Monday, January 24, 2011

Mung Bean Sprouts


During the conditioning for breeding phase, about once a week I like to feed my canaries some sprouted mung beans (aka bean sprouts).

Mung beans, grown in Thailand and readily available at Asian grocery stores, are soaked over night and rinsed daily until they sprout. They offer not only pure forms of vitamins A, B, C and E but also assorted minerals like calcium, iron, and potassium. They are easily digestible and contain a high concentration of enzymes facilitating digestion. Like soybeans and flax seed, they contain phytosterols, hormonally active plant estrogen, which I have found helps canaries develop full breeding condition.

See comment below: "Has anyone sprouted and fed canaries any of the other different beans available"?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Linda,

I too am a great fan of Mung Beans. They are included in the Versele Laga germination mix which I use, butI buy extra small organic (don't know what differance that makes!!) Mung Beans and add extra to the mix as the CHICKS GET OLDER. I find most hens love them and they go for them in preference to any other seed.

BY THE WAY..

I seen several other types of beans in my local Health food store the other day and was wondering if they would be suitable for feeding to Canaries in sprouted form. Has anyone else tried different types of beans?

Anonymous said...

Hi Linda,
Beans are especially high in lysin, all of them. Also high in protein, but don't forget the protein enzyme blockers in them, so they have to be coocked or sprouted. Peas, even more then mung beans are rich in arginin, an amino acid being related to fertility, especially when obesity comes around.
good luck!
Christel