Well, germinated today? Okay, okay. We admit: germination doesn't exactly have the coolest image. However, if you regularly end up with oats, nuts or flaxseeds in your breakfast bowl, it's worth taking a closer look at the topic of sprouting.
Because: Germination makes the difference. Grains and seeds can only develop their full nutritional power when they are germinated.
No matter whether it's oats, millet or spelled: Sprouting gets the best out of our (pseudo-) favorite whole grains. But why exactly? And what exactly happens when germination occurs?
What is sprouting?
Sprouting, or germination, refers to the beginning of the development of a seed and includes the growth process from the embryo in the seed to the seedling. What sounds complicated is actually super simple: everyone who has ever had to grow a box of cress on the windowsill in science class has already grown sprouts themselves.
Whole grains in particular are considered a healthy source of energy that keeps you full for a long time thanks to fiber and also provides proteins, vitamins and minerals. And it's true: spelled, oats, millet and other whole grain cereals are rich in high-quality plant protein, health-promoting fiber, complex carbohydrates and packed with B vitamins, iron, magnesium, zinc and other trace elements. All these good nutrients are necessary for the growth of the plant. They are essentially the food that the grain needs until it can take root as a sprout and feed itself autotrophically. Cereal grains are therefore small nutrient bombs.
However, in order to mobilize these nutrients and come to life, the grains need a little help. Only when they come into contact with water does the grain begin to germinate.
When a grain sprouts, certain enzymes are activated that convert the nutrients stored in the seed into more usable forms. This process increases the availability of nutrients - and the plant grows and thrives.
Why is sprouting important?
What applies to plants also helps us humans to utilize the valuable nutrients from oats, corn, spelled or millet: only once they have germinated can the body absorb the nutrients they contain really well.
Bye, inhibitors
Nature has equipped grain and nut seeds with certain defense mechanisms to ensure that they can survive - or at least some of them. We're talking about antibodies. These so-called antinutrients prevent the healthy nutrients in grain from being freely accessible and limit the utilization of the nutrients ingested with food. They are difficult to digest and can even be toxic in high doses. They include lectins and phytic acid.
Attention, nutrient explosion
Sprouting breaks down these antinutrients in whole grains, increasing the bioavailability of vitamins and minerals such as zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and B vitamins. This means that the body can absorb and metabolize them better.
For years, scientific literature has also been concerned with the phenomenon of germination and its impact on our food.
According to a study, just germinating oats for 24 hours reduces the content of the antinutrient phytic acid by 13 to 20 percent.
A study on the germination of millet showed that the antinutrients tannins and phytates were no longer detectable after 96 hours of germination. However, the digestibility of the proteins contained increased significantly.
Nutrient Wonder Sprouts
Another study focused on the antioxidant content of wheat – before and after germination. It was shown that after 48 hours of germination, the ORAC values (ORAC = Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, i.e. the ability to capture oxygen radicals) were significantly higher than in non-germinated wheat samples (ORAC before: 28.2 μmol TE/g, ORAC after: 32.6 μmol TE/g). The longer the germination time, the higher the antioxidant capacity.
A notice: Which vitamins, minerals and antioxidants increase and how much depends on the type of grain and how long it takes to germinate. Some nutrients increase more the longer a grain germinates, while others increase with shorter germination time and then decrease significantly after a certain point.
Easier to digest
Germination activates certain enzymes that lie dormant in non-germinated grains and seeds. Once activated, they change the structure of the grains. One of these enzymes is amylase, whose job is to break down starch. Research shows that sprouting converts starch molecules in sprouted wheat into simple sugars such as oligosaccharides. The activated protease converts proteins and breaks them down into their individual parts, including gluten.
The result: germinated grains and seeds are easier to digest . Say goodbye to bloating and food coma: A study shows that the in-vitro starch digestibility of germinated wheat improves by around 15% - while the in-vitro protein digestibility improves by around 10%.
Super Fiber
Sprouted whole grains also retain their valuable fiber. Their prebiotic properties support our good intestinal bacteria.
In addition, fiber ensures that you feel full for a long time and a slow rise in blood sugar after eating.
More flavor
Nice side effect: sprouted grains taste better. Since sprouting reduces the content of bitter-tasting antinutrients and promotes the breakdown of starch, sprouted grains naturally taste slightly sweeter and not as bitter. Grains, nuts and seeds also become softer and more tender through the germination process.
Back to the roots – back to the sprouts
By the way, our ancestors already diligently germinated their food. Nowadays, however, hardly anyone has the time or leisure for this, even though you can theoretically germinate half the contents of your kitchen cupboard: nuts, seeds, legumes, grains and some vegetables.
From whole grain oats to spelt, from golden millet to rice, sprouting makes all whole grains better.
No time to keim?
We got you. Wholey Super Porridge is an easy way to get all the organic Sprout goodness in your bowl first thing in the morning.
Our Super Porridge consists of a sprouted grain mix plus sprouted millet and sprouted linseed - and all you need to do is cook it briefly and pour it into your breakfast bowl. Easy, right?
We have three different variants:
Original : Basic mixture of germinated naked whole grain oats, golden millet and linseed
Apple Cinnamon : with Ceylon cinnamon and dried apple cubes
Cocoa Tigernut : with almost 10% cocoa powder and crunchy tiger nut flakes
Our tip: Supplement the super porridge with fresh fruit as a topping so that micronutrients can be absorbed even better. The vitamin C from the fruits helps with iron absorption.
Benefit from the germ power and start your morning smart, strong and with a good gut feeling. 😎
sources
Lemmens, Elien & Moroni, Alice & Pagand, Jennifer & Heirbaut, Pieter & Ritala, Anneli & Karlen, Yann & Lê, Kim‐Anne & Van den Broeck, Hetty & Brouns, Fred & Brier, Niels & Delcour, Jan. (2018). Impact of Cereal Seed Sprouting on Its Nutritional and Technological Properties: A Critical Review. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 18. 10.1111/1541-4337.12414.https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1541-4337.12414
Kucek, Lisa & Veenstra, Lynn & Amnuaycheewa, Plaimein & Sorrells, Mark. (2015). A Grounded Guide to Gluten: How Modern Genotypes and Processing Impact Wheat Sensitivity. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 14. 10.1111/1541-4337.12129. https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1541-4337.12129
Singh, Arashdeep & Bobade, Hanuman & Sharma, Savita & Singh, Baljit & Gupta, Antima. (2021). Enhancement of Digestibility of Nutrients (In vitro), Antioxidant Potential and Functional Attributes of Wheat Flour Through Grain Germination. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. 76. 10.1007/s11130-021-00881-z. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11130-021-00881-z.pdf
Jribi, Sarra & Antal, Otilia & Füstös, Zoltán & Pápai, Gréta & Naar, Zoltan & Kheriji, Oussema & Debbabi, Hajer. (2020). Influence of sprouting bioprocess on durum wheat (Triticum durum) prebiotic properties. https://om.ciheam.org/om/pdf/a124/00007806.pdf
