November 18, 2021

Doug Evans, my guest on today's podcast, is an early pioneer in the natural food industry, and he happened to have written The Sprout Book. In 2002, he co-founded Organic Avenue, one of the first exclusively organic plant-based retail chains in the country. He then created and founded Juicero, the first fresh, farm to glass automatic cold-press juicer, with the mission of bringing more fresh produce to the home.

Doug Evans lives in the Mojave Desert at Wonder Valley Hot Springs. Doug Evans wrote The Sprout Book in an effort to teach people about the power of sprouts and has written a transformative plan for sprouting. He's revolutionizing gardening and growing your own food right in your kitchen in an affordable and accessible way. His mission in life is to help people learn how to grow and eat the most nutritious food on the planet…sprouts.

Among the mind-blowing nutritional qualities of sprouts:

• They have 20-30 times the nutrients of other vegetables and 100 times those of meat
• They pack cancer-fighting properties and help to protect us from cardiovascular disease and environmental pollutants
• They aid in digestion
• They are a simple way to grow your own vegetables and are compatible with all diets

The forty recipes inside his book feature sprouts on top of raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, spices, sea vegetables, and top-quality cold-pressed vegetable oils for the healthiest diet possible.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-Doug Evans' personal history…08:25

• Moved to the Mojave Desert about 3 years prior to this interview being recorded
• Growing consumable foods in the desert will take a very long time
• Never sprouted for meals; always as a garnish
• Within one month, the majority of calories were consumed via sprouts grown in a small box
• “Digestion begins with the eyes”
• Microbiome shifted so that sprouts could be digested more efficiently
• Viome
• Gutbio

-How sprouts differ from other plants regarding plant-defense mechanisms…14:30

• The Plant Paradox by Steven Gundry
• Podcast with Steven Gundry:
  • The Truth About Lectins And The Plant Paradox By Dr. Steven Gundry
• The Carnivore Code by Paul Saladino
• Podcasts with Paul Saladino:
  • Carnivore Diet Myths Debunked, Hard Questions About Meat Vs. Plants, Are Broccoli Sprouts Really Bad For You & Much More With Dr. Paul Saladino.
  • The Toxicity Of Plants, Carnivore For Athletes, Does Meat Cause Acidity, The “Game Changers” Debate & Much More With Dr. Paul Saladino.
  • Carnivore Diet, Cleaning Out Your Colon, Eating Brains, Hunting Zebras & Much More With Paul Saladino.
  • The Truth About The Carnivore Diet: Everything You Need To Know About Dangers, Benefits, Mistakes & Hacks For Eating Only Meat.
• Podcast with Dr. Rhonda Patrick:
  • Everything You Need To Know About How To Use Heat Exposure To Enhance Performance, Burn Fat, Gain Muscle And Think Better.
• The soaking process initiates the germination process; removes the enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid
• Find high-germination seeds

-The sprouting process explained…17:15

• All plants naturally want to reproduce just like animals
• One seed has the potential to grow into an entire plant such as broccoli
• Acids in the nutritional process remove the enzymes and prepare the seed for germination
• Sprouting is simulating the reproduction process of particular plants
• Sprouting jars with metal screens  are best to strain the sprouted plants
• Sprouting stand
• Rinse them again, invert the jar so the extra water can drain, and still have airflow into the jar
• Alfalfa vs. alfalfa sprouts are a dramatic contrast in edibility and digestibility
• Much more digestible than seeds
• Sprouts don't have sulforaphane by themselves; it's activated when you chew or grind them

-The immediate results of Doug Evans' sprouting practice…31:50

• Expected to be weakened, but became the strongest version of himself
• Sprout safety became a concern
• Didn't discover anything; necessity became the mother of invention
• Realized sprouting could make up the majority of his veggie diet
• Produce in the grocery store is often weeks, even months old when you purchase
• Every single sprout contains every amino acid needed to form a protein
• One cup of garbanzo is 25g of protein and 150 calories
• Many leading nutrition experts are fans of sprouts
• Growing a pound of sprouts using less than a gallon of water
• Water utilization is a priority in the desert
• Yield 10 cups of food from one cup of seeds
• Sulforaphane:
  • Anti-cancer properties
  • Reduce inflammation of the heart
  • Create heat shock protein in the brain that reduces symptoms of autism
  • Reduce fasting blood sugar levels to improve Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)
• SuperLife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome by Darin Olien
• Podcast with Darin Olien:
  • How To Biohack Your Morning Routine, The Surprising Compounds That Destroy Stem Cells, The Tastiest Nut Butter On The Face Of The Planet & Much More!
  • The Indiana Jones Of Superfoods: Stem Cells, Air-To-Water Machines, Coffeefruit & More With Darin Olien.
• Down To Earth With Zac Efron And Darin Olien on Netflix

