Tell HN: 0.61 USD per week for daily sprouts of grains and pulses

What (macro+micro) nutrition does that provide? I put into cronometer 180g "lentils, raw"; 180g "beans, blackeye, whole, dried, raw"; 360g "wheat nuts", and divided into 7 servings. Got 354 calories per serving; 16g protein; 35g total carbs (4g fiber + 31g net); 18g fat. Not much of a base for an e.g. 2,000-calorie/day diet. I may not have selected the right items; not sure "lentils, raw" reflects dry weight or that "wheat nuts" is the right interpretation of "hard red wheat seeds" at all. But I'm really skeptical this is nutritionally adequate unless the sprouting adds a lot and "homemade kimchi, nutritional yeast, beets, apples, and zucchini" are doing the vast majority of the lifting. Of those, I think only nutritional yeast is high-protein; are you eating a ton of it?

Fair question, and you've done more heavy lifting regarding nutrition than I have. In hindsight, by "base" I think what I mean is that I eat this every day, and would default to this bowl of cooked grain & legume sprouts if I had nothing else, probably increasing the amount.

I go by how I feel after eating, both later that day and in general on a particular set of foods. I have an informal checklist: Are my nails brittle? How's my skin? Am I more irritable/grumpy, ceteris parabus? How's my energy level? Things like this. I figure I get more nutrients than I can reasonably use, and probably waste a fair amount out the other end given the volume of food I like to eat (something I'm working on).

I'll add that these cooked sprouts are easy on my guts much the same way as sushi is, for me anyway; relaxing, really enjoyable to eat slowly, not much bloating afterwards (compared to unsoaked, cooked black beans, a staple in my household until recently- now I sprout the black beans, and we're collectively not as gassy).

Thanks for posting - i have issues related to gerd i am seeing a GI for at the moment. Could I ask - my understanding though with regards to sprouting is that it's considered a potential source of salmonella, giardia and other food poisoning vectors as seeds and beans can accumulate fecal matter and once given sufficient temps and moisture, just propagate....

i've always loved sprouts...but have stopped eating them due to this information.

Do you have experience with illness related to eating sprouts?

From what I understand, Oregon passed food safety laws that effectively prohibited sprouts at restaurants, for the sorts of reasons you describe. A sandwich shop that I frequented put sprouts on most of their sandwiches, and then one day they were gone.

Sprouts are a raw food. They are safe as the conditions raised and handled. Sprouts you grow yourself with sanitary procedures from certified seeds are extremely unlikely to cause any problems. Sprouts grown at scale and shipped through a network of distribution channels before being consumed… yikes.

thats the thing - with sanitary procedures: im assuming a soak of hydrogen peroxide...followed by rinse? Is that sufficient to sprout safely?

I've read that an H2O2 soak is a reasonable precaution to reduce bacterial load, but I haven't done it yet. If I started doing that I'd be going through a lot of hydrogen peroxide.

Maybe blanching? Dunno if there's a duration long enough to kill surface inhabitants without harming the seed.

There's an indian snack of sprouted lentils zapped in the microwave for a minute or so? followed by a light sprinkly of cumin, salt, and lime/lemon juice. It's quite awesome.

I grew up in hobby-farm country and my default is to trust that "it'll be fine", nowadays known as "YOLO"? I understand that I'm probably more lucky than right to not take thorough precautions.

I get these seeds from Azure Standard out of Oregon. I haven't dug very deep into what & how they do, and instead just assume that it'll be fine if I do a modicum of safety procedures:

After sorting for rocks (I remember an HN article about how much better the rock-picking hardware-software system has become; I remember picking numerous rocks from beans as a kid, and I often find zero at any stage along the way), I rinse the seeds in water by swirling them around awhile by hand, pour that off, and submerge the lot in filtered water in a glass container, covered with a cloth to keep out insects.

I smell-check every time I rinse, and am surprised that it doesn't smell like it's rotting. Maybe there are chemicals in the hulls that confer some protection? From what I've read from library books (there's a surface-level Doring-Kindersley book that seems a decent start), sprouting changes some of the chemical composition, reducing/metabolizing the "protecting" compounds and spinning up the "grow grow grow!" machinery.

I don't get sick very often, and I don't remember the last time I ever suspected food poisoning, and there's not much I avoid (except the ultra-processed stuff these days, and all the items on the GERD list, which includes onions and garlic, I forgot to note originally).

