Why Sprouted

Grains have fed people for thousands of years. Traditional cultures soaked, fermented and sprouted them as a matter of course, not because they understood the science, but because they felt the difference. The grain, properly prepared, was genuinely nourishing. Industrial food production stripped that out. The result is now people eat grains their bodies were never designed to handle. Some have concluded that grains themselves are the problem. We don't think that's right. We think the problem is what happened to them. Here's what we mean.

What conventional oat processing actually does.

Before conventional oats reach your bowl, they are kilned. Exposed to high heat as part of the drying process, this is standard industry practice. It extends shelf life and makes oats easier to process. It also deactivates enzymes, including phytase. Phytase is the naturally occurring enzyme in oats responsible for breaking down phytic acid, an anti-nutrient found in all grains, seeds, and legumes. Without active phytase, phytic acid remains intact throughout digestion.

What phytic acid actually does.

Phytic acid binds to minerals in your digestive tract and carries them out of your body unabsorbed. Iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium. This is documented, peer-reviewed nutritional science. And it means that millions of people eating conventional oats every day are getting significantly less nutritional value from them than they think.

What sprouting does.

Sprouting is the process of germinating a grain before it's processed. As the seed wakes, its phytase activates and begins breaking down phytic acid before it ever reaches your bowl. Independent research at Queen's University Belfast found that sprouting can reduce phytic acid by up to 60%, leaving more of the minerals free and bioavailable.

As a grain sprouts, it burns through some of its own carbohydrate to fuel germination. This is why sprouted grains often carry a lower carbohydrate and proportionally higher protein content than their unsprouted counterparts, not because protein is added, but because the balance shifts. It's one of the quieter changes germination brings.

What sprouting does to your gut.

A 2025 peer-reviewed study found that germinated oats reduce gut inflammation and increase levels of beneficial phytochemicals in the digestive tract. Part of this is the phytic acid reduction. Antinutrients are hard on the gut lining, and removing them means less work for your digestive system. Part of it is structural: germination begins breaking the grain down before it ever reaches you, making it easier to digest than its conventional counterpart.

It starts with the water.

Sprouting is a biological process. What the grain is immersed in during those critical hours matters.

Tap water in the UK contains chlorine, added deliberately to kill microorganisms. Useful for a water supply. Less useful when you are trying to cultivate the precise biological activity that makes sprouting work.

We filter our water. It is one of the smallest details in our process and one of the most important. Everything that touches the grain matters.

Sources

Elliott, H., Woods, P., Green, B.D., & Nugent, A.P. (2022). Can sprouting reduce phytate and improve the nutritional composition and nutrient bioaccessibility in cereals and legumes? Nutrition Bulletin, 47(2), 138–156. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nbu.12549

Lee, P.S., Hu, J., & Sang, S. (2025). Phytochemical-Rich Germinated Oats as a Novel Functional Food To Attenuate Gut Inflammation.Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12203580/

You've read the research. Now try the oats.

Organic. Sprouted. Gluten Free. Home Compostable. Made in Devon.

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