Primer on Germination, Sprouting, and Fermentation

A major hurdle for raw foodists and the reason most raw food diets fail to meet all nutritional needs is the limited digestibility of many foods in their natural states. The standard method of improving digestibility of raw foods is the application of heat, which is known to destroy vitamins such as B6 and C, in addition to leaching or degrading an array of water-soluble nutrients, depending on the preparation and cooking methods used. Most raw plant foods also contain varying amounts of heat-sensitive enzymes that can assist with digestion once cells are broken if processing temperatures remain low enough. However most packaged food is processed and preserved in a way that sacrifices nutritional content for shelf-life. Since nutritional content is not immediately apparent and people generally prefer the taste of high-calorie foods to light alternatives, many naturally nutritious food products such as fruits and vegetables have been replaced in the post-industrialization diet by nutritionally-devoid high-calorie heat-treated alternatives such as chips, crackers, processed meat, cheeses, etc. Even restaurant foods prepared from healthy ingredients from scratch are flavored with oils, salt, and other additives and are provided in excessive portions that encourage over-eating. In addition, vegetables are typically overcooked for improved flavor at the cost of nutritional content.

To combat these trends, and the multitude of health risks associated with them, it is critically necessary to move toward a self-prepared diet based on primarily or entirely on high quality plant matter, balanced for optimal macro- and micronutrient intake and prepared for digestibility. Ideally, preparation methods for replacing the use of heat as a digestibility enhancer should be used to improve overall cost effectiveness and nutritional profile of vegetable foods. Among these are germination, sprouting, and fermentation, which work on a wide variety of readily available foods. In addition to addressing the digestibility problem with many foods, these methods can also expand nutritional content by producing vitamins and other beneficial substances while the increasing bioavailability of others.

Germination is the activation of viable seeds, legumes, nuts, and other plant reproductive units. It is triggered when there is enough water to support the enzymatic reactions that break down the onboard caloric payload. During this time, starches soften and begin to decompose in a controlled fashion to produce sugars for use by the growing plant. Water-soluble enzyme inhibitors that keep molds from developing on the dried seed are also washed off, further improving digestibility. For these reasons, nearly every nut, seed, grain, and bean should be germinated (soaked) before preparation. When used on small seeds and grains, germination alone is enough to produce an edible product suitable for salads, cereal, eggs, and prepared raw foods. Examples of fully digestible foods after germination are buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and all nuts. For larger seeds, nuts, and beans, germination either reduces cooking time or serves as the first step in sprouting and/or fermenation.

Sprouting continues the life cycle of the young plant after germination. More substantial support structures (stems, leaves, and roots) are produced during this time, further utilizing the calories available after germination to create fiber and a wider array of enzymes, pigments, vitamins, proteins, and other beneficial compounds. Sprouting can continue for up to two weeks in some cases, but usually produces an optimal product within 5-6 days for most varieties of sprouts under most conditions. Medium sized grains, seeds, and beans such as lentils, rice, wheat, rye, mung beans, adzuki beans, alfalfa greens, clove greens, wheat grass, oinion seeds, garlic seeds, and roughly 60 other foods can be eaten raw after sprouting. A small handful of varieties are available in health food stores, but the markup is substantial because of the limited shelf life.

For more on germination and sprouting, including how-to guides and sprouting materials, check out http://www.sproutpeople.com. They provide seeds selected especially for sprouting, but most bulk organic grains, beans, and seeds can be germinated and sprouted at about 1/3 of the price of seeds labeled for sprouting.

After germinating or sprouting, digestibility can be improved further using microorganisms. The process requires a substrate (vegetable matter), an inoculant (source of microorganism), and a temperature-controlled oxygen- and contamination-free environment. Most strains used for fermenation are lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and are also considered probiotic (beneficial for human health), however a small number of yeasts are also used in non-alcoholic fermentation. In short, fermentation breaks down starches and other molecules into smaller, more readily usable nutrients while producing vitamins using materials found in the vegetable matter. Additional benefits of fermentation include detoxification of food (absorption of toxins by bacteria), improved digestive function (with implantable strains), and preservation of food for long periods of time without chemical preservatives. Virtually all vegetable matter, including fully mature vegetables and fruits, can be fermented unless they contain substantial amounts of antimicrobial agents.

Germination reduces cooking time by 50-70% for most foods, sprouting or fermenting in addition can reduce the final cooking time to 0-10% of the initial dry product cooking time. Using any or a combination of these methods, cooking can be heavily reduced or even fully eliminated with a reduction in preparation time and carbon footprint (heat use) and an increase in nutritional content and bioavailability. The only real drawback is that clean water and sanitation methods are critical for preparing raw foods, a major obstacle for much of the world.