In an age of convenience fast food quick fix artificial food people are solving their energy problems through short term stimulation instead of nourishment.  This instant gratification of stimulating and nutrient deficient food can only take a person so far before they become exhausted or sick.  

However even healthy foods have limited usable nutrition without efficient assimilation and absorption.  To get maximum return on your eating a general rule is:  The less done with your food the better its return will be – which means raw, plant based whole foods are ideal because their enzymes remain intact. 

Enzymes are catalysts necessary for most biological processes to occur at significant rates, and digestion is one of the main biological processes affected.  Enzymes are the key to maximizing energy return from the foods you eat.  Many of these important enzymes are destroyed when foods are cooked above certain temperature (118′) or processed.  When these enzymes are missing the body must create them before the food can be absorbed and assimilated. This creates more work and stress for the body. 

Some evidence suggests consuming cooked, processed foods for many years may actually exhaust the body’s enzyme-producing glands. This results in poor digestion and assimilation later in life and may be one explanation for rapid signs of aging and disease; food no longer nourishes the body the way it once did because it’s not being digested properly anymore.


It is important to understand the difference between energy obtained from stimulation versus energy derived from proper nourishment for long-term health and vitality.

The more processed a food is the more stimulating affect it will have on the nervous system which can lead to adrenal fatigue.   A diet of enzyme rich whole foods (raw and sprouted) is less stimulating and way more nourishing. 

Raw, whole foods provide sustainable energy that is not dependent on processed carbs, refined sugars, or caffeine.  Many convenient ‘energy’ bars offer little more than candy bars which stimulate the adrenal glands which provide a false energy.  

Alive, raw, whole foods containing natural enzymes provide sustainable energy and vitality, not quick bursts of stimulation.  Sustainable  energy producing foods are:

  • whole – unprocessed and unrefined (i.e. In original state: nothing added, nothing removed)
  • raw and rich in naturally occurring enzymes
  • alkaline or alkaline-forming
  • high in natural vitamins and minerals
  • best in sprouted form

Compared to all other foods, sprouted foods offer the best net energy yield. Sprouts are full of enzymes, vitamins, minerals and protein, making them one of the most complete and nutritional of all foods tested. Besides your typical brussel and alfalfa sprouts, other examples of sprouted foods include: bean sprouts, sprouted almond, sprouted flax seed, and sprouted buckwheat. The Chinese discovered the nutritional value of sprouts thousands of years ago. Recently, many North American scientific studies are confirming the benefits of sprouts in a healthy diet.

Sprouted seeds are  a “predigested” food, meaning they can be more efficiently used in the body than non-sprouted seeds. When a seed sprouts, it is literally digesting its own protein and starch which decreases calories and carbohydrate content. Sprouting also creates amino acids and substantially increases vitamins, minerals and protein. This makes sprouts a powerful food because less ingested food is required than with non-sprouted foods to ensure sufficient nutrients reach the blood and cells. In addition, since the increased protein content of sprouts is in the most digestible form – amino acids – the body is able to put a large amount of the protein to use. Buckwheat, for example, is one of the best sprouts because approximately 20 percent of its makeup is protein, which makes it exceptionally amino-acid-rich. Furthermore, since buckwheat is technically a seed and not a grain, it is gluten-free.

Since the sprouting process does much of the energy conversion for the body; less energy is needed to digest which results in a greater net gain. In contrast, consuming cooked, processed foods, and isolated proteins which the body must break down before they can be recognized and utilized, results in significantly less efficiency.

The net gain of food is a term given to the energy remaining once digestion and assimilation have taken place. As a rule, cooked, refined and processed foods yield the lowest net gain. Unprocessed, whole food sources offer a superior return. Raw foods are even better. Taken one step further, whole, raw, sprouted foods provide the highest net energy gain possible—through nourishment, not stimulation.  

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One of the first questions that may naturally come up as you learn the Marche Method and start having an abundance of all different kinds of sprouts around is this:   “Okay, I am surrounded by sprouts! Now, what the heck do I do with them?”