The nutritional yeast is kind of intriguing. Apparently seaweed also contains loads of B12, I was under the impression that no plants contained appreciable amounts of B12 whatsoever. Although, I would imagine that getting seaweed is kind of capital-intense.

Seaweed is technically an algae, of the kingdom Protista.

Farming seaweed is not that complicated and is pretty widespread.

> Today, seaweed makes up nearly 30 percent of the wet weight of all seafood produced by aquaculture globally. About half of cultivated seaweed is red algae and about half is brown; of the brown, most is kelp.

https://hakaimagazine.com/features/banking-on-the-seaweed-ru...

There's also a company called Running Tide "farming" seaweed explicitly and exclusively as a carbon sink technology. Kelp is grown on rafts until it gets heavy and sinks to the ocean floor where it nourishes micro- and macrobiota.

https://www.runningtide.com/

well, technically neither yeast nor seaweed are "plants", so it's still correct.

Huh, I did not know that seaweed aren't plants. Interesting.

(For anyone else curious, short story is they're basically multicelular algae)

Sometimes I add seaweed, too- ground kelp is easy to add but significantly changes the taste, and with all the clashing ingredients it becomes more medicinal than tasty, but palatable enough and it feels good for a long while afterwards. Sometimes I just mix the kelp and nutritional yeast together with some warm water and drink that alongside the meal.

Dulse flakes, laver, kombu, and a few others are available from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables Inc., for one, and if Bren Smith (aquaculturist and author of Eat Like a Fish) has his way, there will be more and cheaper seaweed available soon. I've eaten seaweed since I was a kid (mom grew up near the ocean), and sometimes add a few strips to black beans in the InstantPot for the flavor (again, my mother's influence). My family doesn't seem to mind.

You mention it being unflavored, but how does it taste?

Did you choose your blend based on flavor, cost, nutrition or a blend of the three?

Have you considered automating the rinsing with a small water pump and Arduino? Or you've considered and the tradeoffs aren't worth it?

Mung beans sprouts taste nutty and a little bitter, and they only take a daily rinsing, so it's not a lot of work to sprout, I use a mason jar with a cheese clothe rubber banded to the top. I don't like the taste much, but they can have a nice crisp texture.

> Have you considered automating the rinsing with a small water pump and Arduino? Or you've considered and the tradeoffs aren't worth it?

This would rate high on the pointless-tech-o-meter.

Right now I happen to have some beans soaking. Overnight they'll absorb up to ~2x their dry weight in water. If I were to pour remaining water out & just rinse 1..3 times/day, they would sprout in a few days.

This is the nice thing about buying dry legumes & soaking vs. canned: if I change my mind & eat something else tomorrow, 'worst' case those beans would sprout rather than just soak, changing their nutritional profile somewhat. Possibly for the better.

No need to bring in water pumps or (ugh) electronics into any of this.

Taste: that's a tough one to quantify! If you've ever had red bean paste sweets (either rectangular solids or filled pastries), that's usually adzuki bean, iirc. I'm new to mung beans, and they grow a thick radicle, almost as large as the garbanzo in the same amount of time. Garbanzos are my favorite, in part for the texture. Overall? "Pasty-chalky" is not really selling it, but this is part of how I'd describe cooked unflavored sprouts.

I chose these seeds based on what I could buy from the local coop bulk order (supplied by Azure Standard in Dafur, OR) and what I suspected would sprout. The oat groats and barley don't sprout- seems like they've been heat-treated? Recently I added buckwheat and sesame; curious to see if they sprout. I figure a variety of seeds is better for nutrition, but I admit I don't really know. "Eat your colors" is about as complicated as I go unless I'm temporarily into some fad or other. This may go that way, but the price is right, it's easy to do, feels good in my body, and has a lower resource cost than other things I might eat. The main downside is that I'm the only one eating like this in my family, and I also cook most of the meals.

To previous concerns about contamination, I don't wash the seeds with anything other than water and friction (to get out rocks and dirt and dust and unwanted plant-parts), because I end up cooking the sprouts until soft. I hope that's enough to kill Escherichia coli.

I don't as yet grow sprouts to make them green and leafy, just until the radicle gets 1-3cm long. Sometimes they green up but that's incidental.

