Microgreens are tiny seedling plants grown from vegetable and herb seeds, that are packed with nutrients and offer delicious flavor.
But, what are the real benefits of eating microgreens? Why should you hurry to add microgreens to your daily diet, other than their delicious flavor and adding vivid color palettes to your plate?
Well, there are various reasons why adding microgreens to your diet would benefit your family. As a microgreens farmer and advocate for organic sources of nutrition in their most raw form, I'd advocate for adding them to every single meal!
Need to boost your immune system? Microgreens! Do you need a source of nutrition that's rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals? Microgreens! Looking to detox? Again, MICROGREENS!
But there's another important reason to eat microgreens on the daily, that we're going to talk about today, Yuba-Sutter friends. And that is microgreens as they relate to a healthy gut microbiome.
We have learned, thanks to modern science, that a healthy gut microbiome is important to protect the body from various disease and nasty symptoms that can present themselves due to a lack of good gut flora.
Everyone knows that they should be consuming probiotic rich sources of nutrition everyday, in order to achieve a healthy gut microbiome. We also know, thanks to research, that a lack of good gut bacteria can lead to unwanted health issues and even disease.
The standard American diet, full of preservatives, chemicals and fake "foods", has not benefited us as far as our health goes. A poor diet along with exposure to environmental contaminants are suspected to play a major role in leaky gut syndrome.
Leaky gut syndrome, or when toxins from your intestines leak into your bloodstream, can cause an inflammatory and/or autoimmune response in the body. Chronic low-grade inflammation may be a factor in many of these diseases, including metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, asthma and fibromyalgia.
To combat leaky gut and an unhealthy gut microbiome in general, we need to eat foods that promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria and encourage optimum digestion.
Digestion as it relates to gut health, is so important, to keep things moving smoothly, if you catch my drift, to remove unwanted toxins and environmental pollutants from the body as quickly as possible, to be sure that the body can properly absorb nutrients from the foods we eat, and to encourage good gut health as a result.
So, how can microgreens combat poor gut health?
Microgreens are rich in fiber, which is essential for good digestion, and can help move food through the digestive system, keeping the gut healthy.
Gut health and fiber are closely connected.
Fiber is a kind of carbohydrate that the human body can't digest, but it plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy gut and overall well-being.
Here's how fiber supports gut health:
- Promotes Regular Bowel Movements: Insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool and helps it move through the digestive tract, preventing constipation.
- Feeds Beneficial Gut Bacteria: Soluble fiber serves as a prebiotic, providing nourishment for beneficial gut bacteria. These bacteria, in turn, produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that support gut health.
- Reduces the Risk of Digestive Issues: A high-fiber diet can lower the risk of various digestive problems, such as diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- Lowers Inflammation: Fiber can reduce inflammation in the gut, potentially benefiting conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Supports Weight Management: High-fiber foods can help control appetite and promote weight management by increasing satiety.
It's important to consume a variety of fiber-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts, to support a diverse and healthy gut microbiome.
Microgreens are a great source of dietary fiber to add to your diet when consuming them in their raw form.
The recommended daily intake of fiber varies by age and gender but is typically around 25-30 grams per day for adults.
One serving of pea microgreens can provide 2.6 grams of fiber, so would be a great added source of fiber to your daily diet, especially if you struggle with gastrointestinal issues.
Research indicates that dietary fiber serves as a "prebiotic," providing an ideal environment for the "good" bacteria in the human microbiome to flourish.
That means that microgreens can prime the gut and can be used as a mighty precursor to optimum gut health.
Microgreens can also reduce inflammation, enhance the gut microbiome, and ease constipation or other gastrointestinal distress when eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Microgreens can be easily incorporated into the diet as a garnish for pizza and soups, blended into smoothies, or added to recipes, on top of cooked meals or tossed on to a salad. Or, you can simply grab a handful of yummy micros and eat them raw, which is easy to do because of their delicious taste!
Microgreens are also tender and easier to digest than their full-grown counterparts.
Here are the benefits of individual microgreen varieties, that can help your efforts in achieving a healthy gut microbiome:
🥦Broccoli microgreens: Broccoli microgreens are rich in sulforaphane, which can help reduce inflammation and support gut health.
🫛Pea microgreens: Pea microgreens are a good source of fiber, which can aid digestion and promote gut health.
🌱Radish microgreens: Radish microgreens are high in antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation and support gut health
There are, further, some specific properties that microgreens have to offer when it comes to nutritional content, that are vital in maintaining a healthy, happy gut:
🌱Fiber: Microgreens are a rich source of dietary fiber, which can help feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut, promoting a healthy microbiome.
🌱Antioxidants: Microgreens contain antioxidants that can help reduce inflammation and support gut health.
🌱Nutrients: Microgreens are packed with essential nutrients, including vitamins A, C, E, and K, calcium, iron, and other minerals, which can help support overall digestive harmony.
🌱Phytochemicals: Microgreens contain high levels of phytochemicals, which can help reduce inflammation and support gut health.
Research has shown that microgreens can modulate the gut microbiome, improving glucose homeostasis, blood lipid status, and inflammatory factors.
Incorporating microgreens into a daily diet can significantly improve digestive health and overall well-being. Because of this, Microgreens are a valuable addition to a health-conscious diet and can help promote overall digestive harmony.
It's clear to see why microgreens are amazing when examining their nutritional properties as it relates to our overall health and well-being, friends!
But today, I hope you've also learned how microgreens can play a vital role in your gut microbiome, and why you should hurry to add them to your daily diet.
Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome reduces the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disease, gastrointestinal distress and so much more.
Microgreens can add so much value to your family's health, so it's no wonder that they've continued to grow in popularity.
Dani Greens hopes to aid in the strength of my local communities and to nourish my neighbors by delivering organically grown, freshly harvested microgreens right to your front door.
If you'd like to boost your immune system, add an amazing source of raw nutrition to your diet, to fight disease, and to aid in the good health of your gut microbiome, Dani Greens would love to help!
We offer 5 delicious varieties of nutrient dense microgreens, and deliver each Tuesday evening to our customers.
Head to www.danigreens.com and place a one time order or recurring, and you'll have fresh microgreens and will be on your way to optimal gut microbiome health in no time!
I can't wait to serve you. 👩🏼🌾
Dani at Dani Greens💚