On top of greens and fruit, I enjoy home-grown sprouts as a component of my diet. Usually I do alfalfa, but that's 'cause I'm boring and lazy. There are so many things you can sprout, from pumpkin and sesame seeds to chickpeas! They are SO EASY to grow, fun to watch, super cheap, and crazy-healthy.
You probably know a little about enzymes - they are in raw foods and help with digestion. Sprouts are one of the most enzyme-rich foods out there because they are little babies! They have just converted themselves into a totally new being and are teeming with new life. I suggest you do a little research to see what I'm talking about. I quickly found this page. But I've read many a book that praise the health benefits of home-made sprouts. Ann Wigmore was one of the first sprout advocators, and so are many other leading authorities on raw food nutrition. Just look for yourself on the internet or buy/borrow any raw food book.
These are alfalfa sprouts, I've eaten most of them already =)
You can put sprouts in virtually everything (except maybe desserts), even if you're not raw, vegan or veggie. They're great is salads, sushi, with noodles or soups... everything! I need to finish my math homework and start writing a philosophy paper, so I'll just direct you to this site, where I found some basic sprouting instructions. If you want my own directions on sprouting, just ask =)
Soaking is also an important step before eating other nuts or seeds, as it neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors present in them. I think of it this way: in nature, the seeds/nuts won't be able to start growing a new plant until they soak up some moisture in the soil from the rain. So until you soak and/or sprout, they aren't technically living foods yet.