Considering growing wheat grass, but now we're talking soil or other substrate, clipping, blending or juicing; that's too much work, haha.

> Symptoms worsen if I eat too much at once and/or if I consume chocolate, citrus, tomatoes, maybe dairy, and coffee & alcohol (both of which I'd already given up for other reasons).

TBH this sounds like it could be histamine intolerance.

Thank you for this suggestion! I looked up histamine intolerance (affects about 1% of people, as far as we know so far) and asked my doctor, who said my symptoms can also be due to anxiety but there's no harm in trying an elimiantion diet as I probably get more than enough nutrition. Just cutting out my fermented vegetables has helped reduce the bothersome symptoms. I'll miss the flavor, but my spouse (who doesn't like the smell) will appreciate the absence and I've already gotten used to the main contrast flavor being apples.

Are you stressed or under pressure?

Probably this regimen will prolong your life and healthspan but might be not warrented to evade GERD if you are stressed, because de-stressing alone would get you there without having to give up a variety of foods.

It is also my theory that if doctors are right and the #1 cause of GERD is smoking (and I have no reason to believe that isn' true) then 1800-1980 everybody had GERD but people being less stressed and hyperaware of their health didn't notice it as much.

You make an important point about stress and its effects. Yes, I am under a lot of stress, and working myself out from under that is an ongoing challenge. Another commenter in this thread suggested histamine intolerance, and when I asked my doctor about it they said yes it's possible (though rare) and that my symptoms can also be caused by stress and anxiety. While I get to the root of it (possibly some adverse childhood experiences), I've made positive changes, including:

-Prioritizing sleep and acting on that to get enough

-replacing morning coffee with a tap-cold shower, now a daily habit to stay in until I feel the internal response rush of warmth, and not much longer beyond that- no need to actually cool myself down so much, that I know of (I'm not training for significant cold exposure).

-getting outside for regular walks

-journaling as a brain dump, and then burning the writing

-eating a high-fiber, low-added-sugar diet, mostly fresh plants (I'd include sprouts there, and I've since increased the proportion to about $5/week over the initial $3, wrongly calculated as $0.61)

-and being okay with doing nothing else except breathing, just because, and as an intervention if I'm having a troublesome emotional response

718 grams is 1.6 pounds, times 7 is 11.2 pounds. 61 cents would mean that you are paying a nickel a pound, or only a quarter for a 5 lb bag. This seems unlikely.

Why did you multiply by 7? I believe this 718 grams is the entire weeks, not per-day.

Example math:

Wheat seeds ($7/5-lb) * (5-lb/2260g) * 204g = $0.63

You're right; the 718g or ~3.5c (after measuring with the scale I just use 1/2 cup scoops now) is about a week's worth of "seed base" for my daily meals. I make a big bowl in the morning and eat it throughout the day, scooping into a smaller bowl.

I think the post mentioned that the 718 grams of dry goods lasts a whole week. That would cost about 38¢ per pound, and they are bulk-ordered from the local food cooperative.

The 718g last a week though, so it's more like $2 for a 5lb bag of seeds.

I have no frame of reference for how reasonable that is, but it's more reasonable than $.25/5lb bag.

If 718g lasts a week, then that's 100g per day, or 3.5 ounces of food per day. That's even less likely.

There are 1600 calories per pound of dried beans (https://modernsurvivalblog.com/survival-kitchen/calories-per...) 3.5 oz would contain 350 calories.

The average person needs 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day. No, this guy isn't living on 350 calories per day.

You're right about that. I add whatever vegetables and greens and fruit we have excess of, things from our farm share that my family doesn't like, and some things I buy for myself (beets, mainly). I add some olive oil, but am really trying to follow my doctor's advice about treating GERD and not have too much fat (I'm not opposed, otherwise, and would be thoroughly omnivorous if I didn't have this acid reflux. I've messed around with fasting but aside from occasional skipped meals and ending eating at least three hours before sleep I don't do that anymore).

This is a lot of bulk and water, so I can eat for a half-hour and feel full and hydrated for hours, but I do get hungry in the evenings when it's best I don't eat too much.

I could benefit from losing 10-20 pounds, but I'm holding steady eating like this, so I'm probably getting those 2,000 - 2,500 calories a day (I'm much less physically active than I used to be). Using smaller bowls, not snacking, and making meals more of a ritual rather than an indulgence might be helpful in reducing total consumption, slowly rather than precipitously. I do like the taste of these one-pot sprout-based meals, as it's a way to exercise control over my environment. That search for control may well be part of the problem.

