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 Method. This no rinse sprouting method will give your wheatberries a great start, and the grass will actually grow faster because you gave it such a good head start with nice thick roots and a little blade already starting to stick out. Because the Marche method is a no-rinse method that keeps the moisture in balance, your sprouts will be in perfect condition to be spead thickly on a half inch or so of soil and grown.

Interestingly enough, when you watch a time lapse video of wheatgrass, the short stubby blades actually start out pushing upwards in a spiral formation. Wheatgrass has been touted by thousands as a cure all, but its most interesting application may be in smoking cessation. Smokers have reported that simply adding fresh wheat grass to their daily routine eliminates their cravings and removes the nicotine from their body quickly, so quitting can be a quick and simple process. One person said he was skeptical at first, but then started taking wheatgrass and almost immediately could no longer stand the taste, smell, or feeling of tobacco in his body.

So regardless of what your reason is for being interested in wheatgrass, give it a try! Its easy and fun to grow, and the possible health benefits are endless!

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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 oil consumption on disease prevalence, mortality, and disease risk factors.  It is now well established that eating walnuts regularly has definite health benefits, the most important on being a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease.  Walnuts are also rich in phytonutrients and are an excellent source of selenium, phosphorous, magnesium, zinc, iron, and calcium

In order to get these benefits it is important for the walnuts to be uncooked and fresh.  Awakening and curing the walnuts is the best way to achieve this.  The serving size of walnut oil is less than the amount of walnuts needed to get the same nutritional benefit.

For example:  A 35 gram serving of walnut oil provides the same nutritional benefits as 50 grams of walnuts.

Consumption of walnuts or walnut oil has been shown to lower total cholesterol, LDL (bad cholesterol) and the ratio of LDL to HDL (good cholesterol). Furthermore, regular walnut oil consumption reduced triglyceride levels 19 to 33% in a 45-day study. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration stated:

“Supportive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces per day of walnuts, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”

The high concentration of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which is an omega-3 fatty acid that is converted to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and omega-3 fatty acids (which are easily utilized by the body) are the reason walnut oil has cardio-protective benefits. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that one tablespoon of walnut oil provides 1.4 grams of ALA. Men require 1.6 grams and women 1.1 grams of ALA per day. Walnuts differ from other nuts because they primarily consist of omega-3 fatty acids whereas monounsaturated fats are found in higher levels in most other types of nuts.

Walnuts and walnut oil have been cited as one of the best antioxidant sources among the tree nuts.  Antioxidants are substances that counter the effects of free radicals, which are substances that cause cell damage and accelerate the aging process. Walnuts are especially dense in the antioxidant ellagic acid, which aids in controlling the replication of malignant tumors and has anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antiseptic properties. Gallic acid and malic acid, both antioxidants, are present in smaller quantities and have similar protective effects. This demonstrates yet again that nutrition is best derived from whole foods verses liquid vitamins and other vitamin supplements.

Studies show regular use of walnut oil provides a dietary source of essential fatty acids and antioxidants, both of which are often difficult to attain in adequate quantities within a typical Western diet. The practical benefits of this regular use are significant reductions in coronary heart disease risk and possible decreases in cancer risk and slowing of the aging process.

To use walnut oil in your cooking remember it is best used uncooked in cold sauces, salads, tossed in pasta, or brushed on grilled fish or meat just before serving.  It is also great in desert recipes for a nutty flavor!

Enjoy!

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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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Sprouting trays

January 12, 2010

People who have had some success but have also experienced the drawbacks of sprouting jars, will often move on to try sprouting trays. There are many different types and we will take a quick look at the benefits and drawbacks of this sprouting method. Sprouting tray types Plain flat plastic tray – this is a [...]

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Sprouting jars

January 6, 2010

Most people start their journey in to sprouting with sprouting jars, due to their simplicity and cheap set-up cost. There are some important things to consider when choosing your sprouter though and these are outlined below. But first, let’s take a look at the process for growing sprouts using a sprouting jar! How to use [...]

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