Lifestyle

Are You Getting Your Garbanzo Bean Sprouts?

garbanzo bean sprouts
Garbanzo beans, otherwise known as chickpeas, are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. But when you sprout them, they can offer even more of a nutritional punch.

If your diet includes organic garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, then you’re getting a lot of nutritious goodness.  You may have had them as hummus, in salads, soups, stir fried or even steamed. In short, they’re delicious and healthy for you, too. Sprouted organic garbanzo beans, however, can be even better for you.

Sprouting them is easy to do, too. Just soak the garbanzo beans in pure water overnight. Rinse them, soak with more water. Then rinse, fill and drain them several times daily until you see what resembles little white tails coming from them. Those are their sprouts!

Low in fat and calories, garbanzo bean sprouts are high in protein, with a ½ cup of them delivering 10 grams of healthy protein, which is two grams more protein than a cup of milk provides. And, of course, since garbanzo bean sprouts are protein packed, they also contain highly important, health-supporting amino acids—which are said to be supercharged during the sprouting process.

That same ½ cup of garbanzo bean sprouts will also give you three grams of fiber, approximately 45 percent of your daily suggested intake of vitamin C and 16 percent of the daily suggested iron intake. Additionally, garbanzo bean sprouts provide a great source of folate and manganese as well as a good source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, phosphorus and copper. They also contain lesser amounts of thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin K.

As with other bean and seed sprouting, the sprouting process increases vitamin C, B vitamins and other vitamin and mineral nutrients, while also neutralizing enzyme inhibitors found in many seeds and beans that can interfere with normal nutrient absorption.

And while garbanzo beans are ranked lower in pesticide residues than many other conventionally grown foods, you still want to choose Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project Verified to avoid GMOs and pesticides, including a suspected hormone disruptor and a honeybee toxin typically found on “regular” garbanzo beans.

You’ll also want to consume them raw, since a fair amount of their nutritive value can be lost when heated.

Here’s to organic garbanzo bean sprouts!
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