BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS

IT’S TIME TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNITY WITH HIGH LEVELS OF VITAMIN C AND PHYTONUTRIENTS. OUR LATEST SPECIAL EDITION OVERFLOWS WITH DELICIOUS INSPIRATION ON GROWING VEGGIES TO DO JUST THAT

Microgreens on the menu

AUTUMNAL DAYS might cool off the appetite for gardening but the desire for fresh and healthy greens doesn’t fade with the warmth. Our bodies need a good store of nutrients, especially vitamin C, to ward off the ill effects of colder temperatures. It’s time to get growing microgreens and preserving the citrus harvest.

Pots of colourful sprouting microgreens on the kitchen bench are not only cheering when it turns grey outdoors but reputed to be the smartest things for boosting health and the immune system.

ThisNZlife.co.nz writer Jenny Somervell reports that microgreens are health heros and there are four reasons why:

1 Levels of vitamins and carotenoids in microgreens are five times higher than in mature plants according to the US Department of Agriculture.

2 Eating microgreens regularly might help with gastric problems and even assist in preventing stomach cancer as indicated by a pilot study at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

3 Brassicas such as broccoli, cabbage, mustard, rocket and kale have been linked to cancer prevention. The highest ranking were radish, daikon ( Japanese white radish) and broccoli.

4 The more intensely-coloured the green, the more nutritious it is (see more at thisNZlife.co.nz).