Improving your health is a little like improving your bank account: you just need a little more green. Luckily, adding green to your diet is usually much easier than adding green to your wallet. Consider microgreens. These miniature vegetables, typically reserved for garnishes, are packed with nutrients that support a healthy body.
We’ll help you learn what they are, discover their benefits, and give you a pro tip on adding these benefits to your diet without ever harvesting, cleaning, cutting, or dicing a single vegetable.
What Are Microgreens?
You know your greens (collards, mustard greens, spinach, and kale), but do you know your microgreens? These are a type of greens that are harvested earlier than mature vegetables. Microgreens are the baby leaves of fully-grown greens.
Usually picked about 10 days past the cotyledon stage, these greens are young, tender, and more nutrient dense than their fully-grown counterparts.
Many vegetable varieties are used as types of microgreens, including:
- Radish microgreens
- Arugula
- Collard greens
- Spinach greens
- Red cabbage microgreens
- Broccoli microgreens
- Kale microgreens
These greens are typically more expensive because it takes more to produce them. Growing microgreens requires a lot of turnover and fresh soil, and a close watch on the germination process so the leaves can be harvested at the perfect time.
How Are Microgreens Different From Other Greens?
The biggest difference between microgreens and mature vegetables is their size and nutrient content. There’s also a different, more concentrated flavor in microgreens than in fully mature plants or baby greens (like baby spinach).
What Are Some Examples of Microgreens?
In addition to the different greens above, certain microgreens are grown specifically to be harvested early. In other words, you’ll rarely see these as fully grown options.
These include:
- Chia seed sprouts
- Pea shoots
- Sorrel
- Cilantro
- Parsley
- Amaranth
- Daikon radish
- Watercress
- Fennel
Many of these greens develop a bitter flavor as they grow, which is why it’s rare to see their mature counterparts at the grocery store.
How Do You Grow Microgreens?
Growing microgreens isn’t as easy as growing outdoor plants. It requires careful measurement, proper soil, the right amount of sunlight, and a careful eye to determine when the greens are ready for harvest.
While there is certainly a sense of pride that comes along with growing your own microgreens, remember that it’s a process and a living thing. If you don’t have the time to grow your greens and regrow them every 10 or so days, you may find it hard to succeed.
What Are the Benefits of Microgreens?
With all the attention they get, they must be incredibly nutritious, and they are. Microgreens have a more concentrated level of vitamins and nutrients, which makes them a superfood.
Provide Digestive Support
There’s a reason why older adults talk a lot about their regularity. As we age, digestion slows. Bloating, indigestion, and constipation can become a part of everyday life. Healthy digestion requires the right amount of nutrients that support our digestive tract and gut flora.
Microgreens contain quite a bit of dietary fiber, but it’s important to note that you need to consume a full serving of them to get the fiber content. So if you think you’ll help improve digestion by adding a parsley garnish to your dish, think again. You’ll need at least a cup of packed microgreens to get these benefits.
Support Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
The fiber content inside microgreens also helps support healthy blood sugar levels. When we eat food, it’s quickly broken down in the bloodstream as glucose to help fuel our cells with energy. Because microgreens contain fiber, that process slows, helping prevent a sudden spike in blood sugar that could cause a crash later and leave you tired.
Some microgreens have even been shown to help support the proper uptake of glucose in your blood, an important part of keeping you healthy and protecting you from a condition known as insulin resistance.
Heart-Healthy
The minerals contained in microgreens can also provide heart-healthy benefits. Microgreens contain iron and antioxidants, which support heart health. Many microgreens also contain carotenoids, which can help support healthy cholesterol levels.
Rich in Key Minerals
Mineral intake is essential to your body, and microgreens have a high nutritional content of minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium. Your body uses these minerals to support new tissue growth, the creation of hormones, and the vital processes necessary to keep it functioning properly.
High in Antioxidants
Antioxidants are commonly found in vitamin form in vegetables, like vitamin C and vitamin A. These can help support cell health during exposure to free radicals, which can cause oxidative stress.
Free radicals can attack healthy cells and damage their DNA. Our bodies produce free radicals in response to external stressors like UV rays, cigarette smoke, and pollution.
How Much Microgreens Does it Take To Notice Benefits?
They’re little and nutritious, but it’s important to realize it takes a lot of them to gain the health benefits you want. That’s why it’s a good idea to try to add them to as many of your meals as possible.
Consider:
- Adding them to your sandwich, wrap, or pita
- Using them in place of, or along with, regular salad leaves
- Blending them into your favorite smoothie
- Adding a few handfuls to a soup or stew
You’ll generally need at least a cup of them regularly to get the full nutritional value they offer. The daily recommended intake of leafy green vegetables is two or three cups per day, but because microgreens are expensive, that may make them less beneficial.
Luckily, there’s a hack.
Using Greens Powder for Greens Benefit
We all have good intentions about eating our greens, but our lives are busy, and food preparation can take time we don’t have. If you’re looking for the nutritional benefits of microgreens without the preparation or the issue of having to consume so much, try a greens powder.
L’Evate You Vitality Daily Greens gives you all the benefits you want and additional health and wellness benefits you probably weren’t expecting.
- Greens blend. Our greens blend contains over 30 superfoods and nine greens in every scoop. That’s like having your very own microgreens garden without any dirt, digging, weeding, or waiting.
- Digestive blend. You’ll get the benefit of insoluble fiber from the green veggies, but we also load up our greens powder with a probiotic and prebiotic, so you can support your healthy gut flora and enjoy increased regularity and even more balanced immunity.
- M-Charge Complex. Your energy levels might be sinking, but you can help boost them back up. Our greens powder is formulated with plant-based ingredients to help support your cells’ mitochondrial function. Healthier mitochondria lead to a healthier, more energetic you.
- Antioxidants. We believe in supporting every cell in your body. That’s why our antioxidant blend is so effective. You’ll find it loaded with plant-based antioxidants that help prevent your cells from premature aging.
- Mushroom blend. To help support healthy cholesterol and sodium levels, we provide a mushroom blend that does the work naturally. It also supports a healthy mood and cognitive function, so you can feel sharper and think more clearly.
The best part? All it takes to get these benefits is a single scoop of powder. You can easily add it to water, a smoothie, your favorite drink, yogurt, or oats. Getting the health benefits you want from greens has never been easier.
The Bottom Line
Microgreens are small, early-harvested versions of some mature vegetables. These vegetables are small and filled with nutrients. They also have a bolder flavor than their fully-grown versions. You can enjoy the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients included in microgreens by adding them to your favorite meals and snacks.
Just remember that microgreens require more consumption to reach the nutrient levels you need. You’ll need to consume more of them to get the benefits. If that seems too complicated (or like too many sprouts), take the smarter option. A greens powder helps you get all the benefits you need with the convenience of an easy-to-use powder.
You need green, and we’ve got it. Let L’Evate You boost your greens and help your body thrive.
Sources:
The ABCs of Microgreens | Pennsylvania State University
A Step-By-Step Guide for Growing Microgreens at Home | Pennsylvania State University