Sprouts For Weight Loss: The Natural Choice for a Slimmer Figure
Looking for a healthy addition to your weight loss diet? Sprouts can be one of the best foods to pick! Sprouts have gained popularity in recent decades due to their tremendous health benefits.
Moreover, they can be prepared quickly and can easily be added to your daily diet. So what are you waiting for? Read on to find out interesting ways to make sprouts and how and when to consume them.
What are Sprouts?
Sprouts are young plants that are harvested a few days after germination. They are plant-based protein sources that are highly nutritious and loaded with fiber. You can find them pretty much everywhere you find food, like supermarkets, grocery stores, and at the farmer’s market.
You can even grow them at home as they do not require any specific environment or climate to grow. Most legumes, beans, and nuts are packed with nutrients and sprouting makes them more nutritious, healthier, and weight-loss friendly.
What are the Benefits of Sprouts for Weight Loss?
Losing weight does not happen overnight. It takes weeks or months of hard work that includes diet changes and regular exercise. Sprouts have recently gained popularity as a superfood with multiple health benefits, including weight loss. Sprouts are highly nutritious and help boost your metabolism. This helps your body burn more calories and aids in weight loss.
They are also a rich source of protein and fiber, both of which are essential for weight loss. Having a diet rich in protein and fiber accelerates weight loss by keeping you full for longer and curbing unnecessary food cravings.
How to Eat Sprouts for Weight Loss?
Sprouts can be consumed raw or cooked. Adding sprouts to your daily diet helps in boosting the nutritional value of your food. They can be added to soups, and salads or can be had as a side dish. Sprouts can also be consumed as a snack in between meals.
How to Make Sprouts at Home for Weight Loss?
Preparing sprouts at home is a simple and easy task. You just need to follow these steps:
- Wash the grains or legumes (green gram, brown lentils) and place them in a bowl.
- Fill the bowl with water until the grains or legumes are covered and leave them soaked overnight.
- Drain the water off in the morning and cover the bowl with a thin cloth and secure it with a thread.
- Rinse and drain them once again in the evening and continue the process for one more day.
- By the next day, you will see the seeds are germinating and a white tail is coming out of them. Now you have your sprouts ready. You can consume them at any stage of germination.
Types of Sprouts for Weight Loss
There are different varieties of sprouts that you can add to your daily diet. Let’s take a look at them:
1. Bean and Pea Sprouts
It includes moong bean, black bean, kidney bean, lentil, and snow pea sprouts. You can include these sprouts in your daily diet to make your diet more nutritious and boost your weight loss plan.
2. Nuts and Seed Sprouts
These include pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or sesame seed sprouts. Sprouted nuts or seeds are easier to digest than their raw form. Sprouting also allows your body to absorb nutrients better. Adding sprouted nuts or seeds to your daily diet is a great way to shed weight.
3. Vegetable Sprouts
It includes broccoli, radish, cabbage, and red clover sprouts. Having these sprouts as a part of your daily diet can help you lose weight and be in good health. They are one of the easiest foods to be prepared at home and can be grown throughout the year in any climate. They are made using the same procedure as grains, legumes, or seed sprouts.
4. Sprouted Grains
These include whole wheat grain, barley, quinoa, corn, and millet sprouts. Sprouted whole grains and regular whole grains have the same nutrients but in different amounts. Sprouting increases the nutritional value of regular grains.
What is the Best Time to Eat Sprouts for Weight Loss?
There is no one best time to consume sprouts. You can consume sprouts at any time of the day. You can add them to your soups, and salads or have them along with your meals. They can also be had as a snack in between your meals. Replacing your regular snacks with sprouts will help in reducing your calorie intake.
How Much Sprouts Should You Consume in a Day for Weight Loss?
You can consume 100 to 150 grams of sprouts per day. You can have them at any time throughout the day.
What are the Other Health Benefits of Sprouts?
Sprouts are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Other than promoting weight loss, they also benefit your health in multiple ways.
- Sprouts help in controlling your blood sugar by increasing insulin sensitivity. Insulin is a hormone that regulates your blood sugar levels. By making your cells more responsive to insulin, they will be able to use up glucose efficiently and reduce overall blood glucose levels.
- Regular consumption of sprouts helps reduce your cholesterol levels. It reduces the level of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and increases the level of “good” cholesterol (HDL) in the body.
- Sprouts are rich in vitamin C which helps boost your immunity. They also contain two antioxidant compounds, lutein and zeaxanthin which help improve your vision.
- Sprouts are a source of insoluble fiber (does not dissolve in water and other body fluids). It improves digestion and promotes the growth of good bacteria in your gut. This promotes easy bowel movements and helps prevent constipation.
Also Read: Are Peanuts Good for Weight Loss
Conclusion
Sprouts are rich in fiber and protein and can help with weight loss.
Don’t Have Time To Read?
- Sprouts are young plants that are harvested a few days after germination. They are plant-based protein sources that are highly nutritious and loaded with fiber.
- Sprouts help boost your metabolism. This helps your body burn more calories and leads to weight loss. They are also a rich source of protein and fiber, both of which are essential for weight loss.
- Sprouts can be consumed raw or cooked. They can be added to soups, salads, or as a side dish to your meals. It can also be consumed as a snack in between meals.
- They can be easily grown at home by soaking grains or legumes in water and straining them regularly for 1 to 2 days until they germinate.
- You can consume 100 to 150 grams of sprouts daily. They can be consumed at any time during the day.
- Other than weight loss, sprouts also help in improving your cholesterol levels, heart health, immunity, vision, and even digestion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sprouts that you can choose from for your weight loss diet include moong bean sprouts, brussels sprouts, and lentil sprouts. You can include them in your salads, soups, or pulav.
They can also be had as a snack in between meals. It helps keep you full for longer, preventing unhealthy snacking.
Sprouts do not cause weight gain. Sprouts are high in fiber and low in calories. They are also an incredible source of protein. These factors make it an excellent weight-loss food.
Sprouts are high in protein and fiber. They are low in calories and also help in boosting your digestion. Regular consumption of sprouts, when coupled with proper exercise, can help burn belly fat.
Sprouts are low in calories, and thus qualify to be a weight-loss food. One bowl of sprouts accounts for approximately 16 calories. If you are consuming 100 grams of sprouts, it will have around 29 calories.
Yes! Sprouts can be consumed every day. They can not only help you lose weight but also benefit your health in multiple ways. It boosts your heart health and reduces the risk of chronic conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
Sprouted moong is rich in fiber and low in calories. When consumed in between your meals, it helps curb your hunger pangs and avoid unhealthy snacking. This in turn, helps you in shedding extra weight. Therefore, sprouted moong does not increase weight.