Food focus: Microgreens

They may be micro, but they’re mighty! Here’ s why these tiny greens will super charge your diet

Microgreens are basically the seedlings of vegetables and herbs, but do not get them confused with sprouts. Sprouts are when the seeds of the chosen herb or vegetable are soaked in water for a few days and you start to get a stem, or sprout, growing. This is when they can then be eaten. Microgreens on the other hand are left to grow for longer, anywhere between one to three weeks, and are ready when they get the green shoots at the top – think back to school and cress egg-heads!

Once confined to Michelinstarred restaurants to add flavour and garnish, microgreens are increasingly found in supermarkets and health food shops, but they are relatively easy to grow at home too. Some of the popular microgreens include mustard cress, coriander, basil and pea, and the flavours vary from mild to peppery and spicy.

Some microgreens do have more health benefits than others, and research still needs to be done on what these all are, but either way they have a real nutritional clout and are an easy way to get a super-shot of greens in your diet.

They may be small but they are mighty, and they actually have a higher concentration of nutrients than when they are fully grown. On the whole, they generally provide vitamins A,C, E and K and are also a rich source of those all-important free-radicalpunching antioxidants that we need so many of, increasingly so if you exercise outside, near roads or in cities, as we need antioxidants to combat the toxins caused by pollution. In fact, they are often referred to as a functional food because of their high antioxidant status: a food that promotes health or prevents disease.

Microgreens also contain enzymes. The body naturally contains enzymes as these are what help us to break down protein, carbs and fat in the stomach, so the presence of these means that microgreens are less likely to cause bloating.

Adding microgreens to your diet is an easy way to get lots of the health benefits from eating vegetables but in a condensed version. Long-term, these will help reduce your risk of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, and short-term can help you get glowing skin, more energy and manage weight if consumed as part of a healthy diet.

They generally provide vitamins A,C, E and K and are also a rich source of antioxidants