|
Alfalfa sprouts have been a trendy addition to salads and sandwiches for over 40 years but prior to its popularity as a health food, alfalfa was just a farm crop used for animal fodder.
There’s a form of alfalfa to satisfy any animal's taste: the horses love alfalfa hay. My spoiled cows love their alfalfa cubes and we always fed our rabbits alfalfa pellets.
In addition to added greens on the salad bar, humans also consume alfalfa as a tea made from the dried leaves or take powered alfalfa in capsules as a vitamin supplement.
|
|
|
Based on a 2000 calorie diet, one cup of alfalfa sprouts contains 13% the RDA for vitamin K, 5% for vitamin C and 1% for vitamin A as well as a number of B vitamins such as riboflavin, folate, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6. Alfalfa sprouts are also a source of omega fatty acids which help reduce risk factors for heart disease such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. For a plant, alfalfa is relatively high in protein and can be as much as 35% protein. Alfalfa also contains trace amounts of certain minerals such as copper, manganese, calcium, iron and zinc. Alfalfa sprouts are also, not surprisingly, high in fiber.
One very unique component of alfalfa is a compound called phytoestrogen which is a plant-derived estrogen. A Cornell University study reported that phytoestrogens may have the same effects as estrogen at low dosages. Plant-based estrogenic-foods, like alfalfa sprouts, soy products and flax are sometimes recommended to menopausal women to reduce hot flashes.
And just like a late night TV infomercial…But wait! There’s more!
Since alfalfa is a member of the pea family it can take nitrogen out of the air and make it available to plants thus reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer. Used as a cover crop and plowed into the soil, alfalfa improves the fertility of soil. Another amazing feature of alfalfa is that the roots can go more than 49 feet below the surface breaking up compacted soil and making it drought resistant. That’s nearly as deep as a five-story building is tall. They don’t really know how far down the roots can go because it’s pretty hard to dig down any deeper just to examine roots.
Since alfalfa is a member of the pea family it can take nitrogen out of the air and make it available to plants thus reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer. Used as a cover crop and plowed into the soil, alfalfa improves the fertility of soil. Another amazing feature of alfalfa is that the roots can go more than 49 feet below the surface breaking up compacted soil and making it drought resistant. That’s nearly as deep as a five-story building is tall. They don’t really know how far down the roots can go because it’s pretty hard to dig down any deeper just to examine roots.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for human consumption of the alfalfa sprouts. In the mid to late 1990s following an outbreak of salmonella and E. coli infections the USDA issued a warning about eating raw sprouts. The contamination was eventually traced back to a single source of seeds harvested in Idaho and the threat eliminated. The sprouts and seeds themselves were not dangerous, just those from one particular harvest.
Since then safety regulations have been put in place to insure that the seeds are carefully tested and handled so that alfalfa sprouts from reliable sources are not only perfectly safe but extremely nutritious. Not to mention, tasty.
Since then safety regulations have been put in place to insure that the seeds are carefully tested and handled so that alfalfa sprouts from reliable sources are not only perfectly safe but extremely nutritious. Not to mention, tasty.
And here’s an interesting tidbit of trivia. Alfalfa is one of those cool words that can be written in a circle. The letters repeat consistently. I just thought you might want to know that in case you need to start a conversation at a party sometime.
And speaking of parties, one of the most exclusive gatherings in America is the Alfalfa Club which meets once a year in Washington, D.C. Among the 200 members are politicians (Chief Justice John Roberts, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Colin Powell, for example) as well as wealthy businessmen such as Warren Buffet, Steve Case, cofounder of AOL, and Bill Marriot. Membership is by invitation only and new members (“sprouts”) are only added when a standing member dies.
Founded in 1913, after 101 years women were finally admitted in 1994, the first being Sandra Day O’Connor, Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, and Elizabeth Dole, a former cabinet secretary. Traditionally, the current president also attends though it is generally an off-the-record, non-political event. |
|
|
|
