Are sprouted lentils safe to eat during pregnancy? Raw vegans please!?

Question

I am about 5 and a half months pregnant and only eating about 30% raw right now, but I want to start sprouting my lentils instead of cooking them. I read that alfalfa sprouts aren't safe to eat during pregnancy and I was wondering if that applies to ALL sprouted grains and beans, or just certain kinds. Also, why exactly aren't they safe to eat? Is it paranoia, or is there an actual reason?

Answer 1

Alfalfa sprout seeds contain canavanine, which is toxic to human beings in large quantities. A mature alfalfa plant doesn't have canavanine, but sprouts do. They've been linked to immune system suppression, lupus and other diseases.  Of course, you'd have to eat a heck of a lot of alfalfa to hurt your grown mammal self, but when you're carrying a tiny fetus, a much smaller amount might be enough to affect it.

It's far from just paranoia, it's just another one of those "just to be safe" things that you should be avoiding in pregnancy, along with a host of other things, including showering in very hot water and letting the very hot water pour on your pregnant belly - I didn't know that either, I'm one of those scalding showers people, but around 3 months pregnant my doctor set me straight.

Don't worry about lentil sprouts, I have never heard about canavanine being in them, but just in case, you might want to search other dietary sources of canavanine, as I haven't read much about it since A-school for medicine in the military! :D

Thank goodness for all these little things that are discovered along the way, by knowing and understanding more about our bodies, we can all have safer, happier pregnancies. Happy delivery and hope you have a healthy, happy baby! :)