Why Eating Sprouts For Hair Is Awesome? Benefits, Uses, And Potential Risks

Why eating sprouts is beneficial? Having long, luscious hair can make a woman look enchanting. Long tresses offer a charm, which will make them unforgettable. But, everyone is not blessed with long, thick hair. You try various methods to grow your hair. Several of them can only offer bad results as the products contain chemicals. Treating your scalp with natural and effective products can show positive results. Apart from trying different products, you need to eat a healthy diet to promote hair growth. Sprouts is one of the healthy and effective food items promoting hair growth. While fruits and vegetables offer you the necessary nutrition, sprouts can provide you healthy and vibrant hair. Sprouts are nutritional powerhouses that can show results. Still not convinced? Read ahead to know why you need to add sprouts to the diet and how to include them for getting effective results.

About Sprouts

Southeast Asia and ancient India started cultivating sprouts. But, the western world started including sprouts by the second half of the twentieth century. People from the East always admired the superfood due to its nutritional value. It has a fast rate of growth and grows even in adverse weather conditions. Over the years, sprouts production has seen a huge rise. So, you can now see sprouts in many of the local markets, grocery stores, and sandwich shops. It is easy and thrifty to grow sprouts. So, local small markets and large-scale facilities distribute sprouts all over the world. For personal use, you can try growing it at home.

Before going into the details of why eating sprouts for hair and overall health is beneficial, you need to know more about them. So, what are sprouts? Sprouts refer to the germinated seeds of legumes. They are young plants not grown fully. The premature growth of the seeds makes them a superfood. It contains high nutrition. So, adding even a small amount to your diet can improve your health. When you consume them raw, it promotes the quality along with digestion of nutrients (for example, proteins). Some people face the risk of food poisoning when they consume sprouts raw. Therefore, lightly cooking them before you eat can offer all benefits and prevents complications. You can add sprouts to your snacks, salads, stir-fry, and other food items to enjoy the superfood.

Growing Sprouts At Home

While you can get sprouts at any of the supermarkets, you can easily grow them at home. How to grow sprouts at home? Sprouting is a natural process. When you soak the seeds in water for several hours, it initiates the germination process. You need to expose the seeds to the right combination of moisture and temperature for sprouting. Allow the seeds to germinate and grow for at least two to seven days. The soaked seeds can sprout measuring two to five centimeters (1/8 to 2 inches) in length.

Eating Sprouts: Different Types Available

Sprouting is one of the initial phases in the journey of plant life. So, every plant going through seeding to blooming has to complete the sprouting phase. But, not all the sprouts are edible. Only some of them are edible, which offer you an array of nutrients. Wondering the common categories of sprouts you need to consume? Here are some of them you can include in the diet:

Bean Sprouts

Bean sprouts, as the name suggests are obtained by the germination of beans. The sprouts have tender shoots protruding from the germination. Why eating sprouts of the category is effective? It is tasty, crunchy, and has a mild flavor with several nutrients. Here are some of the types:

• Kidney bean
• Mung bean
• Black bean
• Soybean
• Adzuki
• Garbanzo bean
• Lentil

Pea Sprouts

You can grow peas sprouts easily, even in a small space. The sprouts grow faster and have a delicious taste. It is a superfood as it is rich in protein and Vitamin C. Peas sprouts are the microgreen consisting of stalk and leaves (the young plant), which you grow from the sprouted peas. Here are the different varieties available:

• Slow pea
• Green pea

Grain Sprouts

Oats sprouts

Grain Sprouts are healthy food. It supplies nutrients like vitamins, fiber, minerals, and bioactive compounds. Adding it to the diet ensures you get the necessary plant starch and other vital nutrients with ease. Here are some of the common grain sprouts, people include in their diet:

• Buckwheat
• Brown rice
• Oats
• Quinoa

Nut Sprouts

You can sprout nuts like groundnut and almond.

Seed Sprouts

You can sprout certain seeds to enhance the nutrients and make it a superfood. The common seed sprouts are:

• Pumpkin seed
• Alfalfa seed
• Radish seed
• Sunflower seed
• Sesame seed

Vegetable/Leafy Sprouts

You can also sprout vegetables and leafy vegetables. Here are some of the common types of vegetable/leafy sprouts:

• Beet
• Brussels
• Broccoli
• Mustard green
• Cress
• Clover
• Radish

You can grow the sprouts at home. It is possible to consume sprouts alone. If you do not like the taste, then you can combine it with another dish or snack.

