According to nutritionists worldwide, if there ever were a list of perfect foods, sprouts would top the list. An experiment conducted 20 years ago led to this conclusion, wherein a group of old, tottering rats were literally transformed into younger, healthier ones after being fed a product called axinon. Axinon is available in plenty in mung sprouts (Nautilus Magazine, 1947).

President George Bush, who banned broccoli from being served at the White House, recently declared, "I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. Well I'm president of the United States now, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli." The President, on the other hand, is not known for his sound judgements. A chemical present in broccoli sprouts kills helicobacter pylori, a bacteria present in many people that might cause immediate harm but it can lead to stomach ulcers and eventually, stomach cancer.

Here are some more reasons you should be munching more sprouted beans and seeds:

High Nutrition

We all know that sprouts are rich in nutrients, but did you know that their nutrition value is many times higher the nutrition value of the original beans and seeds from which they sprout? In fact, whole dried peas have absolutely no Vitamin C, but when sprouted they provide more Vitamin C per ounce than a fresh orange! In addition, different forms of sprouts are extremely beneficial in curing and preventing various ailments, and are more effective than most forms of cooked food.

Anti-Carcinogenic

Sprouts contain more anti-carcinogenic properties than most other foods and are thought to contain one of the most potent cancer-fighting properties known to the world of medicine.

Easy

Sprouts are so easy to prepare; you only need water and oxygen. Simply soak the beans or seeds overnight or for a couple of days depending on what you are sprouting, and you're done. Other than this, no preparation is required, no cutting or chopping, peeling or cleaning is needed, and if you like, sprouts can be lightly cooked for a few minutes before serving to make a delicious and healthy dish in minutes. Sprouts are also easily available, unlike some other health foods which may be available or manufactured only in some countries, and not available worldwide. Sprouts can be obtained even in the smallest of villages, by the poorest of people.

Cost Efficient

Though food from health food stores should logically be more reasonable than food from regular food stores considering that health foods are in a more natural form, this is not the case. Sprouts on the other hand are the exception to this rule. A sprouts salad, which can form a side dish at any meal or can even form the main course if mixed with a good dressing and served with good accompaniments, costs half the price of a lettuce salad and provides more than five times the amount of Vitamin C, B-complex vitamins and protein. So if you are on a tight budget, eating sprouts is a great way to boost immunity and your health, and to help you fight most ailments. All it takes is a slight change in diet. So perhaps it is time to incorporate sprouts in your diet. A small change, for huge gains.