.

Nutritional Benefits 

Sprouts are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help to boost your immune system and improve overall health. They contain high levels of folate, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin K, making them an excellent addition to your diet. Sprouts are low in calories and high in fibre, which makes them great for weight management and digestion.

Reducing food waste

Home sprouting can also help to reduce food waste. Some households throw away produce that has gone bad before it can be consumed. Sprouting at home ensures that you create the amount you need as you need it. Most sprouts have a 3-4 day turn around, easy to plan into your week. 

Increasing diversity

The process provides an easy way to customise your meals and diversify your diet. You can choose which seeds or grains you want to sprout, allowing you to experiment with different flavors and textures. Sprouts can be added to salads, sandwiches, wraps, and more, making them a versatile ingredient in many dishes.

Fun for kids

Finally, home sprouting is a fun and educational activity that can be done with the whole family. Kids love watching the sprouts grow (in only three days) and learning about the science behind the process. It’s a great way to introduce healthy eating habits and teach children about the importance of nutrition.

Should we stock sprouts?

Get Loose are thinking of stocking sprouts (in bulk or paper) and sprouters. 

Would you like to buy sprouts in bulk?

Which ones should we stock?

Why we should all go nuts for nuts and seeds in our diets

Get Loose Manager Justine chats to her husband Chris Cheyette, a diabetes dietitian and best selling author, about the evidence for the nutritional benefits of nuts and seeds.

What’s so great about nuts and seeds from your professional perspective?

Nature is amazing at providing what our bodies need in a neatly unpackaged parcel. Nuts and seeds are high in beneficial fats, and other micronutrients, seeds contain everything a plant would have needed to grow.

Different nuts and seeds have different profiles of nutrients so it's great to get a wide variety of them in your diet. For example 2 brazil nuts give you all the selenium you need in a day.

Some people avoid nuts because of the fat. What are your thoughts?

They do contain fat but most have a very beneficial fat profile of poly and monounsaturated fats which are linked with heart health. Walnuts, linseeds and chia are good plant sources of omega 3, especially if you don’t eat fish.

What other macro / micro nutrients are especially prevalent?

• Almonds are a good source of calcium, especially if you don’t eat dairy.

• All nuts are a good source of iron and protein.

• They are all a good source of fibre which has been shown to help your gut microbes work more effectively. Especially sunflower and peanuts. 

Do nuts make a good mid morning or afternoon snack?

They make an excellent snack, and can help to keep you full due to containing protein, fat and fibre., The recommended portion is 30g  which is a small handful. It is best to get as wide a variety if possible and try to stick to unsalted nuts. 

Get Loose sells a wide range of nuts, seeds, nut and seed butters.

Nuts

Get Loose nut options

• Almond (whole, blanched, ground, chocolate coated and honey roasted)

• Brazil

• Cashew (broken and whole)

• Hazel

• Nut mix

• Peanuts

• Pecan

• Walnut

Nut butters

• Almond (white)

• Hazel

• Peanut (crunchy & smooth)

Seeds

Get Loose seed options

• Chia

• Linseed (flaxseed)

• Poppy

• Pumpkin

• Sesame 

• Sunflower

Seed butters

• Pumpkin 

• Tahini (light & dark)

• Find out more about our nut and seed butter producer, Carley’s, in our recent Producer Spotlight

• Find out more about our cashew nut producer, Zanty, in this Producer Spotlight

Fermented Foods

Shop Manager Justine looks at the health benefits of the fermented foods sold at Get Loose. She is assisted by Diabetes Specialist Dietitian and best selling author Chris Cheyette. 

What is a fermented food?

Fermented foods have been around for thousands of years. Valued for preserving the longevity of food. They are foods and drinks that have undergone a process where micro-organisms break down food components, like sugars, into other products like organic acids or alcohol. This can improve a food’s taste, texture and provide health benefits. 

Why are they good for us?

This food group has a number of health benefits associated with them, including;

• Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

• Lower blood pressure

• Type 2 diabetes prevention 

• Obesity prevention 

• Reduced inflammation 

It is thought that the micro-organisms creating the fermentation produce bioactive peptides, vitamins and other minerals in a form more available to the body. Improving blood health, nerve function and immunity. 

Many fermented foods contain friendly bacteria such as lactobacillus. These are a pro-biotic, helping populate the gut bacteria. 

Gut bacteria 

Our microbiota is unique to each individual person so there is no probably no ideal combination of the potential 1,000 bacteria types that can be inside us. Most people have 100-150 types at a time. It is sobering to think we contain 10x more microbial cells than the number of other cells in the human body!

A huge amount of research is being done on this emerging area, but it is thought that the amount of fibre, and variety of foods eaten, play a significant role in our gut health. 

Fermented foods sold at Get Loose 

• Raw milk yogurt from Kappisan Dairy 

• Cheeses from Bath Cheese Company 

• Kefir from Hook & Son. A fermented yogurt drink with a slight fizz. 

• Tempeh - a meat alternative made from fermented soya beans. 

• Kimchi - a Korean staple made from fermented cabbage and raddish.

• Sauerkraut - fermented cabbage. 

• Miso (brown & white options) - a paste made from fermented soya beans. 

Also… 

Sourdough bread from Frizzante (the Hackney City Farm cafe) or Growing Communities. 

References

https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/fermented-foods.html?dm_i=1M7S,6QO70,NO56LW,QXIHT,1

https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/give-your-friendly-gut-bacteria-a-helping-hand.html