Why Eating Sprouts Is Awesome: Nutritional Profile Offering Benefits

The process of sprouting enhances the levels of essential nutrients. So, the seedlings offer high nutrition while keeping the calories to a significantly low value. Depending on the type of sprouts variety you choose, the sprouts contain the following:

Concentrated Vitamins

Sprouts contain concentrated levels of different vitamins like:

• Vitamin C
• Folate or Vitamin B9
• Biotin or Vitamin B7
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K

Minerals

Sprouts also contain several essential vitamins needed for your body. The minerals you can find in sprouts are:

• Manganese
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Iron
• Potassium
• Selenium
• Zinc

Other Nutrients

Apart from vitamins and minerals, the sprout is a powerhouse of other essential nutrients like:

• Amino acids
• Antioxidants
• Bioflavonoids
• Phytochemicals

Also, sprouting can bring down the anti-nutrients in your body by a staggering 87%. So, sprouts aids in the maximum absorption of nutrients when you consume foods.

Why Eating Sprouts For Hair Is Awesome?

Sprout is a superfood with good nutrition. So, it offers high benefits to your hair. Here are some of the benefits of including the superfood in your diet to improve the health and appearance of the tresses:

Boosts Blood Supply to the Scalp

Eating sprouts or applying a thick paste of the superfood on the scalp can boost the blood supply to your scalp. Eating a bowl of sprouts or applying paste can trigger a capillary reaction in the hair follicles. The nutritive ingredient in the sprouts can stimulate blood flow throughout the scalp. It can lead to getting a healthy blood supply to all cells in the scalp. With good blood flow, your hair can become healthy and strong.

Offer Hydration To Scalp And Hair

Sprouts contain essential minerals, which can cure several hair problems. The superfood allows different systems in the body to function well. Therefore, it helps maintain the natural moisture in your scalp. The superfood contains iron that helps carry oxygen from your bloodstream to the scalp along with the hair roots. The superfood also contains high levels of zinc. It replenishes cells in your scalp. Therefore, it aids in sebum production in the scalp. These minerals help your scalp as well as hair strands hydrated.

Provides Nourishment To Hair

Sprouts are loaded with vitamins and minerals. So, it offers nourishment to your hair fibers from deep within. So, it helps to keep your hair healthy. The sprouts contain vitamin A, which treats dryness occurring in the hair strands, hair roots, and dryness of the scalp. It can stimulate your hair follicles and result in better hair growth. Sprouts also contain vitamin K that generated protein in your scalp. It occurs by dissolving fats in your body. It helps in hair roots becoming stronger naturally. Sprouts also contain vitamin C and biotin. They can reverse weak and brittle hair. It prevents damage to your hair. By locking moisture in your hair strands, the superfood prevents the thinning of hair. Therefore, you can see the long and luscious hair.

Say Goodbye To Dandruff

Dandruff is the most common problem affecting people. Excess dandruff can lead to hair fall. You develop dandruff as a result of improper maintenance of the hair roots. It can lead to an unhealthy scalp. An unhealthy scalp is an ideal ground for the breeding of Malassezia, a type of fungus. It can trigger dandruff and cause itchiness as well as flakiness of the scalp. It results in the removal of healthy hair follicles. So, it causes hair loss. The sprouts contain selenium, which has antifungal properties. So, regular consumption of sprouts will keep dandruff away. It will effectively avert an itchy scalp.

Prevents Premature Graying

Your hair is vulnerable to attacks from the toxins accumulated in the body. You can experience premature graying along with dead cell accumulation due to hair damage. They are signs indicating you need to need to take action. Including food with antioxidants can protect your hair from oxidative damage. Sprouts is one such food offering protection to your hair. Including it in your diet avoids premature graying. So, your hair stays youthful looking for a long time.

Promotes Hair Growth

As suggested earlier, the sprout is a superfood with highly nutritious properties. It contains the necessary vitamins and minerals, which gives a considerable boost to your body’s metabolism. The superfood helps remove harmful free radicals from the body. It can also eliminate the dead skin cells from the scalp. Subsequently, your weak and brittle hair becomes stronger. Adding the superfood to your diet can stimulate hair growth to a larger extent.

Eating Sprouts Helps in Hair Regrowth

If you want to see hair regrowth, then eating sprouts is the best option. Besides vitamins and minerals, the superfood provides your hair with silica. A good supply of silica can slow down hair loss. So, it can help prevent baldness. Silica is also effective in making the hair grow stronger and longer. Including sprouts is the best way to regrow your hair. Among the different types of sprouts, certain ones like alfalfa have an abundance of silica. So, add it to your diet to see the difference.

