Did you eat a rainbow today?

Foods for beauty

Beauty Foods

While beauty is very much in they of the beholder, there are several traits that seem to be generally acknowledged as appealing.  Clear skin, strong teeth, bright eyes and shiny hair ar the indicators of good health.  They are attractive traits regardless of individual or cultural origins.

Foods to enjoy for beauty:
Grapes, strawberries, pineapple:
Use these fruits as topical skin exfoliants, as the contain alpha hydroxyl acids that help dissolve the dead skin cells that clog oil glands and cause pimples, whiteheads and blackheads. Eating all sorts of fruit in general is great for skin, as fruit is both nutritionally dense and hydrating.

Almonds, beets, cashews and Swiss chard:
wile poisonous in larger quantities, small amounts of the oxalic acid contained in these foods have been shown to clear the skin and heal blemishes.

Apple cider vinegar:
Apple cider vinegar is a natural tooth whitener and contains mild acids that remove stains from the teeth.

Barley, crimini mushrooms and Brazil nuts:
These foods contain selenium, a mineral essential to immune function that can protect the body from cell damage. Sufficient selenium intake also encourages healthy thyroid functioning, which prompts the growth and regrowth of hair and nail cells.  

Goji berries:
Research has found a link between goji berries and the reversal of skin damage, particularly damage caused by sunburn and UV radiation.

Foods to avoid:
Those looking for a glowing appearance should avoid smoking, refined sugar, and processed foods. The chemical in cigarette smoke narrow blood vessels in the top layer of your skin, which limits the blood flow and thus the transportation of nutrients to those areas.  This causes premature aging and wrinkles.  cigarette smoke also yellows the teeth, and may reduce the body's overall nutrient absorption. 

Others: Avocado, Cucumber, Radishes


Did you know?
Drinking 3 cups of oolong tea a day can suppress symptoms of the imflammatory skin disorder eczema.

Digestion takes more energy than any other body function

Nourishing your digestive system

Role of the digestive system

The digestive system allows us to eat, breakdown, and absorb our food, as well as eliminate food waste. It converts compounds in the foods we eat into the energy that supports all of our other bodily functions.

When fed properly, the digestive system powers us through life, but it is not magic. It can’t make quality fuel out of unhealthy ingredients, which is why we must eat healthy foods if we want to run at optimum health.

Digestion itself uses more energy than any other process physiological in the body, making it even more important to consider the nutritional value of everything we eat. Although a cupcake may be delicious, it contains few nutrients and is not worth the effort required to the digestive system to break it down. All of the energy exerted in digesting the cupcake literally gets flushed down the drain, without any benefit to other areas of the body. The better the fuel be consumed, the better we will operate.

Did you know? The intestine replaces its lining every 72 hours.

Components of the digestive system

Made up of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, anus, and liver, each organ of the digestive system plays a specific role to ensure that the body receives enough nutrition.

Digestion begins in the mouth, where we chew food into smaller pieces, break it down the saliva, and swallow it through the pharynx. Once past the pharynx, the swallow food moves down through the esophagus into the stomach. In the stomach, food mixes with hydrochloric acid that kills potentially harmful germs and starts to break proteins down to be absorbed. This acid – food mixture, known as chyme, then passes through the stomach into the small intestine where food is further digested, and nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. Any food particles left unabsorbed move through the small intestine into the large intestine. A large intestine pulls water out of the unabsorbed food, and condenses the remains into solid waste that is removed from the body through the rectum and anus.

Why consume nutrient extracted food?

Even the healthiest foods require a lot of digestive work in order to be broken down into particles small enough for the body to absorb. This is especially true of fruits and vegetables, which contains half, rigid fibers that are difficult to digest. Consuming nutrient extracted food is a great choice for anyone in any state of health, because extracted food is virtually predigested – allowing your body to effortlessly absorbed and utilize all the nutrients the food has to offer. When we extract foods we consume them in their most observable states, receiving optimal nutrition without having to rely on showing, stomach acids, or digestive enzymes to break down her food.

Digestion part 3

Common digestive disorders

The digestive system involves many organs, and issues can develop in any of them. Some, like stomach ache and constipation, can be self-contained problems or symptoms of more serious disorders.

