Everything You Didn’t Know That You Didn’t Know About Organic Micro Greens
It doesn’t take a nutritionist to tell you the closer you are to the source of your food, the healthier it is for you. When foods are highly processed, they have less nutritional value, more “empty calories” that give you fat without giving you fuel, and more chemicals that the health-impact might not be entirely known yet. When we say “straight from the source” we mean the more the food you are eating looks like the original form, the better it is for you. In other words, when foods have a hundred ingredients that you cannot identify, and come in colors that don’t appear in nature, they contribute less to your health and wellness.
But how healthy is the modern vegtable?
However, even produce that is nothing more than the raw form straight the grocery store may include more chemicals than you ever would have guessed. Even fresh produce often have unhealthy chemicals in their biological make up through the pesticides and fertilizers, and are grown from genetically-modified organisms (GMO) seeds. The only way to know what is in the food you eat is to look for the “organic” label while shopping for edible flowers and plants.
What is this organic talk about?
The word “organic” has gotten a lot of press lately, but not many people really know what it means. When something has a sticker that says “certified organic,” it means the produce was grown without chemicals to enhance the size and output of them, to kill pests, or any GMO products. There are laws that govern agriculture to ensure that if a plant, fruit, or vegetable has the “organic” label, you are ensured chemicals were not used in the growing process.
Nature’s best kept secret: Organic Micro Greens
If you have your ear to the health food pulse, you might have heard of organic micro greens. Organic micro greens are the seedlings of full grown leafy vegetables (such as spinach, cabbage, and kale) that are harvested as soon as the first true leaves grow. According to studies conducted by the University of Maryland, organic micro greens could have as much as 40 times the nutritional value as their full-grown counterparts.
The Science Behind the Magic
More investigation is needed to create a definite explanation for this phenomenon, but scientist have a theory. According the researchers, the concentrated nutrient content may be a result of nature’s way of preparing the seedling to grow. Consider an egg that develops into a chick that eventually becomes a chicken. The yolk of the egg contains all of the nutrients that the embryo needs to live on until it hatches. Likewise, harvesting the micro greens while they are still in the developmental phase makes them pack more of a nutrient punch.
Organic Micro Green Dishes
Another benefit to eating organic micro greens is that like their increased nutritional content, they also have a concentrated flavor. Many chefs use them to add flavor and texture to salads, soups, sandwiches, and even on desserts.
Micro greens aren’t typically cooked before being served, because they have a very high water content. Imagine sauteing a cucumber; once the water evaporated from it, there would be nothing left. Micro greens would have the same result under heat, and so they are best suited for being served fresh.
Where to Find Micro Greens
There was a time when organic micro greens were only used by fine dining chefs, make it very hard to come by. As micro greens become more mainstream, they are becoming more available. Now, micro greens can be found in many upscale grocery stores, or through online distributors.
Keep in mind that — like their full-grown counterparts — in order to ensure unnatural pesticides and fertilizers haven’t been used in the growth of your micro greens, you should look for the certified organic sticker on them.
In Conclusion
If you are interested in leading a healthy lifestyle, you should be very concerned with what you feed your body. The best diets include straight-from-the-source raw high-nutrient foods that are free of chemicals. There is no better way to achieve that than a diet rich in organic micro greens!
