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What illness can you get from sprouts?

Sprouts grow best in warm, humid conditions, which can also lead to the growth of germs; when they are eaten raw (as they often are, especially in sprouts sandwiches), it can lead to food poisoning from Salmonella, E. coli, or Listeria.

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When it comes to food safety, there's a lot of confusion out there surrounding which foods can and can't cause foodborne illnesses. Usually, we picture meat or eggs--especially the latter for Salmonella—but plenty of other foods can cause foodborne illnesses. Think potato salad, some fruits, and, surprisingly, raw sprouts.

What Sprouts Cause Food Poisoning?

In fact, the CDC includes raw alfalfa and bean sprouts among the foods most likely to cause food poisoning, and sprouts have been investigated as the source of past foodborne outbreaks of Salmonella and E. coli.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services's FoodSafety.gov., a contaminated sprout–caused outbreak occurred every year between 1995 and 2011. They were first recognized as a potential source of food poisoning during the mid-1990s and have caused several outbreaks since—30 between 1998 and 2011 alone. We know sprouts have a history of involvement in foodborne outbreaks, but what makes these seemingly benign garnishes so potentially dangerous?

Why Are Sprouts Dangerous?

Sprouts grow best in warm, humid conditions, which can also lead to the growth of germs; when they are eaten raw (as they often are, especially in sprouts sandwiches), it can lead to food poisoning from Salmonella, E. coli, or Listeria. Cooking sprouts thoroughly can kill any harmful germs, reducing the chance of food poisoning, though sprouts are rarely served that way. Plus, "Contamination in these cases generally tends to come from the seeds," says Travers Anderson, R&D Group Manager at Clorox. According to Anderson, sprouts are grown hydroponically in clear water with seeds brought in from fields. If the seeds are contaminated, the sprouts grown from them will be contaminated, too (yes, even if you grow your own sprouts at home from purchased seeds).

What can be done about this common cause of foodborne illness?

How to Prevent Food Poisoning

First, Clorox is working with the EPA to develop a protocol for treating alfalfa sprout contamination by sanitizing seeds in a dilute bleach solution before rinsing them with water and using them to grow sprouts. This can help prevent the growth of potentially contaminated sprouts. If you're still concerned, there's an easy step you can take at home, as well. "You can create a very dilute bleach solution for rinsing your fruits, your veggies, your sprouts, anything like that," Anderson says. "You can look on [a Clorox bleach] label and find the instructions for how to do that." If you choose to play it safe with your raw sprouts, you're not the only one—dilute bleach solutions are often used to sanitize fruits and vegetables. "It's a practice that's used all through the agriculture industry to make sure your food is safe," says Naymesh Patel, vice president of R&D at Clorox. If you're dining out and concerned about the potential risk of getting sick (which is unlikely but possible), carefully consider what you're ordering. If you're immunocompromised or especially cautious, you might want to order something else.

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Can sprouts boost immune system?

Along with boosting immune function, broccoli sprouts are also loaded with antioxidants, such as glucoraphanin, that help your body fight illnesses and prevent cancer.

There are countless recipes circulating the internet that center around broccoli. Sure, broccoli has a lot of wonderful health benefits. But broccoli sprouts, the young form of the common cruciferous vegetable, are even more impressive in many ways. Broccoli sprouts are typically only a few days old and their seeds have only just begun to germinate. Despite being young, these little greens boast numerous powerful properties. The most relevant benefit of broccoli sprouts is their ability to enhance immune function. They contain sulforaphane – a natural bioactive compound that helps to activate the immune system against viruses. In a clinical study conducted in 2016, subjects were given a flu vaccine and half of the subjects were given a broccoli sprout shake to drink each day. Those who drank the shake proved to have more effective immune protection against viruses. Along with boosting immune function, broccoli sprouts are also loaded with antioxidants, such as glucoraphanin, that help your body fight illnesses and prevent cancer. Broccoli sprouts are significantly more effective in protecting the body against cancer than mature broccoli. The compounds within these impressive sprouts can also help to balance hormones, improve insulin resistance, reduce symptoms of PMS, support digestion, and may even restore a brain chemistry imbalance linked to schizophrenia. I recommend adding raw sprouts to smoothies or using them to top salads and avocado toast, because they lose nutritional quality when they are cooked.

Broccoli Sprout Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup almond or soy milk (or other dairy or nondairy milk of choice)

1/2 banana

1/2 cup frozen mango chunks

1 handful broccoli sprouts (about 1/2 cup)

1 cup spinach

1 tsp chia seeds

Directions: Add all ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth

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