Here are several of the most common digestive disorders:

dry mouth

Gerd/heartburn

bloating

indigestion

nausea

dyspepsia or stomachache

peptic ulcer

appendicitis

colitis

celiac disease

constipation

Crohn’s disease

diarrhea

diverticulitis

hemorrhoids

irritable bowel syndrome in the large and small intestine.

Prevention of disorders of the digestive system

while some digestive issues are caused by disorders and other areas of the body, many can be soothed or healed with proper dietary eating habits. In general, eating more fiber from low – calorie fruits and vegetables and drinking more water can help food move through the digestive tract efficiently.

Certain foods can also trigger unpleasant digestive reactions, and it is extremely important to pay attention to your body’s response to eating. Even healthful foods like tomatoes, whole wheat, nuts, and garlic can cause issues and people with sensitive digestive tracts.

Food intolerances can cause quite a bit of discomfort and can lead to other more serious problems, like chronic inflammation, so please consult your doctor regarding any specific food issues you may be experiencing.

Digestion part 2

Keep your Digestive tract healthy

Role of the liver:

• ·     Produces bile – liquid that helps break down fat and remove chemicals produced by dead red blood cells from the blood.
• ·     Breaks down nutrients so they can be absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to the organs.
• ·     Converts all foods into glucose for energy to be released through the bloodstream via insulin.
• ·     Detoxification – breaks down harmful chemicals that have entered the body from here, food, cigarettes, alcohol, into smaller, water-soluble compounds to be eliminated through the vial or urine.

Though not part of the gastrointestinal tract, the liver plays a large role in delivering the nutrients from food through the bloodstream to fuel other organs. The liver also plays a huge role in detoxifying the body.

Risk factors

Because the digestive system processes all of the food that enters your system, what you eat affects its function and efficiency. With digestion, it is equally as important to monitor how you eat as it is to monitor what you eat. 

Fiber is extremely important and digestive functioning, as it maintains regular elimination, which keeps the: claim. A lack of fiber in the diet may cause bells to back up, causing pain and discomfort in the short term, and contributing to the development of more serious disorders like colitis and: cancer down the line.

It is also important not to overload your system by overeating or swallowing too much air, as both put strain on the digestive tract. Overeating FX digestion at every stage, from contributing to acid reflux in the esophagus to decreasing nutrient absorption and causing constipation or diarrhea in the intestines. Swallowing too much air can cause painful gas and bloating in the stomach and intestines.

Staying hydrated is also very important in the digestive process, as proper hydration keeps food flowing through the system smoothly.

Like with other organ systems, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol can interfere with the digestive process. Both activities increase the chance of developing acid reflux and ulcers, and may keep the body from absorbing key nutrients.

Did you know? Each gram of soluble fiber consumed may reduce LDL or bad cholesterol levels by 2.2 MG/dl.

5 Foods that damage your digestive System

5 foods that damage digestion

For every one human cell, there are 10 bacteria. Many of these bacteria live inside the intestines—mostly the large intestine. They are especially fond of the gel-like mucus that your intestinal cells secrete.

The proteins in gluten are pro-inflammatory. They destroy the gut lining and make it “leaky.”

White blood cells are members of your defense team. Besides bacteria and yeast, you will find specialized white blood cells in the mucosal lining of your digestive tract. Even more of your immune system lies just beneath the intestinal wall, in a mass of lymph tissue.

At any one time:

• Drinking regular or diet soda can disrupt your delicate inner ecosystem. Both natural and artificial sweeteners trigger an inflammatory response and negatively affect bacteria and yeast in the digestive tract.
• Your immune system communicates with the bacteria and yeast in your gut.
• The bacteria and yeast communicate with your immune system.
• Mucosal intestinal cells can send signals of distress or balance to other mucosal tissue (for example, within the lungs or birth canal).
• Your immune system and inflammatory signaling speak to the rest of your body.

This is your inner ecosystem. The yeast and bacteria that help to create your inner ecosystem evolve with you. In fact, they are so important to your health, the balance of your immune system, and your survival that scientists have coined your inner ecosystem the “forgotten organ.” (1)

Like any organ in the human body, your inner ecosystem is susceptible to injury and disease.

And unfortunately, stress from the environment or even diet can easily damage this “organ.” Signs to look out for include the common hallmarks of poor digestion, like:

• Heartburn
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Intestinal pain or cramping
• Gas

The reality is that poor digestion can be silent. In other words, you may think that your digestive tract is healthy—meanwhile, you have unexplained migraines, anxiety, depression, joint pain, eczema, allergies, or acne.

