I'm A Gut Doctor: If You're Not Doing This, You're Missing Out On Benefits

Behold: an easy, affordable DIY project with incredible benefits for your gut health. Count us in, right? We talked with gastroenterologist Will Bulsiewicz, M.D., MSCI, author of The Fiber-Fueled Cookbook, on a recent episode of the mindbodygreen podcast, and he told us about the DIY planting project that he thinks everyone should be doing. "If you're not sprouting, you should be," he says.

So what is sprouting exactly? Well, it's precisely what it sounds like: Sprouting is the process of growing edible sprouts from beans and legumes. Specifically, Bulsiewicz is referring to the easy, indoor-friendly method of using jars or bags to grow your sprouts—no soil necessary. "It's literally the freshest food on the planet because there is zero time-lapse between when you harvest and when you consume," Bulsiewicz says. 

Sprouting takes the nutrient profile of your beans and legumes to the next level. "It increases the fiber, it increases the protein, it increases the vitamins, and they also will take on these [therapeutic] properties," Bulsiewicz says. For example, sprouted lentils have twice the antioxidant content1 as unsprouted, and broccoli sprouts contain higher amounts of the antioxidant sulforaphane than the mature broccoli plant. 

If you want to try out sprouting for yourself, here's a simple how-to guide for sprouting your beans and legumes at home. 

Sprouting boasts tons of benefits. Not only are sprouts incredibly nutritious, but the process of growing them is easy, relatively inexpensive, and only requires a few minutes of care. Sprouts are just one of the many foods that can kick-start good gut health; you can read about the other items Bulsiewicz swears by here.