Why Microgreens Pack More Nutrients Than the Vegetables You're Already Buying
The produce in your grocery cart right now is probably less nutritious than you think, and there's a simple, affordable fix growing right here in Eastern Ontario.
When most people think about eating healthier, they reach for more vegetables. More broccoli. More spinach. More kale. That's a good instinct, but there's a version of those same vegetables that delivers dramatically more nutrition in a fraction of the volume. They're called microgreens, and the research behind them might surprise you.
The Problem With "Fresh" Produce in Winter
Here's something most people don't realize: the broccoli you buy at the grocery store in January was likely picked weeks ago, loaded onto a truck, and shipped over 3,000 kilometres to reach your shelf.
Vegetables start losing nutrients the moment they're harvested. Vitamin C, folate, and other sensitive nutrients degrade quickly, especially during long transport and cold storage. By the time that "fresh" broccoli lands in your cart, it may have lost a significant portion of the nutritional value it had when it was picked.
This isn't a reason to avoid vegetables. It's a reason to look more closely at where your vegetables come from, and whether there are better options available locally.
What Microgreens Actually Are
Microgreens are young vegetable plants, harvested just 7–14 days after germination, right after the first true leaves appear. They look like a more delicate, concentrated version of the plant they'll eventually become.
They're not sprouts (which are germinated seeds eaten root and all). Microgreens are grown in soil or growing medium, harvested above the roots, and eaten fresh. They're the same plants you already eat, broccoli, arugula, mustard, peas, sunflowers, etc just at a much earlier stage of growth.
The Nutrient Density Difference
This is where it gets interesting.
A landmark 2012 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry analyzed 25 commercially available microgreen varieties and found that most contained significantly higher concentrations of vitamins and minerals than their mature counterparts, in many cases, dramatically so.
Broccoli microgreens, for example, have been shown to contain up to 100 times more sulforaphane than mature broccoli. Sulforaphane is a powerful compound associated with reduced cancer risk, lower cholesterol, and anti-inflammatory effects. You would have to eat an enormous amount of mature broccoli to match what a small portion of broccoli microgreens delivers.
Arugula microgreens contain up to 25% protein by dry weight. They're rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, along with lutein and zeaxanthin which are antioxidants that support eye health as we age.
Mustard microgreens are packed with glucosinolates, the same compounds that give mustard its heat, which are well-researched for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Small Volume, Big Impact
One of the most practical things about microgreens is how little you need to make a real nutritional difference.
A tablespoon of broccoli microgreens on your morning eggs. A handful of arugula microgreens on your lunchtime wrap. A sprinkle of Oriental Mustard on your soup. These aren't dramatic dietary overhauls but rather they're small additions that quietly do a lot of nutritional heavy lifting.
For people who already eat reasonably well but want to make every meal work harder for them, microgreens are one of the most efficient tools available.
Locally Grown Means Freshly Harvested
At Medley Micro Farm, we grow microgreens right here in Leeds Grenville, Ontario. They're harvested fresh and available locally, which means you're getting maximum nutrition, not produce that's been sitting in a refrigerated truck for two weeks.
No pesticides. No herbicides. Organic-style growing methods from seed to harvest.
Want to See How the Varieties Compare?
We've put together a free Microgreens Nutrition Cheat Sheet that breaks down each variety we grow, flavour profile, key nutrients, and best uses, all on one easy-to-read page. Follow this link to get your copy of the Microgreens Nutritional Cheat Sheet.
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Always seek your physicians' or qualified nutritionists' advice before undertaking a new healthcare regimen or using any information you have read on this website to treat or prevent any condition.