-Logistical questions about sprouting answered…42:10

• Everything you put in your mouth is risky
• Put bleach in the water to get mold or mycotoxins get cleaned off the seeds (be sure to rinse off before eating)
• Podcast with Ann Louise Gittleman:
  • Radical Metabolism: How To Cleanse Your Gallbladder, Increase Your Metabolism, Burn More Fat Without Exercise & Much More!, with Ann Louise Gittleman.
• Seeds are tested in batches for bacteria and pathogens
• Sprouts, shoots, microgreens are all labels
• Microgreen is grown on a tray, shoots up, has a sprouting medium (soil, paper towels, etc.)
• Shoots are similar to microgreens, except harvest before leaves appear
• Start with sprouts, move on to microgreens, and shoots with time
• Roots are a great source of nutrients
• Podcasts with Thomas Cowan:
  • Why The War On Cancer Has Failed & What You Can Do About It: Mistletoe, NAD, Deuterium Depleted Water, Melatonin, Gerson Therapy & Beyond!
  • The Shocking Story Of Vaccines, The Toxicity Of Ultrasounds, Why You Shouldn’t Play With Your Child & Much More With Dr. Thomas Cowan
  • Why Your Heart Is Not A Pump (& What Most Doctors Don’t Know About The True Cause Of Heart Disease).
  • How (& Why) To Eat More Vegetables, Why A Plant Is Like An Upside-Down Human, Little-Known Superfood Plants & More!
• Dr. Cowan's Garden (use code BEN to save 15%)
• Writings by Rudolf Steiner

-How to obtain the best seeds for sprouting…52:25

• The best supplier today may not be the best tomorrow
• The Sprout Book has the latest info on the best suppliers
• Sproutman
• True Leaf Market
• Sprout House
• Look for specificity and traceability
• Look for levels of phytochemicals and antioxidants

-Technology that can simplify the sprouting process without compromising quality…56:15

• Testing showed 100% of samples had yeast present
• Molds are ever-present
• Hacks and automation are handy, but are they addressing the above issues?
• Need water source, circulation, the right type of seeds
• Software and community to codify and centralize knowledge for the good of the consumer

-Why Doug Evans can't believe more people are not sprouting right now…1:03:30

• 10x the value if you do a bit of work
• Sprouting isn't mainstream because people get discouraged with the work involved
• Everything becomes easy when the demand hits a certain tipping point

-How to make the best hummus you've ever had in your own kitchen…1:07:30

• Garbanzo can be sprouted in 12 hours
• Garbanzo hummus recipe—blend for 1 minute:
  • 1 cup of garbanzo sprouts (8 oz.)
  • Pickles (3-4 oz.)
  • Brine (3 liquid oz.)
• This hummus can be used as a base; add any other sprouts in (lentils)
• Lentils can also sprout in 12 hours
  • Antioxidant levels in lentils double in 12 hours
  • Vitamin C content is tripled in 12 hours
  • Continuing for 3-4 days quadruples the fiber level

-And much more…

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Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources from this episode:

– Doug Evans:

• The Sprout Book

– Podcasts:

• The Truth About Lectins And The Plant Paradox By Dr. Steven Gundry
• Carnivore Diet Myths Debunked, Hard Questions About Meat Vs. Plants, Are Broccoli Sprouts Really Bad For You & Much More With Dr. Paul Saladino.
• The Toxicity Of Plants, Carnivore For Athletes, Does Meat Cause Acidity, The “Game Changers” Debate & Much More With Dr. Paul Saladino.
• Carnivore Diet, Cleaning Out Your Colon, Eating Brains, Hunting Zebras & Much More With Paul Saladino.
• The Truth About The Carnivore Diet: Everything You Need To Know About Dangers, Benefits, Mistakes & Hacks For Eating Only Meat, with Paul Saladino.
• Everything You Need To Know About How To Use Heat Exposure To Enhance Performance, Burn Fat, Gain Muscle And Think Better, with Dr. Rhonda Patrick.
• How To Biohack Your Morning Routine, The Surprising Compounds That Destroy Stem Cells, The Tastiest Nut Butter On The Face Of The Planet & Much More!, with Darin Olien.
• The Indiana Jones Of Superfoods: Stem Cells, Air-To-Water Machines, Coffeefruit & More With Darin Olien.
• Radical Metabolism: How To Cleanse Your Gallbladder, Increase Your Metabolism, Burn More Fat Without Exercise & Much More!, with Ann Louise Gittleman.
• Why The War On Cancer Has Failed & What You Can Do About It: Mistletoe, NAD, Deuterium Depleted Water, Melatonin, Gerson Therapy & Beyond! with Dr. Thomas Cowan.
• The Shocking Story Of Vaccines, The Toxicity Of Ultrasounds, Why You Shouldn’t Play With Your Child & Much More With Dr. Thomas Cowan.
• Why Your Heart Is Not A Pump (& What Most Doctors Don’t Know About The True Cause Of Heart Disease).
• How (& Why) To Eat More Vegetables, Why A Plant Is Like An Upside-Down Human, Little-Known Superfood Plants & More!, with Dr. Thomas Cowan

– Books:

• The Plant Paradox by Steven Gundry
• The Carnivore Code by Paul Saladino
• SuperLife by Darin Olien

– Other Resources:

• Sprouting Jar on Amazon
• Sprouting Stand on Amazon
• Sproutman
• True Leaf Market
• Sprout House
• Dr. Cowan's Garden (use code BEN to save 15%)
• Viome
• Gutbio
• Down To Earth With Zac Efron And Darin Olien on Netflix
• Rudolf Steiner

Link to sprouting jars, sprouting stands, etc. off Amazon

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Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Doug Evans or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!