Eating Sprouts In Different Ways

There are easy ways to add sprouts to your diet. The simple recipes are easy to include in your daily diet. Here are some of the methods:

Eating Sprouts As Salads

While it is a simple method to include sprouts, it is an effective method to eat the superfood to get benefits for the body. You can make different types of dry salads, which means you are including more green in the diet. It will offer great benefits. Different types of sprouts have different flavors. You can include green leaf sprouts to get a subtle flavor. To spice up the salads, add radish sprouts while you can get a nutty flavor by adding alfalfa sprouts.

Make Omelets

You may have tried many variations of omelets like adding vegetables, herbs, cheese, and other stuffing to make it tastier. But, adding sprouts can make omelets will make it tastier and healthier. You can try making egg white omelet. It makes a savory meal without forgoing taste and flavor.

Curries And Stir-Fries

If you want something different, then making curries or stir-fries using sprouts and other vegetables offers a good option. It offers you a chance to include sprouts in the evening meal. Curries using sprouts are healthy and nutritious. The cuisines created using sprouts are served with chapati or rice for lunch or dinner.

Make Pancakes

If you are tired of the usual pancake using banana and maple syrup, then you can give it a healthy twist by including sprouts. Add sprouts to the pancake mix for added benefits. Enjoy a wholesome meal by adding alfalfa sprouts, vegetables, and herbs. It also tastes wonderful.

Eating Sprouts By Making Sandwiches

If you want to make sprouts, making sandwiches is the best idea. Sprouts tend to taste better when you pack them between the slices of bread. Adding toppings or vegetables to it will enhance the taste and make it nutritious. You can include this as a part of your regular breakfast.

Do Eating Sprouts Offer Other Benefits?

Eating sprouts is beneficial for your skin. But, the nutrients and plant compounds in the sprouts can offer several benefits for your skin. Including sprouts in your diet can enhance your beauty. It can offer several benefits for the skin. Here are some of them:

Eating Sprouts For Hydration

Sprouts are rich in antioxidants. It can fight the free radicals causing damages to your skin. Including sprouts will lock the moisture in your skin cells. So, it offers skin hydration to offers glowing skin.

Smooth Skin

Sprouts contain Vitamin C in abundance. So, it helps your skin look softer and smoother. Vitamin C can trigger collagen production in the skin. Collagen can provide elasticity to your skin. So, you can improve your skin texture by including sprouts in your diet.

Reduce Skin Inflammation

Eating sprouts can decrease inflammation in the body. Sprouts contain omega-3 fatty acids. So, it helps fight skin problems like acne, blemishes, and breakouts. Including sprouts in your diet can also heal problems like psoriasis, eczema, pruritus, etc.

Offer Youthful Glow

The superfood contains silica. It is the nutrient regenerating your skin’s connective tissues. Silica can also remove toxins from the body. So, it helps you overcome lifeless and dull skin. The regenerative cell properties offer a natural and youthful glow to your skin. Including the superfood prevents excess oil as it regulates sebum production. Consuming nutrient-rich food can combat signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles, etc.

Eating Sprouts Avoids Skin Damage

Eating sprouts can prevent skin damage caused due to sun exposure. So, you can prevent issues like sun rash poisoning, and skin cancer resulting from it.

Eating Sprouts For Overall Health

Sprouts contain several nutrients. So, including it in your diet will offer several health benefits. Here are some of the benefits, which will convince you to add it to your diet.

Boosts Blood Circulation

Spouts can maintain the red blood cells count. It is because of the presence of copper and iron in sprouts. So, it can aid in boosting blood circulation. With increased blood circulation, the organs and cells enough oxygen. It optimizes the performance of your organs.

Regulated Blood Sugar Levels

Sprouts have a low amount of total carbohydrates. So, it keeps blood sugar levels under control. Sprouts increase the activity of the amylase enzyme. So, it facilitates the breakdown along with the digestion of sugar. Including it in your diet can regulate the blood sugar levels.

Eating Sprouts Helps In Digestion

Sprouts contain nutrients and high levels of living enzymes. The living enzymes aid in boosting the metabolic processes in your body. So, it results in boosting of a chemical reaction within your body. It helps with digestion. The living enzymes aids in the breaking down of food effectively. It also boosts nutrient absorption by the digestive tract. Sprouts contain high levels of dietary fiber, which regulates digestion. Fiber can bulk up the stool, which makes it easier for it to pass through your digestive tract. The insoluble fibers in the sprouts can reduce the chances of constipation.

Prevents Premature Ageing

The high levels of active antioxidants in sprouts will prevent premature aging. Sprouts are the superfood preventing DNA destruction. So, effectively prevents the aging of cells. The anti-oxidants also help combat cell damage caused due to free radicals. Including them in your daily diet will help overcome the signs of premature aging.