My local grocery store sells a 4 pound bag of dried beans for $10 or so, which seems kind of high. Amazon basic beans are $1.50 a pound or so.

But he's buying bulk coop beans, so it's cheaper? All the bulk coop beans I can find online are actually more expensive, like $3-$5 a pound.

You're correct, I did my math wrong. It's more like $3/week.

I appreciate the math check. I was skeptical, double-checked my numbers, and checked again:

You're right, my math was wrong. I set up a dimensional-analysis grid thing from decades ago in physics class, and instead of 5lb on the top and bottom, I have 1lb being equivalent to 2260g, which makes the total cost for these ~3.5 cups of seeds per week about 3 USD.

The cheapest 5-lb bag is the brown lentils ($6). Wheat is $7, black beans $8, aszuki $12, garbanzo $13, and mung $14 per five-pound bag.

As someone generally turned off by sensationalism, I'm feeling rather hypocritical now...

How’re the farts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRSFa0wOXbE

I was expecting Blazing Saddles...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPIP9KXdmO0

Americans (maybe you aren't) seem to love to hate on e.g. Mexican and Indians for eating a diet high in beans. But what they don't realize is that your gut flora gets used to this and we bean eaters don't fart anymore than is biologically necessary. Americans seem to only occasionally eat beans and so the gut flora isn't used to it, leading to farts.

How long does it take to get used to beans?

Also, is there any recommended strategy? E.g. to gradually increase the portion size over some specific time?

I'd say less than a week of daily usage to get through the phase.

I guess that's where the Taco Bell jokes comes from that I never really understood. I think it's fair to say that Americans in general don't get enough fiber. I happen to eat probably more fiber than the average person due to dietary choices, and beans have never caused a problem. Lettuce on the other hand...

it's just comic hyperbole, it's not a reason to reduce a nation of people to tropes -- furthermore the question was framed towards someone who is switching to this diet with past gastro problems, no need for guessing national stereotypical beliefs given that there is sufficient context here to ask the question ; it probably isn't just blind comedy.

I don't think it fits with HN guidelines.

You got it in one.

Some guy in on HN telling people about his diet. There were no comments. Thought I might start a conversation because I found it interesting. Asked a question that I thought would surely be on the minds of others with an attempt at humour. Kept it short and sweet.

People have jumped in and started talking. I would do it again.

Yes, this change is a net increase in my fiber intake, which for most of my life had already been enough, I would guess (breakfast of rolled or steel-cut oats, big salads, beans and tortillas, almost all home-cooked meals with relatively fresh ingredients).

I had intended to include a note about farts being less of a problem than one might have thought, but I think I ran out of time.

Fair question. I fart more when I deviate from this diet, like if I eat a bunch of bread (hard to resist fresh bread, and my spouse likes to make it sometimes) or candy. I fart more when I'm stressed and/or eating too quickly or too much. On the best days I'm on top of things, not rushing meals, and the flatulence is negligible.

Interesting. I do think one of the most interesting things about diet is that so much of it is time. When we feel like we can dedicate ourselves to doing it right it's a lot better.

You might look into trying out fasting to induce autophagy on occasion as well. Try not to go at it too strong right out of the gate. Ease in, just some hours then a day at a time at first.

Fasting cured my persistent GERD where PPI couldn't. It sounds counterintuitive but drinking black coffee on an empty stomach does wonders for building resistance to acid.

I wonder if you were to start your days with an unripe banana if your GI problems would go away. Have you already tried that?

You can also try r/omad

Per my doctor's and general GERD advice, multiple small meals a day is better than one big one. I prepare the one big one in the morning and eat it throughout the day. There are enough ingredient options still on the list to enable variety.

This honestly doesn’t sound bad, since locally grown food has a lot more flavor in my experience

Like the carrots and apples and squash grown locally are totally different than the supermarket stuff

It took a few days to adjust to the lack of spices, which I hope to add back eventually, and it's been nice to notice tastes I hadn't before. This is only when I don't swamp it with kimchi (mine is more like sauerkraut- no peppers, but some fish oil) or seaweed, which tends to overpower the other tastes.

But you don't even lift.

I used to use Arch.