The Magic Of Microgreens

First, here’s what microgreens are: very young greens. They are tender, immature (but not embarrassingly so) plants that may be just a week or two old when harvested. And they are oh so hip, often spotted in expensive salads served in trendy restaurants. Why do we care? Because microgreens, researchers believe, may be very good for us. Science Daily reports on research published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry that looked at the influence of red cabbage microgreens on mice that are genetically designed for obesity and tend to develop high cholesterol and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The researchers divided 60 mice into different diet groups and fed them food that was low in fat or high in fat, and with or without either red cabbage microgreens or mature red cabbage. They found that both the microgreens and mature cabbage diets reduced weight gain and levels of liver cholesterol in the mice on high-fat diets. They also found that microgreens contained more potentially cholesterol-lowering polyphenols and glucosinolates than mature cabbage. The baby plants also helped lower LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol and liver triglyceride levels in the animals.