Methods for germinating green buckwheat and its benefits for the body

Healthy eating is becoming increasingly popular. One of the products with high nutritional value is green buckwheat for sprouting. But not everyone knows how to germinate green buckwheat. Let's talk about the technology of germinating grains at home and ways to use sprouts.

Green buckwheat differs from brown buckwheat in that it is not subjected to industrial heat treatment and retains all natural vitamins and microelements. When such grains are sprouted, all beneficial substances are activated and easily absorbed by the body. Buckwheat becomes “alive”. Until recently, unprocessed buckwheat was a strange product. Today it can be found in any natural food store, and sometimes in a regular supermarket. What are the beneficial properties of this product and why is it so attractive to healthy lifestyle followers?

Nutritional value of green buckwheat

Green buckwheat sprouts contain 18 amino acids, 9 of which are essential, and are the leader in the content of vitamins and minerals among cereal crops. They contain:

• vitamin PP;
• B vitamins;
• vitamin E;
• vitamin C;
• vitamin P;
• calcium;
• iron;
• phosphorus;
• zinc;
• iodine.

Green buckwheat is ideal for nutrition - it is easily digestible and saturates the body with slow carbohydrates. Thanks to its amino acid composition, sprouted buckwheat has extremely beneficial effects:

• prevents cardiovascular diseases;
• accelerates metabolic processes;
• restores the “correct” microflora in the intestines;
• protects blood vessels and prevents arthritis and osteoporosis;
• protects the immune system and strengthens skin, nails and hair;
• normalizes blood sugar levels;
• reduces cholesterol levels;
• improves the functioning of the liver and gall bladder.

Green buckwheat is universal - you can eat it as much as you want, combine it with all kinds of foods and add it to different dishes - cold and hot, salty and sweet. In addition, the balanced composition of sprouted buckwheat allows it to become a complete replacement for animal protein.

Green buckwheat as an alternative to meat

It has already been proven that any meat is more or less harmful to health, clogs blood vessels with cholesterol, is difficult to digest and even causes cancer. Although it has nutrients, whether they will be absorbed by the body is a big question. Sprouted buckwheat grains contain quite a lot of easily digestible protein, organic healthy fats and more than 70% carbohydrates. It is not without reason that it is called a superfood (from English “supereda”), such food charges you with energy for several hours and has no side effects.

The following is a table with the energy indicators of sprouted buckwheat and meat.

This is interesting

The famous American doctor, nutritionist and star trainer Douglas Graham determined the optimal percentage ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats for a person as 80/10/10. In his book “The 80/10/10 Diet,” he wrote that modern standards for protein consumption are greatly overestimated, and in order to maintain the functioning of organs and muscles, an adult needs a large amount of high-quality carbohydrates. If this statement is true, then green buckwheat has a good chance of displacing meat and taking center stage on dinner tables.

How to germinate buckwheat?

To properly germinate buckwheat, you will need:

• buckwheat greens;
• cup for germination - glass, ceramic, clay (not plastic);
• running water for washing grains;
• clean water for germinating buckwheat;
• clean cotton cloth (or gauze);

Different sources suggest germinating buckwheat in different ways. Some people revive the grains within two or even three days, while others enjoy the finished product within 24 hours. The fact is that green buckwheat activates all nutrients already at the moment when the sprouts have just hatched, and this happens within a day. Therefore, we will describe this particular method of germination.

Usually the grains are soaked in the morning so that they germinate for the next breakfast. But, in general, this can be done at any time of the day.

To germinate green buckwheat, you need to follow a number of simple steps.

1. Pour the required amount of green buckwheat into a glass or ceramic cup.
2. Rinse with running water - pour and drain water several times.
3. Remove grains that float when washed - they will not germinate.
4. Pour the washed buckwheat with water.
   

   Advice

   It is better to take the highest quality water - spring or melt water, or, in extreme cases, filtered. It will be absorbed into the grains and activate the revitalization processes.

5. Leave for 6 – 10 hours.
6. Rinse thoroughly to remove mucus with running water - pour and drain water several times.
7. Cover clean, damp grains in a cup with a damp cloth.
8. Leave on the table for 12 - 15 hours.

At this stage, it is important not to put unsprouted buckwheat in the refrigerator (cold will stop the revival process), not to cover the grains with a lid so that air circulates in the cup, and not to leave the cup completely open - the grains will dry out and will not revive. It is worth covering the container with gauze.