One of the best ways to take care of your inner ecosystem is to know which favorite foods (or drinks) can stir up the most trouble.

Top 5 Foods to Avoid

1. Soda Pop: Whether your soda is naturally or artificially sweet, studies agree that the sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, or synthetic sweeteners in soda change how gut bacteria metabolize energy. (2) They also trigger an inflammatory response and alter (for the worse) the communities of bacteria and yeast living in your digestive tract. (3)

2. Cereal Grains: This means whole grains and refined flours that are used to make bread, pasta, cakes, and crackers. Cereal grains contain gluten and other nutrient inhibitors. As it turns out, the proteins in gluten are pro-inflammatory. They destroy the gut lining and make it “leaky.” (4)(5)

3. Vegetable Oils: This includes oils like canola, soybean, corn, and sometimes even olive oil. While not a food per-se, vegetable oils are ubiquitous in processed foods and restaurant fare. The problem? All of these oils are liquid at room temperature. This indicates that they are mostly made up of polyunsaturated fats. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the breakdown of polyunsaturated fats is “one important mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of inflammation, cancer, and atherosclerosis.” (6)

This breakdown occurs during the manufacture of vegetable oils, during storage, and during cooking. Olive oil makes the list because many people cook with olive oil. Olive oil is rich in mono-unsaturated fats, making it modestly heat-stable but not suitable for cooking. Coconut oil and red palm oil do not make the list because they are made up of mostly saturated fats. Saturated fats can withstand high temperatures, making them ideal cooking oils.

4. Coffee: Not only does coffee trigger the release of stress hormones, we are also learning that it contains a protein very similar to a protein found in wheat gluten. This is the same protein that the immune system reacts to. In a nutshell: The immune system can “mistake” the protein in coffee for the protein in wheat—your body may respond to coffee with the exact same inflammatory response that it has with gluten. This is called a cross-reaction.

If you are not getting results from your gluten-free and casein-free diet, you may want to nix the coffee. A study published this January in Food and Nutrition found that coffee isn’t the only culprit. The proteins in milk, oats, corn, and rice are also at greater risk for being tagged by your immune system as gluten. (7) Interestingly, researchers found that instant coffee was the most cross-reactive of all forms (and brands) of coffee.

5. Beer, Wine, and Spirits: Beer is made with cereal grains that contain gluten. As a fermented beverage, beer also contains living organisms that can feed Candida yeast overgrowth. Both gluten and Candida contribute to leaky gut. As far as wine and other spirits go, it looks like alcohol itself can irritate the gut lining.

Research has found that alcohol directly damages cells along the digestive tract. (8) Alcohol also drives inflammation in the gut and makes it leaky. (9) Finally, alcohol changes your inner ecosystem and can contribute to bacterial overgrowth, or dysbiosis. (10)(11)

Got Healthy Veins and Heart?

Nourishing your circulatory system

The circulatory system is made up of a collection of vessels and organs that distributes life-giving fluids throughout the body. These fluids deliver nutrients to the tissues of your body, giving each solve the energy it needs to survive and thrive. The circulatory system can be divided into two parts: the lymphatic system and the cardiovascular system.

The lymphatic system produces and nourishes blood cells. It also plays a huge role in the immune functioning.

The cardiovascular system refers to the complicated network of veins and arteries that carry heart pumps blood through the body. The heart serves as the hub of this network, and each heartbeat transports blood to nearly every part of your body. The heart supplies your organs with oxygen, nutrients and chemicals they need to carryout their unique functions. This intricate system requires constant motion, and because every other organ system in the body depends so heavily on the blood, any interruption in the blood pumping process can have dangerous consequences.

The circulatory system can be divided into the lymphatic and cardiovascular systems. The lymphatic system consists of lymph fluid, lymphatic vessels, the lymph nodes, the tonsils and the spleen. The cardiovascular system is made up of the blood, heart, arteries, and veins.

Did you know?

If you lined all the branches of the average person’s blood vessels in a straight line they would total over 60,000 miles. That’s 2 ½ times the circumference of the earth.

Cardiovascular risk factors

Cardiovascular disorders are the most widespread health issues in America. From heart disease to blood clots, clogged arteries to your regular palpitations, dangerous heart and blood vessel problems hospitalize and kill millions each year. While some of these problems are present from birth, most result from unhealthy lifestyle choices. Smoking, inactivity, and poor diet are known to contribute to a variety of cardiovascular problems.

