*Sprouted Versus Unsprouted Lentils*
By: Prozac
30 December 2011
Everyone knows that sprouted seeds are better for you than the non sprouted variety. In the case of alfalfa, I would agree. No one wants to eat unsprouted alfalfa. In the case of lentils, sprouted vs unsprouted takes on a different light. After looking at the difference, you can see that there is a place for both.
I will compare 100g of raw sprouted lentils (RSL) to 100g of raw unsprouted lentils (RUL)...
On the calories front, 100 grams of RSL have 106 calories (5 from fat) while RUL have 353 calories (with 10 from fat). So already, from a survival perspective, we see less calories after sprouting.
The next significant difference comes in the form of carbohydrates. RSL have 22g total carbs, where RUL have 60g.
On the protein front, RSL have 9g vs 26g in RUL. There is a significant difference!
There is 18% of the recommended Daily Value for Iron in RSL vs a whopping 42% in RUL.
So far, I'm questioning why you'd want to sprout at all!
Then we look at vitamin C. 100g of RSL gives you 28% of your DV while 100g of RUL gives you only 7%.
Based on this, I can see that, at least for lentils...
It is worth eating both sprouted and unsprouted.
The value of sprouting lentils really shows in the Vitamin C content for those long northern winters where it could be in short supply.
All nutritional data is from http://nutritiondata.self.com/ using 100 gram serving size.
Prozac
www.alpharubicon.com
All materials at this site not otherwise credited are Copyright © 1996 - 2012 Trip Williams. All rights reserved. May be reproduced for personal use only. Use of any material contained herein is subject to stated terms or written permission.