14 June 2022
Nurtured News

Microgreens Nutrition, Health Benefits and Flavour

It’s Nutrition and Hydration Week this week, and the perfect opportunity to highlight the health benefits of our produce. Microgreens with maximum health benefits are our speciality!

Here at Nurtured in Norfolk we hope to educate you all on the impact that food and drink has on maintaining our bodies health and wellbeing. Our products contain lots of health benefits, making them perfect additions to add to your meals, drinks, and your lifestyle. Healthy living is vital for a healthy body, but also mind.

The foods that you eat have an impact on you as a person, whether that’s your physical appearance or mental health.

The Mental Health Foundation have created an article based around educating people on how your diet and mental health is linked, as it can benefit your life massively when your body and brain receives the right amount nutrients. But how do you start to eat well but also feel satisfied and full after meals? Their article states that eating regularly is a big factor- this can stop your blood sugar level from dropping. When your blood sugar levels are low, it can make you feel tired and irritable. Nobody wants to work with a grumpy colleague, that could snap at any moment. Getting agitated when you’re hungry is a very common thing and is often referred to as being ‘hangry’. This can be easily avoided by planning mealtimes and having regular, healthy snacks.

Eating the right balance of fats can keep your brain functioning well.

If you’re working at a computer all day, it can prove a struggle to keep concentration. Tasty foods like avocados, milk, eggs, and oily fish are high in healthy, natural fats and can help to keep your brain working well.  Last piece of healthy eating advice for now but being aware of your caffeine intake is important. Too much caffeine can affect your mood negatively. I know we all love a good skinny Frappuccino, but caffeine is known to cause sleep problems. It can also make people feel irritable and anxious too.

How do you use our micro herbs?

Micro cress in the greenhouse in norfolk Variety of Living Micro Cress

It’s often a forgotten fact that vegetables and plants are at their most nutritious when raw and at their early stages of life. Cooking vegetables can often take away some of their natural health benefits as well as some of the flavouring. So, eating them raw in something like a salad will be the most beneficial for your body (not to mention that they are delicious and packed full of flavour, even when raw). When researching microgreens on the Healthline website it suggests that they have so many benefits for your body. So, microgreens are more than just a pretty face! They are a great source of antioxidants, and their nutrient content is concentrated. Which means that they often contain higher vitamin and mineral levels than the same quantity of mature greens.

salad micro pea shoots Growing Salad Pea Shoots

Next time you bag a punnet of any of our mouth-watering pea shoots, we recommend thinking about the exciting ways that you can add more of this superfood into your dish. Our Golden Pea Shoots for example, are a super fun addition to any dish. Try these in any salad, stir-fried dishes, and soups. Not only are they colourful, but they also hold a sweet and delicious flavour. These can be added in a larger quantities for flavour purposes rather than delicately being placed on top as a decoration. Why not give our micro pea shoots a try and experience how good they taste, when incorporated into a dish.

If you’re looking for another way to get your 5 a day into your system without having to physically eat more fruit and veg. Why not make a vitamin packed smoothie? Smoothies are the perfect way to get kids consuming fruit and veg without all the hassle of them turning their nose up at something green on the plate- plus kids love smoothies. Our microgreens are a great addition to any smoothie; they add colour, flavour and make it jam-packed full of vitamins and nutrients.

Did you know?

planting edible flowers in natural soil Planting Apple Blossom

Everything that we grow here is grown in soil. A question that we all get asked frequently and sometimes receive quick fire questions on, is ‘why is it so important to us that our products are grown in soil?’ Growing in soil ensures the best possible flavour from the product. This isn’t the fastest method for growing produce, the hydroponic method is a much faster and most used way of growing. Hydroponics says that the method involves growing plants without soil and using water-based mineral nutrient solutions in aqueous solvents.

By growing in soil rather than in an aquatic environment means the essential oils of the plants are locked in throughout the growing stage. These essential oils give rich flavours to our superfoods and make them a super enjoyable addition to your meals. And wouldn’t you agree that there’s plenty of rich flavours in our micro herbs? The nutrients present in the soil that we use also ensure our products are packed full of vitamins and antioxidants.

Why is hydration for plants so important?

Head grower watering fire feather edible flowers Martyn (Head Grower) Watering Fire Feather Edible Flowers

Gardening Know How explains that when it comes to hydration in plants, they can either have too much water, not enough, or just the right amount. Obviously for a plan to flourish, the amount needs to be just right. If a plant’s soil has too much water, the roots can rot, and the plants won’t get enough oxygen from the soil… and we definitely don’t want any rotten plants!  If there isn’t enough water for the plant, the nutrients won’t be able to travel through the plant. Meaning the crop cannot grow to its full potential.

If you’re still not quite convinced, check out how much goodness is really packed into our punnets with some fun facts below

Nurtured team cutting micro cress
  • Gardening Know How is very knowledgeable on the subject of growing healthy plants. Further into their article they explain that water carries dissolved sugars and other beneficial nutrients through the plant. Without a balance of water, the crop will become severely malnourished and not be able to support its own weight.
  • Microgreens World did a study and found that Broccoli Micro Cress contains more sulforaphane than the mature broccoli plant. Sulforaphane has many benefits and has been found to help reduce inflammation in the body. Isn’t that amazing?! One tiny vegetable having this many health benefits.
  • Now to talk about Coriander Micro Cress. This micro cress was shown to contain 3x more beta-carotene than the mature coriander herb, in a study by The Real Health Benefits Of Microgreens.
  • Lastly, The Conversation states that micro cress typically has higher levels of vitamin C, E and carotenoids per gram, compared to their mature crop.
baby vegetables

But what products do we sell that are rich in water?

It’s easily forgotten that some vegetables have a very high-water content. Our baby vegetables pack a punch with their water content! Baby courgettes are known for their high- water content, and would you believe that they are made up of 95% water?! They’re an ideal way to increase your daily water consumption. You can now shop for our Baby Courgettes on our website. They are perfect for adding into meals, or just as a snack during the day. They can be served as an appetiser or as a canape, alongside cream and cheese-based dips. There are many ways that you can incorporate healthy nutritious foods into your meals without lots of hassle! Lots of people that work full time struggle with healthy and fun snack ideas but here is a perfect option.

If you want more fun facts about even more of our amazing products, head over to our shop and our individual product pages. There is a lot more information on how our superfoods can be incorporated into your delicious meals, smoothies or just at snack times. We have lots of different variations of micro cress and they all have a description of their individual taste attached to the product.

And don’t forget, if you’re using our products and want to show off your creations, be sure to tag us on our social media.

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