Smoking raises blood pressure, narrows the blood vessels, and increases the likelihood of developing dangerous blood clots. Lack of exercise fails to raise the heart rate slowing the rate at which blood circulates through the organs. This leads to fatigue, weakened heart muscles, and high blood pressure.

Unhealthy eating habits pose a huge risk to cardiovascular health. Eating a diet low in nutrients and high in sugar, salt, cholesterol, and fat, can trigger the buildup of bad cholesterol in our arteries. This cholesterol hardens into plaque that lines the blood vessels, leaving less room to blood flow through and increasing blood pressure. Arteries can become completely blocked with plaque – a condition that leads directly to heart attack.

According to the American Heart Association data collected in 2008.

• Over 780,000 people die from heart disease each year in America
• Coronary heart disease causes one out of every six deaths in the United States.
• On average, someone will die from heart disease every 39 seconds, someone will suffer a stroke every 40 seconds.
• Over 76 million people, or one in three adults over the age of 20, have high blood pressure.
• Heart disease and stroke cost patients over $173 billion annually.

Did you know?

The average heartbeats 100,000 times each day to pump roughly 2000 gallons of blood through the body.

Preventing cardiovascular problems

While age and genetics factor into a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease, eating a diet rich in nutrients can fight the buildup of harmful plaque and can even reverse existing cardiovascular damage. Abstaining from tobacco products, getting plenty of exercise, and perhaps most importantly, eating a healthful, nutrient dense diet can help to prevent future heart troubles and reverse problems like high cholesterol and high blood pressure that can lead to heart attacks, heart failure, and stroke.

Did you know?

Women’s hearts tend to be faster than men’s – a woman averages 78 bpm while a man averages 70 bpm.

6 Healing Benefits of Probiotic

6 Healing Benefits Of Probiotics

For most people, the mention of probiotics conjures up images of yogurt. But don’t dismiss the microbes as a marketing gimmick or food fad. The latest probiotic research suggests that live-active cultures of these friendly bacteria can help to prevent and treat a wide variety of ailments.

"There is an increasing interest in probiotic interventions," wrote the authors of one of the most recent studies, a meta-analysis of previous research in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Those researchers found that probiotics were particularly useful against a common gastrointestinal problem: antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). But studies show that probiotics can help with a great deal more -- warding off infection and boosting immune systems, as well as helping to improve women’s health and perhaps even fighting obesity.

The word "probiotic" is a compound of two Greek words: "pro," to signify promotion of and "biotic," which means life. Their very definition is something that affirms life and health. That's true even by modern standards: the World Health Organization defines a probiotic as any living microorganism that has a health benefit when ingested. Similarly, the USDA defines a probiotic as "any viable microbial dietary supplement that beneficially affects the host."

That doesn't mean that all probiotics, or probiotic-containing foods are created equal. So what should you look for? "There is a lot of 'noise' in this space as more and more 'food products' are coming out with Probiotics," Dr. Shekhar K. Challa, a gastroenterologist and the author of Probiotics For Dummies tells The Huffington Post. "Unfortunately it is impossible to quantitate the CFU's of probiotics in most food products."

CFUs -- or colony-forming units -- is a microbiological term that describes the density of viable bacteria in a product. In other words, the CFU tells you how rich in probiotics a food actually is -- and how much will be available to your body.

Dr. Challa recommends the following unpasteurized probiotic rich foods:

• Plain unflavored yogurt
• Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Miso
• Pickles
• Tempeh
• Kimchi and
• Kombucha tea.

So what can probiotics help you with?

Digestive Health

Each of us has more than 1,000 different types of bacteria that live in our digestive tracts, helping us to break down food and absorb nutrients. But when we take antibiotics -- medicine that is designed to kill destructive, illness-causing bacteria -- the drugs can also kill the healthy intestinal flora that helps us digest. About 30 percent of the patients who take antibiotics report suffering from diarrhea or some other form of gastrointestinal distress, according to the recent JAMA study on probiotics and antibiotic-associated diarrhea. As a result, doctors commonly prescribe taking probiotics to "repopulate" the digestive tract with healthful bacteria. The study found that it was a viable solution for many.