Sprouts are delicious all by themselves, but even better when you find a spectrum of different ways to enjoy them in foods that are familiar to you.  Experimentation is wonderful, but it’s good to have a springboard for our culinary creativity.  Many have found this in books like The Complete Guide to Growing and Using Sprouts.

We have had many requests to “stock” our site with more basic sprouting information, related products, and good deals on little extras that can make your sprouting process simpler. We are happy to start off with a great addition to the fold. The title says it all:  The Complete Guide to Growing and Using Sprouts – Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply Including Easy to Make Recipes.

Many people have enjoyed the Back to Basics series for a long time, ever since they first started coming out in the early 80s.   So when Daniel Cavallaro, President of  SeThInk Media and producer of the Seeds of Sustainability education series was approached by Rick Helweg to write a forward for his Complete Guide to Growing and Using Sprouts, our team was super excited!

In keeping with the proud tradition of the Back to Basics series, this book is well written, exhaustively researched, and has a little something for everyone, from beginners to seasoned pros.  Not only does it cover the many different methods of sprouting, it’s chock full of delicious recipes that will appeal to ANY foody.  So many sprouting books out on the market focus on one or the other, so many feel it’s really nice to sit down and be able to page back and forth between the two.

We know you will enjoy this valuable resource so order your copy today and Happy Sprouting!

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Wheatgrass & The Marche Sprouting Method

March 19, 2012

Growing wheat grass is a fun way to add serious green power to your diet. For most people, though, it can be frustrating to wait up to 12 days for the wheat grass to be ready. So here are a few tips to reduce the time it takes. Pre-sprout your wheat berries using the Marche [...]

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Health Benefits of Walnut Oil!

December 10, 2010

Health Benefits of Walnut Oil: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B-1, B-2, and B-3, Vitamin-E and niacin, the health benefits of walnuts and/or were first identified in 1931 when researchers discovered that they were a significant source of vitamin C.  Since then numerous studies been done to evaluate the effects of walnut and walnut [...]

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Sprouting a Solution

August 12, 2010

Veggie takes center stage in fight against hunger By Michelle RindlesStaff WriterThe Union (Californian based Newspaper) Nevada City based SeThInk Media company hopes to advance the sprouts’ cause to help end hunger worldwide with an educational DVD. While organic foods and vegetarian diets have seen a dramatic increase in popularity in recent years, other foodies [...]

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Sprouting for kids!

March 31, 2010

If you are a parent who has struggled to get your child to eat their ‘greens’ then perhaps you might want to introduce them to sprouts and sprouting.  Sprouts provide amazing healthy food ideas and there is no better way to turn your children onto the health benefits of sprouted foods than to directly involve [...]

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Bean Sprouter On Your Toilet?

February 13, 2010

Have you seen these crazy bean sprouters that are attached to the flush of your toilet for rinsing? I am all for fresh sprouts and good sprouting results but do you really want your food to be coming out of your toilet or bathroom and on to your table? I am sure you can pick [...]

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Growing Sprouts for Profit Step2

February 3, 2010

Choosing a Suitable Sprouter So you have found some customers on your journey of growing sprouts for profit, now you need a suitable sprouting method. There are several sprouting methods available so let’s take a quick look at them. If you are growing sprouts commercially or even as a hobby for some extra spending money, [...]

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Growing Sprouts for Profit

January 28, 2010

A simple source of additional income can be to grow sprouts to sell. This could be as a hobby or it could grow in to a profitable business if you find a suitable market and customers. It is also something that is so simple, your kids may want to start growing sprouts themselves or they [...]

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Automatic Sprouter

January 19, 2010

The automatic sprouter is often viewed as the top level system for serious sprouters. They are designed to provide some sort of rinsing or misting device to eliminate the needs for daily rinsing. This is a considerable benefit, as you don’t want the powerful health benefits of eating sprouts to be overshadowed by a process [...]

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