Don't be fooled by their small size - sprouts are packed with nutrients. For example, soybean sprouts retain the B-complex vitamins found in the original bean, but show a huge jump in Vitamins A and C over the unsprouted seeds. Grown locally year-round sprouts are a good source of protein as well. Sprouts have a long history nutritionally and medicinally. It's been reported that over 5,000 years ago, Chinese physicians recognized and prescribed sprouts for curing many disorders. Alfalfa sprouts are among the best natural sources of Vitamin K, which helps blood to clot and broken bones to knit. They are also a good source of minerals, including calcium, copper, folate, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, silicon and zinc. (Transplant patients are cautioned not to ingest any form of alfalfa because it interferes with the transplant medications.)
Broccoli sprouts have been shown to provide protection against breast cancer and colon cancer because they contain an abundance of a compound called sulforaphane glucosinalate (GS). Sprouts grown from certain types of broccoli seeds contain up to 50 times more of the compound than mature broccoli. BroccoSprouts, which are available in the fresh produce section of grocery and specialty stores, have been tested against 50 other varieties of broccoli seeds by Dr. Paul Talalay, Jed W. Fahey and their colleagues at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Their work shows that some types of broccoli seeds provide much more of the cancer-preventing compound than others and they've used these seeds to create BroccoSprouts.
If you're feeling adventuresome, why not grow your own sprouts? Check out SproutPeople, a Web site that offers "The Wildest & Coolest Sprouting Seeds and Supplies on this Planet."
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