But probiotics can also help with other types of digestive issues. Research has shown that probiotics can be helpful for people with irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS -- a hard-to-treat condition that can have a range of intestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain, cramps, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. In one study, female IBS patients experienced some alleviation of symptoms like abdominal pain and irregularity when they were given a supplement of the bacterial strain, Bifidobacterium infantis.

Even for those without an urgent problem, probiotics can help with overall digestive management. Challa argues in his book, Probiotics For Dummies, that good bacteria help "crowd out" bad bacteria. That's because the intestine is lined with adherence sites where bacteria latches on. If the sites are populated with good-for-you microbes, there's no place for a harmful bacterium to latch on.

Urinary Health

Probiotics make a nice compliment to antibiotics among people who suffer from urinary tract infections, according to the research.

What's more, there's emerging evidence that regular probiotics can help prevent bad bacteria from invading the urinary tract by maintaining a population of healthy bacteria on the tract's adherence sites.

Infections of the urinary tract are extremely common, especially in women. Most infections disappear with antibiotics, but about 30 to 40 percent might return, according to literature from the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Allergies

Allergy research is still preliminary, but at least one large, high quality study found a relationship between women taking probiotics during pregnancy and a 30 percent reduction in the instance of childhood eczema (an early sign of allergies) in their infants.

Researchers selected women who had a history of seasonal allergies -- or whose partners had histories of allergies. The infants who received probiotics in-vitro also had 50 percent higher levels of tissue inflammation, which is thought to trigger the immune system and reduce allergy incidence.

Women's Health

Just like the digestive tract, the vagina relies on a precarious balance of good and bad bacteria. When that balance is off, it can result in one of two very common, though thoroughly uncomfortable infections: bacterial vaginosis and yeast infections. In fact, bacterial vaginosis can actually lead to a yeast infection.

Some small studies have found that L. acidophilius can help prevent infection, manage an already active one or support antibiotics as a treatment, though it's worth noting that the probiotics were taken as vaginal suppositories, rather than orally in food.

Probiotics may also have a special role in maternal health, as pregnant women are particularly susceptible to vaginal infections. And bacterial vaginosis has been indicated as a contributing factor to pre-term labor, making probiotics a potential boon for fetal health.

Immunity

Surprisingly, one of the main functions of healthful bacteria is to stimulate immune response.

By eating probiotic-rich foods and maintaining good intestinal flora, a person can also help to maintain a healthy immune system. And that has real world effects: for example, in one small study of students, those who were given a fermented dairy drink (instead of milk) displayed increased production from lymphocytes -- a marker of immune response.

Obesity

In 2006, Stanford University researchers found that obese people had different gut bacteria than normal-weighted people -- a first indication that gut flora plays a role in overall weight.

Some preliminary research shows that probiotics can help obese people who have received weight loss surgery to maintain weight loss. And in a study of post-partum women who were trying to lose abdomnial fat, the addition of lactobacillusand bifidobacterium capsules helped reduce waist circumference.

It's still unclear how probiotics play a role in weight loss -- and there is some controversy about how significant the probiotics-associated weight loss is.

But as long as the probiotics source is low-calorie and healthful, itself, it is an innocuous method to attempt.

10 reasons to eat Sprouts

Sprouts truly are the best locally-grown food, yet not enough people eat or grow them. Considering there many health and environmental benefits, it’s time to consider adding sprouts to your diet.

10 Reasons To Eat More Sprouts:

1. Experts estimate that there can be up to 100 times more enzymes in sprouts than uncooked fruits and vegetables.  Enzymes are special types of proteins that act as catalysts for all your body’s functions. Extracting more vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and essential fatty acids from the foods you eat ensures that your body has the nutritional building blocks of life to ensure every process works more effectively.

2. The quality of the protein in the beans, nuts, seeds, or grains improves when it is sprouted.  Proteins change during the soaking and sprouting process, improving its nutritional value.  The amino acid lysine, for example, which is needed to prevent cold sores and to maintain a healthy immune system increases significantly during the sprouting process.

3. The fiber content of the beans, nuts, seeds, or grains increases substantially.  Fiber is critical to weight loss.  It not only binds to fats and toxins in our body to escort them out, it ensures that any fat our body breaks down is moved quickly out of the body before it can resorb through the walls of the intestines (which is the main place for nutrient absorption into the blood).

