10 Quick Questions with Sprout Legend Doug Evans

Doug Evans is an entrepreneur, author, and raw vegan of 21 years.

He recently released his epic book The Sprout Book which contains recipes, advice, and his writing on the wonders of sprouts and sprouting.

We were lucky enough to be able to chat with Doug about his journey and the amazing benefits of Sprouts!

Below the questions, we have a link to his book for those who find themselves inspired to sprout. (we certainly were after our chat with Doug!)

Enjoy!

10 Quick Questions with Doug Evans

1. What was your tipping point for going vegan?

Ok, so the tipping point for going vegan was that my mum died of cancer, my aunt got diabetes and they chopped off her feet below her ankles. My father died of heart disease, my uncle died of heart disease, and my brother had the first of three strokes and a heart attack and diabetes.

So for me, the wake-up call was the question “was I genetically cursed” or was this lifestyle? When I found out it was lifestyle, I went from eating anything from street food, meat, and animal products, dairy to vegetarian, then vegan, then raw vegan in a two-week period. That was 21 years ago.

2. The documentary or book everyone should read on veganism is …

A documentary or a book everyone should read on veganism is Earthlings, it’s a great movie for people to see, I also think Game Changers is really exciting.

I don’t know if the Chinese Study is still relevant but I found it really compelling.

3. How long have you been sprouting for?

I’ve been sprouting for over 25 years.

4. How many different types of sprouts do you personally grow at once?

I’m usually growing sunflower sprouts, broccoli sprouts, peas,  lentils, azuki, and usually trying something different whether it’s amaranth or chia or arugula.

5. How do you store your sprouts once they’re ready?

Once they’re ready I let them dry off for a full half-day or overnight so that we’re eliminating some of the moisture and then I store them in the refrigerator in a vessel that can get air, not in a sealed container.

6. How soon do you need to consume sprouts before they are not okay to eat?

If they look good, feel and look fresh, they are crunchy, and they don’t smell then they are good to eat. It’s hard to put a specific timeline, but generally, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be sprouting small amounts and then eating them as you need. The vessels and the sprouting equipment is cheap enough to do so I wouldn’t be sprouting long term.

If you are sprouting things like broccoli sprouts you can freeze them and then just pull them out of the freezer as you need to if you have extra doses.

7. If I have a small apartment is it easy to grow my own sprouts? Can anyone start?

Yes! You can grow sprouts in less than 1 square foot of countertop space you can have a massive serving for at least once or twice a day for one or two people using less than 1 square foot.

8. What are (roughly) the starting costs for getting set up in at home sprouting?

$25 bucks max but you could probably do it for a bit less.
(Doug is in the US so this will be different in different countries)

9. What is the one sprout you recommend everyone begins their sprout journey with?

The one sprout I recommend everyone starts their journey with, I would say is broccoli sprouts.

10. Why are sprouts the ultimate superfood?

Basically sprouts are vegetables and vegetables are good for you. There are certain sprouts that are part of the cruciferous family of vegetables which are known to have anti-cancer and other healing properties.

Basically whilst the sprout is in the small state it has the most concentration of the minerals, compounds, and vitamins that they will have so the stage between being a seed and being the mature vegetable to go into the garden is the sprouting stage and that’s the stage where everything is the most potent most bioavailable and lowest cost.

So you don’t need this exotic Peruvian, Mexican or Chinese herb, sprouts are the ultimate superfood because they are local and they’re available and accessible, and they’re based on familiar vegetables that we have all had access to.

Conclusion

You need to be sprouting and you need to listen to Doug! Thank you so much for sharing Doug and we are sure our community will be keen to begin their own journey too.

To learn more be sure to pick up a copy of Doug’s book today.

Otherwise, be sure to follow Doug on Twitter & Instagram to get all the latest in sprouts and vegan living.

Until next time!

LGV!