The Nutritional Facts Of Bean Sprouts

Budding vegetable seeds produce sprouts. Some, but not all sprouts are low in calories. They vary in taste from spicy to subtle and in texture from hardy to delicate. Fresh sprouts have moist, white roots and a crispy sprout head. For maximum benefit, sprouts should be used soon after harvest, although some retain nutritional quality for several months if frozen.

Calories

In general, sprouts from seeds that produce vegetables are much lower in calories than sprouts from seeds that produce grains or beans. For example, alfalfa sprouts and radish sprouts contain about 10 to 20 calories for a full cup of sprouts while wheat sprouts contain a whopping 214 calories per cup. Mung bean sprouts contain about 26 calories per cup, while soybean sprouts contain 86 calories per cup.

Protein

Soybean sprouts contain 9 g of protein per cup while mung bean sprouts contain 2.5 g of protein per cup. Kidney bean, navy bean and pinto bean sprouts all contain roughly 5 to 7 g of protein per cup. These values are comparable to the range of protein found in non-bean sprouts, such as wheat sprouts, which contain 8 g of protein per cup and alfalfa sprouts, which contain about 1.3 g of protein per cup. The average adult requires about 50 g of protein per day.

Fiber

Bean sprouts contain a small amount of fiber. For example, mung bean and soybean sprouts contain about 3 to 4 percent of your daily fiber requirements per cup, respectively. Some non-bean sprouts, like wheat sprouts, contain similar amounts, about 4 percent of your daily recommended value per cup, while others, such as radishes do not contain a significant amount of fiber. Fiber helps prevent or relieve symptoms of constipation or irregular stools and can also help lower blood cholesterol and sugar levels.

Iron

Some bean sprouts, such as soybean, navy bean and pinto bean sprouts contain a significant amount of iron, about 11 percent of your daily recommended value, about 2 mg per cup. Others, such as kidney bean sprouts contain about 8 percent of your daily recommended value per cup, while 1 cup of mung bean sprouts contains about 4 percent of your daily recommended value or a little less than 1 g. Iron helps your blood transport oxygen throughout your body, a deficiency of which may cause anemia, leaving you tired, weak and pale.

Vitamin C

Many bean sprouts contain a significant amount of vitamin C. For example, 1 cup of mung bean sprouts contains about 23 percent of your daily recommended amount and 1 cup of soybean sprouts contains about 17 percent. Navy beans and pinto bean sprouts contain about 33 to 36 percent of your daily recommended amount of vitamin C per cup, respectively. One cup of kidney bean sprouts contain 119 percent of your daily recommended vitamin C intake.