Microgreens

Microgreens: A Better Solution?

I’ve been experimenting lately with growing microgreens, which are essentially very small edible plants (like lettuce, radishes, beets, watercress, spinach, herbs and greens) that are harvested when they are very young instead of being allowed to grow to full size.

They carry many of the same benefits as sprouts, but since they are grown in soil under normal growing conditions, they don’t carry the risk for illness. This can be done indoors or outdoors and seeds that are normally sprouted can just as easily be grown as microgreens and still contain the extra nutrients:

The researchers looked at four groups of vitamins and other phytochemicals – including vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene — in 25 varieties of microgreens. They found that leaves from almost all of the microgreens had four to six times more nutrients than the mature leaves of the same plant. But there was variation among them – red cabbage was highest in vitamin C, for instance, while the green daikon radish microgreens had the most vitamin E. (9)

While sprouts are germinated and grown in just water, microgreens are grown in soil with sunlight or a grow light and contain higher levels of certain nutrients. They are also incredibly easy to grow and I grow them in our kitchen with a simple seed tray and grow light.

Some seeds, like chia and flax, are easier to grow as microgreens than as sprouts.

Source:http://wellnessmama.com/36654/benefits-of-sprouts/