Small tails (sprouts) have appeared on the grains, which means that the sprouted buckwheat is ready to eat.

Advice

It is better to store sprouted buckwheat in the refrigerator for no more than 4 days.

How to cook sprouted buckwheat?

Green sprouted buckwheat can be used to make a variety of foods and drinks. In addition, it can be consumed as an independent dish and added to regular food - soups, side dishes, meat, vegetables. This will make them healthier and more nutritious.

Smoothie

A sprouted green buckwheat smoothie typically consists of the following ingredients:

• green buckwheat;
• water;
• fruit/vegetable/greens;
• honey (or other sweetener).

The number of components can be changed all the time. A more nutritious smoothie will have more buckwheat, a refreshing fruit smoothie will have more fruit, and you don’t need to add any sweetener at all. By experimenting with different flavors, you can come up with recipes for making your ideal drink.

To prepare a smoothie, grind the selected ingredients in a blender until smooth. Smoothies are drunk from a straw or from a bottle, and if it is thick, they are simply eaten with a spoon.It retains not only all the nutrients of its constituent products, but also beneficial fiber.

Porridge

Green buckwheat porridge is created from sprouted grains ground in a blender. As a rule, its main ingredients are buckwheat and banana. Banana makes the porridge very sweet and aromatic.

You can add to the porridge according to your taste:

• dates;
• nuts;
• dried fruits;
• flaxseed - it will create a consistency close to oatmeal.

It is better to add these ingredients soaked - pre-wash and pour boiling water for a few minutes. They can be ground together with buckwheat in a blender or added in pieces immediately before eating the porridge.

In addition, regular porridge is also prepared from sprouts - you can also cook green buckwheat. However, heat treatment destroys some of the beneficial substances.

Buckwheat can be prepared in different ways:

• steamed (in a 2:1 ratio with water, cooking time - 15 minutes);
• steam with boiling water and let it brew (in a 2:1 ratio with water, until the water is completely absorbed);
• Cooking on the stove is the least preferred option (cooking time - 15 minutes, ratio with water - 2:1).

You can add healthy vegetable oils (linseed, unrefined sunflower, sesame and others) or butter to cooked sprouts, as well as to regular buckwheat porridge.

Salads and raw food dishes

Sprouted grains can be added to any salads, but it is best to sprinkle them on fresh vegetables. Such a salad will saturate the body with vitamins, cleanse with fiber and create the correct microflora in the intestines.

Today, a raw food diet is gaining popularity - a type of nutrition that excludes traditional heat treatment.As a rule, raw foodists are supporters of plant-based foods. The main source of nutrients in a raw food diet is sprouted grains, and green buckwheat is a favorite.

In addition to the above dishes, a wide variety of raw food foods are prepared from sprouts:

• pates;
• salad dressings;
• cold soups;
• bread;
• pizza base;
• rolls.

Fasting days on sprouted buckwheat

The average human diet, as a rule, includes a lot of “non-living” thermally processed food and little fiber. There are few useful substances left in cooked food, and while digesting it, the body works hard to get the maximum benefit from the available food. The body has neither time nor energy left for deep cleansing actions at the cellular level - they are reduced only to the superficial removal of waste products from the body.

Often our body just needs a spring cleaning, so fasting days are considered very useful. What are the benefits of unloading on buckwheat sprouts? This method is suitable for active people. It will allow you to receive enough calories for normal life activities and will launch the body’s self-cleaning functions. “Live” grains stimulate the body’s toxin-removing functions, however, if the body is very polluted, then during fasting days unpleasant or painful sensations may appear:

• headache;
• joint pain;
• sweating;
• weakness;
• white coating on the tongue;
• smell from the mouth.

All these effects indicate cleansing of the body - the stronger the discomfort, the more slagged the body is. Therefore, when unloading (including on buckwheat sprouts), you should not take any medications and give the body additional physical activity.

Such fasting days are very useful for losing weight - thanks to the same cleansing and slag-removing effect, buckwheat sprouts help you lose extra pounds.

Different diets and nutrition systems recommend consuming different foods. Today there are so many of these systems that the only way to understand whether a food product is suitable for a particular person is to rely on sensations. Even very healthy green buckwheat may not be suitable - individual intolerance will arise or it will simply seem tasteless. Therefore, when introducing buckwheat sprouts into the diet, it is better to be consistent and moderate.