Helps Lose Weight

Sprouts promote weight loss. It is one of the best foods to shed excess pounds. The nutrient-rich food has negligible calories. It means you can include sprouts in your diet without worrying about increasing their weight. The superfood contains a high amount of fiber. So, eating sprouts will make you feel full for a long time. As it reduces your hunger pangs, you eat less. The superfood also inhibits the release of ghrelin, which is the hunger hormone indicating the brain to eat.

Eating sprouts helps in losing weight as the enzymes in them increase the metabolic rate of the body and the protein and fiber contents reduce hunger pangs by keeping you full for a longer period.

Controls Cholesterol Levels

Sprouts contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. So, it boosts HDL (good cholesterol) levels. When good cholesterol increases, it reduces bad cholesterol levels. It effectively reduces LDL levels in the arteries and blood vessels. Omega-3 fatty acids also contain anti-inflammatory properties. So, it lowers the excessive stress occurring on the cardiovascular system. Sprouts also have potassium in it, which helps lower blood pressure levels. It helps maintain your heart health.

Boosts Immune System

Sprouts contain high levels of Vitamin C. It is a powerful stimulant for the white cells in your body. So, it helps fight off diseases and infections. It enhances your immunity system. The abundance of Vitamin A has antioxidant properties. So, it boosts your immune system. Including it in your diet will help you reap maximum benefits.

Eating Sprouts Improves Eyesight

Sprouts have vitamin A, which improves your vision health. So, including it in your diet will strengthen eyesight and improves vision. It contains antioxidant agents that offer protection to the eye cells from the attack of free radicals. When you eat sprouts regularly, it helps you see the world brighter without any problems.

Potential Risks Associated With Eating Sprouts

While eating sprouts offers several health benefits, it has some risks associated with it. Since you eat sprouts without cooking, there is a risk of food poisoning. Raw sprouts can contain harmful bacteria. So, it can reach the stomach and attack your body. The high risk of contamination occurs as they grow in warm, humid conditions. It gives an ideal environment for harmful bacteria like Salmonella and E.coli to thrive. Over the last two decades, many cases of outbreaks of foodborne illness have occurred. People who have included raw or lightly cooked sprouts have suffered from the issue.

Identifying Food Poisoning After Eating Sprouts

People who suffer food poisoning after eating sprouts can see the symptoms later. The signs are not triggered immediately. So, you develop the problem 12 to 72 hours after consuming the sprouts. The signs associated with the problem are:

• Vomiting
• Stomach cramps
• Diarrhea

Most people can overcome the symptoms without any complications. But, certain people can suffer severe complications due to the symptoms triggered by food poisoning. Such people must avoid sprouts or thoroughly cook them to avoid complications. The following people need to follow the instructions when they add sprouts to their diet:

 

• Pregnant women
• Children
• Elderly people
• Individuals with weaker immune system

 

Tips To Avoid Potential Risks Associated With Eating Sprouts

How to avoid any potential risks associated with eating sprouts? You can follow the tips suggested below to avoid any risk of contamination:

Opt For Chilled Sprouts

If you are buying sprouts from supermarkets, then choose chilled sprouts. Opt for fresh sprouts following the proper refrigeration methods to avoid contamination.

Detect Appearance

When you buy the superfood, you need to check their appearance. If the sprouts have a slimy appearance, then avoid purchasing them. Also, avoid sprouts having a strong smell. Slimy appearance and strong smell indicate contamination. Therefore, avoid eating them.

Store In Fridge

Once you purchase the superfood, keep them refrigerated. To avoid contamination, you need to maintain an ideal temperature. Eight degrees Celsius (48 degrees F) is ideal to store the sprouts.

Wash Your Hands Before Eating Sprouts

You need to wash your hands with soap and water before handling the raw sprouts. It is also applicable while eating sprouts.

Conclusion

Eating sprouts offers essential nutrients to your body. It offers a wide variety of health benefits. Sprouts are beneficial for your hair. Including it in your diet will help you grow luscious hair. The healthy and strong tresses will enhance your physical appeal and make you regain your confidence. But, keep in mind the risk of food poisoning associated with consuming sprouts. Healthy people with no other issues can eat raw or lightly cooked sprouts as the benefits outweigh the risks.

References

https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/magazine-impressive-benefits-of-eating-sprouts-that-you-must-know-about/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/raw-sprouts#TOC_TITLE_HDR_9

https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/6-benefits-of-sprouting-and-the-right-way-to-do-it-1691887