Are Raw Bean Sprouts Safe?

[sclraw]

I just started to Sprout Beans.
I’m very confused about the safety of Raw Bean Sprouts.  I have heard totally contradictory things from different Raw Food Experts.

Some experts say Pre-Soaking the Dry Beans 12 hours before even Sprouting them almost totally eliminates the toxins enzyme inhibitors, protein inhibitors, and gas producing Oligosaccharides that are in all beans.   And then, just Rinsing them twice a day for 3 days
removes any remaining toxins.  After the Final rinse, you can just eat the bean sprouts raw if you want for a snack or add them to salads, raw.

Others Experts say you still have to Steam them or Cook them to remove these toxins after the beans are sprouted.
They say If you don’t steam them, some of these toxins will still be in the sprouts as well as possibly bacteria or mold from storing them in the fridge for 5 days.

I’m not buying Sprouted Beans from a store.
I’m Buying Dry Adzuki Beans and Lentils and Sprouting them myself.
I Sprout about 64 oz. (2 quarts) of Beans at a time.
First I Soak them in water 12-24 Hours, dump the water – then Rinse them with water every 12 hours for about 2- 3 days.   The Sprouts come out perfect. After the last 12 hour rinse, the bean sprouts are totally dry and I store them in the fridge in a covered pyrex bowl for 4-5 days.

One of the reasons I’m sprouting Adzuki beans is they are supposed to be naturally easier to digest than other type beans because they have less gas producing Oligosaccharides to begin with.

Do You have to Steam Bean Sprouts before you eat them? If so, how long do you need to steam the Beans to get all the toxins out?

Thanks Steve

[RawZi]

I just started to Sprout Beans.
...Do You have to Steam Bean Sprouts before you eat them? If so, how long do you need to steam the Beans to get all the toxins out?

Thanks Steve

    Hi Steve,

    Are you sure you meant to post this in a paleolithic forum?  Did the other raw people not know?  I know I admire some brilliant scientific minds in this forum too.

    I'm thinking also maybe this being your first post, you may have not read the child boards.  This might go better in the hot topics or off topic section.

    I've done a lot of sprouting, but that was years ago.  Maybe I'll post about my experience with that later.  I have a long night ahead.

    Nice to meet you.  Take care.

   

[KD]

like all issues in cooking and non-cooking, i'm not sure you'll find a definitive answer


I'd say out of all things you can sprout and eat raw, legumes remain the most dubious, with most grains (not 'grains' that are actually seeds) basically being basically edible raw.

I've eaten sprouted lentils (various varieties) and a variety of other seed and grass sprouts. Some beans you cannot eat raw even sprouted I believe, kidney and perhaps a few others. Not sure on the adzuki beans

I think mung bean is probably the safest bet for a raw bean sprout, with buckwheat, sunflower and  alfalfa/clover being probably the most digestible out of all the sprouted seeds in my experience.

whether they are essential on an rpd is another issue and I suspect any method you describe will be somewhat problematic as a dietary staple, although much better than eating regular canned beans. If I wasn't on a 100% diet and eating a fair amount of cooked foods, I would probably steam them personally even after sprouting.

having dried beans or seeds around are probably a good thing for a emergency food source. Some argue these are better than grains for our health, particularly when sprouted.

[RawZi]

I’m Buying Dry Adzuki Beans and Lentils and Sprouting them myself.
I Sprout about 64 oz. (2 quarts) of Beans at a time.

    Four pounds at a time?  Isn't that a lot?  Are you making AW energy soup?  Be careful, supposedly alfalfa sprouts give primates lupus flares.  Adzuki and lentil are the kinds AW used in her energy soup, that along with pea.

[TylerDurden]

Moved to hot topics forum. Beans are none too palaeo, and some beans are warned aginst re eating them raw, due to antinutrients. Soaking and then sprouting does reduce antinutrients but, given my own experience is not 100 percent effective. Cooking adds levels f heat-created toxins so is also not an option.

I would say that soaking and then sprouting is fine as long as only small amounts of beans were eaten. Beans should be avoided as a staple of the diet, however.