Why sprouted? 

When I was studying nutrition to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I learned that nuts and seeds have phytic acid which inhibits the release of enzymes which makes the nut or seed dormant, you may say, until the conditions are favorable to grow. The right conditions are warm soft soil & water. Once the nut or seed is soaked, it sprouts which breaks the phytic acid and releases enzymes which allows it to grow. Enzymes is a live part of the plant, or any food for that matter. Which is also why eating raw vegetables is a good thing because its enzymes are intact. Cooking food destroys the enzymes and many of us must take supplemental enzymes to help our digestion. Standard Process’ Multizyme is an excellent one. 

When I was younger, we always had a garden in the summer. My father kept jars of beans and seeds from the previous harvest to plant in the spring. I was always fascinated by the fact that the beans and seeds would last that long without spoiling. And it never failed that when planted in the soil and with the spring rain, the beans and seed would grow into a plant. 

This makes sense since nature is trying to survive. The plant procreates with its seeds. When the plant dies or withers, the seeds fall to the ground and then a new plant grows. If the weather becomes too cold to grow and the soil is too hard or there is no rain, the seed will sit there until the spring when the sun warms the soil, the clouds release rain and then the seed sprouts and grow. 

Therefore, if we eat nuts or seeds that are not sprouted, it affects our mineral absorption because the phytic acid it contains inhibits the enzymes and therefore suppressed digestion and absorption. Phytic acid prevents the absorption of iron, zinc, and calcium and promotes mineral deficiencies. Today’s fast paced world and its related stress, also depletes our body of minerals. A mineral deficiency can lead to more stress and depression. 

When shopping, look for sprouted bread, sprouted seeds or nuts which you can find in many of the health food stores and in some of the H.E.B.