I haven't appreciated the latest "study" that suggests up to 90% of cancers are due to lifestyle and environment. Many people have no known reason for their illness, many are genetic and many are out of our control (including the environment - I would love to live on a mountain in the Pyrenees but there are not many genetics labs there I could work in). Having said that, it is always a good idea to eat a sensible diet and I am keen to add nutrients whenever I can to every meal, especially this time of year when you find yourself running from work to meet someone for a drink and are not necessarily in the right place for a healthy meal. I have found an easy, low-effort way of ensuring some healthy food is always available. A few years ago I bought a seed sprouter - it was about £15 but you can easily just use a big glass jar. You soak the seeds in water overnight, then just rinse them into the trays, which have grrooves that the small roots can grip on and also fine drainage holes. The seeds sprout the next day and within 2 or 3 days you have a tray of greenery.
I add them to sandwiches, salads and stir them into soups and stews. But if in a hurry, I just add them to my toast with peanut butter or in a wrap with some salad laves and some leftover roast chicken. The only effort involved is rinsing the seeds with water twice a day to keep them damp - I keep them on the windowsill by the kitchen sink to remind me, but they don't need much light or space so they are ideal for small kitchens. The seeds I grew at the start were in mixed packets of alfalfa, radish, cress, mustard etc., which were designed for that purpose, but I have recently been trying out lentils, mung beans and aduki beans in larger packs from health shops which grow beautifully and add a nutty taste and delicious crunchy texture to your salads.
Once they have been growing about a week, they tend to get a bit straggly, so you can put them in a container in the fridge just before this point (make sure the last water was a few hours before, so they are not wet) and they last perfectly well for another few days.
If you try the jar method, to rinse the sprouts every day, you can just wash them out into a sieve and then put them back in the jar. They grow perfectly well but you find that with a seed sprouter, the delicate seedlings are not disturbed so much and tend to be a bit sturdier.
I made a nice accompaniment for my sprouts today - buckwheat pancakes. Cheated a bit with a mix, but added eggs, milk and water. Heated the batter gently in a pan with a bit of oil. Healthy and full of good quality protein.
Happy Christmas Sprouting!
