What Are Microgreens?

Microgreens are tender young vegetables and herbs that are grown from seed and then clipped at the stem and eaten fresh within 1 to 3 weeks of planting. Microgreens feature the first set of "true" leaves of the plant (versus the "false" leaves that appear right after germination). If you gave them more time, space, and nutrients, microgreens would first turn into baby greens and then mature plants.

Microgreens are one stage beyond sprouts, which are the initial growth from the seed and can be produced in about a week, without light or any kind of growing medium.

Microgreens come in a variety of colors, flavors, and textures, and have concentrated nutrients. In fact, they're becoming known as the next superfood. Both sprouts and microgreens are celebrated for their nutritional value, though it's worth noting that microgreens are just a bit more nutritious thanks to the use of sunlight to grow them.

In the chart below, I highlight some of the key differences between sprouts, microgreens, baby leaves, and mature plants.

Nutritional Value of Microgreens

Here are the four main points to know if you're considering eating microgreens.

Packed with Vitamins & Minerals

Microgreens are loaded with essential micro- and macronutrients. The exact nutritional content varies depending on which type of microgreen you're eating, but many varieties are rich in vitamins A, C, E, K, and folate, plus minerals like iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.

Microgreens make these nutrients bioavailable to us, meaning our bodies can more readily access all the nutrients inside the plant. Basically, a couple bites of microgreens every day gives you everything in a multivitamin and more. 

Loaded with Antioxidants

These tiny greens are also a great source of polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that enhance human health in numerous ways, including preventing and treating disease. Antioxidants found in microgreens vary depending on the type, but you can expect to find carotenoids, anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, glucosinolates, and more.

More Nutrient-Dense Than Mature Counterparts

Studies have shown that microgreens contain anywhere from 4 to 40 times the nutrients of their mature plant counterparts. So basically, if you eat a handful of broccoli microgreens, you're getting way more nutritional value than if you were to eat an entire crown of broccoli that took months to grow!

It makes sense if you consider the fact that you're getting a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants by eating the initial stem and leaves. If you were to let the plant continue to grow, all those nutrients would eventually spread out to various leaves, stems, flowers, and fruit.

Pesticide- and Fertilizer-Free

The problem with eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is the potential for exposing yourself to greater quantities of chemical fertilizers and pesticides used in the growing process. Because microgreens are grown indoors and harvested within a matter of days, they don't require any fertilizer or pesticide use.