4. Vitamin content increases dramatically.  This is especially true of vitamins A, B-complex, C, and E.  The vitamin content of some seeds, grains, beans, or nuts increases by up to 20 times the original value within only a few days of sprouting.  Research shows that during the sprouting process mung beansprouts (or just beansprouts, as they are often called) increase in vitamin B1 by up to 285 percent, vitamin B2 by up to 515 percent, and niacin by up to 256 percent.

5. Essential fatty acid content increases during the sprouting process. Most of us are deficient in these fat-burning essential fats because they are not common in our diet.  Eating more sprouts is an excellent way to get more of these important nutrients.

6. During sprouting, minerals bind to protein in the seed, grain, nut, or bean, making them more useable in the body.  This is true of alkaline minerals like calcium, magnesium, and others than help us to balance our body chemistry for weight loss and better health.

7. Sprouts are the ultimate locally-grown food. When you grow them yourself you are helping the environment and ensuring that you are not getting unwanted pesticides, food additives, and other harmful fat-bolstering chemicals that thwart your weight loss efforts.

8. The energy contained in the seed, grain, nut, or legume is ignited through soaking and sprouting.

9. Sprouts are alkalizing to your body.  Many illnesses including cancer have been linked to excess acidity in the body.

10. Sprouts are inexpensive. People frequently use the cost of healthy foods as an excuse for not eating healthy.  But, with sprouts being so cheap, there really is no excuse for not eating healthier.

How To Get Sprouting At Home!

Growing your own is a great way to have a supply of gourmet varieties, ensure access to high quality fresh foods year round if you live in a colder climate, or simply to become more aware of the food you are eating.

I prefer the jar method which involves using a wide-mouth mason jar and either sprout lids from a health food store or cheesecloth and a rubber band.

You’ll need only a few basic supplies to get started sprouting. They include: organic sprouting seeds, nuts, legumes, or grains (such as mung beans, alfalfa seeds, clover seeds, broccoli seeds, and garbanzo beans.)

Avoid sprouting kidney beans as they are poisonous if eaten raw or sprouted. Make sure the seeds you choose are from a reputable supplier that can guarantee they haven’t been heated during processing, which prevents them from sprouting.

What You’ll Need:

1. Large wide mouth mason jars

2. Sprouting lids for jars (Sprouting lids are typically available in most health food stores but you can use cheesecloth and rubber bands over the top of the jars if you prefer)

Now you’re ready to get sprouting!

Grow Your Own Sprouts

• For hygiene’s sake, wash your hands before handling seeds. Use seeds, grains, nuts, or legumes. For simplicity, I’ll be referring to any of these items as seeds throughout the instructions.

• Remove any broken or discolored seeds, stones, twigs, or hulls that may have found their way into your sprouting seeds.

• Place one type of seed in the jar. Use about a teaspoon of seeds or one-third cup of beans. Remember they will grow in size during the soaking and sprouting process.

• Cover the seeds with pure water. If you are using a few tablespoons of seeds, cover with at least one cup of water. If you are using beans, nuts, or grains, use at least three times the water of the amount of seed. In other words, one cup of water for one-third cup of mung beans, for example.

• Allow the seeds to soak for about 6 to 12 hours. I find it easiest to start them before going to bed. They absorb the water while I’m sleeping and are ready to start sprouting in the morning.

• Cover the jar with the sprouting lids or cheesecloth. If you’re using cheesecloth, secure over the top of the jar with a rubber band. Drain off the water.Rinse thoroughly with fresh water and drain off the water again. Set upside down in a clean, cool spot in your kitchen area, preferably on a slight angle to allow excess water to drain off. Alternatively, use a stainless steel dish drying rack which gives the sprout jars the perfect angle for draining.

• Rinse the sprouts a few times a day. Be sure to drain them well each time.

• Once the sprouts are ready to be harvested (this amount of time differs for each variety; alfalfa or mung bean sprouts are ready in about a week), place them in a large bowl of cool water and stir them around to loosen hulls and skins from the seeds (this is an optional step). They’ll usually come to the top so you can remove them. Don’t worry about removing every hull. Doing so helps prevent spoilage so the sprouts will last longer. Drain sprouts well and store in the refrigerator covered for a week to 10 days, depending on the sprout type.

HANDY TIP:

To increase the mineral content of your sprouts, add a piece of kelp or other type of seaweed to the water while the seeds are soaking.