--- title: The Truth Behind Sprouted Foods Health Benefits description: The theory is that when we eat sprouted foods, their nutrients are more bio-available to us as well, and easier to digest. canonical: https://time.com/4574090/sprouted-foods-health-benefits/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-11-18T17:06:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T01:52:01.182Z article:section: Health og:title: Is Sprouted Food Actually Healthier? og:description: The theory is that when we eat sprouted foods, their nutrients are more bio-available to us as well, and easier to digest. og:url: https://time.com/4574090/sprouted-foods-health-benefits/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a2c289ca6cfc6dd/6988aed2ab6d7738a66abfc7/sprouted-foods-health-benefits.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4837 og:image:height: 2721 og:image:alt: Chickpeas in a wooden scoop og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Is Sprouted Food Actually Healthier? twitter:description: The theory is that when we eat sprouted foods, their nutrients are more bio-available to us as well, and easier to digest. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9a2c289ca6cfc6dd/6988aed2ab6d7738a66abfc7/sprouted-foods-health-benefits.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Is Sprouted Food Actually Healthier? > Sponsored content. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Cynthia Sass / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Cynthia Sass / Health.com Contributor Nov 18, 2016 5:06 PM UTC  Getty Images by [Cynthia Sass / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Cynthia Sass / Health.com Contributor Nov 18, 2016 5:06 PM UTC All kinds of items at the health food store seem to have suddenly “sprouted”, including whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils and chickpeas. But are they really more nutritious than non-sprouted plant foods? Read on to learn the basics about the trend. ### **Every sprouted food is a type of seed** When you think of [seeds](http://news.health.com/2014/03/14/5-awesome-food-trends-worth-trying/), you probably think of sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds. But [pulses](http://news.health.com/2015/04/03/keep-the-carbs-lose-the-pounds/)—like chickpeas, split peas and black eyed peas—are also seeds. Technically, quinoa, oats and nuts qualify as well. All of these seeds can be sprouted. But what exactly does that mean? Whether or not you have a green thumb, you’re probably familiar with how seeds work. They contain the raw materials that grow into a new plant when temperature and moisture conditions are just right. Sprouted foods are essentially just that: Seeds that have started to grow. To stop those baby plants from growing even more, the seeds are either dried or mashed and added to other products. **_Health.com:_** [_10 Healthy Chia Seed Recipes_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20930078,00.html/?xid=time) ### **Sprouted foods come in many forms** There are dried foods like sprouted almonds, and breads made with sprouted grains, seeds and beans. Sprouted grains are also mashed and rolled into tortillas and wraps. You can even find powders to add to smoothies or oatmeal. And while plenty of processed sprouted products are on the market (such as pretzels and cereal), be sure stick to ones that contain only natural ingredients. ### **They may be extra-nutritious** Seeds contain compounds that keep them from sprouting until conditions are right. But once a seed sprouts, those compounds are canceled out by a surge in enzymes. Those same enzymes make the nutrients in the seed more available, so the baby plant has the energy it needs to grow. The theory is that when we eat sprouted foods, their nutrients are more bio-available to us as well, and easier to digest. **_Health.com:_**[_4 Things to Know About the Trendy Superfood Maca_](http://www.health.com/nutrition/maca-info/?xid=time) ### **The research to date is promising** There aren’t a ton of studies on sprouted foods, but the ones that exist seem to support the idea that they pack an extra nutritional punch. Research has shown that sprouting boosts the antioxidant levels of [brown rice](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23790918), [amaranth](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24958279) and [millet](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25236251), for example. And a study published in the journal _Plant Foods for Human Nutrition_ discovered that the [fiber content](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25086701) of various types of brown rice increased by 6 to 13% after sprouting. ### **DIY sprouting can be risky** There are a lot of videos online that teach you how to sprout at home. But DIY sprouting may be dangerous unless you really know what you’re doing. For example, some seeds are treated with harmful chemicals, which get broken down in sprouting conditions. What’s more, the conditions required for sprouting happen to also be ideal for growing bacteria that can make you very ill, like salmonella, _E. coli_, and listeria. If you do experiment with DIY sprouting, I recommend cooking the final product (think sprouted lentil soup, or sprouted chickpea burgers). Otherwise, I advise sticking with brands like [Food for Life](http://www.foodforlife.com/) and [Go Raw](https://www.goraw.com/), which have safe sprouting techniques down pat. _Cynthia Sass is Health’s contributing nutrition editor, a New York Times best-selling author, and consultant for the New York Yankees. See her_ [_full bio here._ ](http://news.health.com/author/cynthia-sass/) _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/nutrition/sprouted-food/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4574090/sprouted-foods-health-benefits/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4574090/sprouted-foods-health-benefits/"},"headline":"Is Sprouted Food Actually Healthier?","datePublished":"2016-11-18T17:06:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:52:01.182Z","description":"Should you be eating sprouted breads? Sprouted grains? 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