What are Microgreens, Where in India can You Get Them (2021) and Microgreen List to Add a Welcome Splash of Color to a Variety of Dishes.

Before we start discussing the various types of microgreens available, you might first want to know how what they exactly are and how they are beneficial. These are vegetable greens that get harvested just after the cotyledon of plants are developed. Now, even though all of these have their own nutritional value and benefits, some of these are common through most of them.

For instance, most of these are known to include nutrients like potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and copper, and other compounds such as antioxidants. These also tend to be constituted of a lot of minerals and vitamins. Also, a lot of these are good for heart health and certain cancers as well as Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.

Moving on to the benefits of the various microgreens, the very first one would be that these contain a lot of nutrients, all of which have their own benefits. The nutrients usually include potassium, manganese, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc, among many others too.

Because of this, you can easily fulfill your daily requirement of a lot of the nutrients through little amounts of these and bypass any deficiency diseases. Also, microgreens are a rather simple as well as quick and easy way to add these nutrients to your diet.

So, as mentioned before, microgreens contain a lot of antioxidants, but how exactly do these help? So, antioxidants help reduce the damage of the free radicals greatly by neutralising them. By doing this, they are able to keep the vision better and prevent diseases like arthritis.

In addition to all that, antioxidants are known to be helpful in preventing various types of cancer and help promote anti-aging as well. Other than that, these reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and various other severe conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Lastly, they prevent oxidative stress that, in turn, keeps the skin healthy.

Because of all the nutrients, minerals, and other compounds that they include, the various microgreens can greatly help boost your immunity. In doing so, they help make sure that you do not get attacked by the diseases. And, even if you do end up getting any of the diseases, the microgreens can greatly help fight them off or at least keep them in control.

If you want these benefits, we especially suggest that you do not add these to any heavy foods or oily ones. Instead, you should add these to foods like salads, and some, like cucumber, can even be eaten as they are or simply boiled.

Starting with some of the best microgreens that you can get, fenugreek is one that has been used for medicinal purposes for a long time. This is a plant with green leaves and white flowers and has even become a household spice and a thickening agent in India.

One of its benefits is that fenugreek microgreens contain a lot of essential nutrients like fiber, protein, iron, manganese, and magnesium. Also, they can help improve the production of breastmilk and are known to be a good supplement for boosting testosterone levels in men. Additionally, they can help with blood sugar levels, diabetes, and cholesterol as well as inflammation.

Wheatgrass is another important microgreen that is known to have many benefits. For instance, it has a very healthy nutritional value that includes nutrients like iron, calcium, magnesium, phytonutrients, and 17 amino acids. These, along with some others help with digestion and remove the toxins from your body.

Moreover, it boosts metabolism, helping boost weight loss, and also gives more energy. In addition to that, wheatgrass boosts the immune system and improves cognitive function. It is also known to help lower cholesterol levels and may also help with arthritis as well as diabetes and blood pressure.

Being a flavorful culinary herb and a medicinal plant, the fennel plant is green and white. Just like the other microgreens, this also has a great nutritional value. It is known to include nutrients like Vitamin C, manganese, calcium, fiber, and potassium.

Other than that, this contains a lot of antioxidants that help with anti-aging and the plant, along with a deep taste, helps curb appetite. Also, fennel can greatly help with heart health, prevents cancer, helps with breastmilk production, and also helps with mental health. Lastly, it helps reduce inflammation, relieve menopausal symptoms, and has antibacterial benefits.

Mustard is another microgreen that is used in various ways and has a bitter, spicy taste. So, it is known to be very helpful in protecting against free radicals and oxidative stress, helping with anti-aging. Other than that, mustard can also be very helpful for people who are having blood clotting problems as this contains huge amounts of Vitamin K.

It also helps with the immune system and keeps your heart healthy. And, mustard helps improve your eyesight while also preventing various severe diseases like cancer. For its nutritional value, mustard contains nutritions like Vitamins A, B6, K, E, and C, copper, sugar, and fiber, among others.

For this next one, clover is a microgreen originating from Asia and has been used to treat various conditions. This is especially so because it contains lots of protein and carbs as well as lots of minerals. For its particular benefits, clover is known to be very healthy for the bone and helps lower menopause symptoms.

Additionally, it promotes skin health and also helps improve women's heart health. Cloves may also help with weight loss while also preventing cancer and arthritis as well as cough. Some other benefits include its ability to decrease hot flashes, strengthen bones, boost skin health, and lower cholesterol levels.

In case you really want to lose weight, we suggest giving the radish microgreens a try. Radishes can easily help fill you up with no more than a couple of calories. Also, it contains lots of antioxidants that help rid you of the free radicals, promoting anti-aging.

In addition to that, it helps prevent cancer and wipe out all of the fungi, preventing yeast infections. As you might know, these also improve skin health and keep you well hydrated while also keeping your digestive system and heart in great health. Lastly, it detoxifies the body, lowers blood pressure, and boosts energy as well as immunity.

A well-known microgreen, basil is known to be very nutritious, containing nutrients like calcium, iron, manganese, and Vitamin A and K. A major benefit of this is how basil tends to reduce oxidative stress through the various antioxidants, hence helping keep your skin young. Another benefit is its ability to fight cancers like skin cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer.

As you might've guessed, it also helps keep the liver in good health overall and reduces blood pressure. Also, it might be helpful against high blood sugar and boosts mental as well as cardiovascular health while also combating infection, and reducing inflammation as well as swelling.

In case you are looking for a microgreen that is beneficial in boosting the energy levels, we suggest that you give sunflower a try. So, for one, nutrients like selenium and thiamin in this help keep you energised. However, it has other benefits too.

For instance, sunflower seeds support the immune system, reduce inflammation, and keep the heart in a good condition. In addition to that, it is known to help control blood pressure, and even boost weight loss. For its nutritional value, sunflower contains constituents like Vitamins E, B1, and B6, iron, copper, selenium, manganese, zinc, and potassium.

Moving on to the next microgreen, cilantro is a popular herb and is a great food if you want a boost of flavor without adding sea salt. For its benefits, the most important one is its ability to get the body rid of heavy metals. However, it is also very useful in lowering anxiety levels and improving sleep while also lowering blood sugar levels.

In addition to all that, it helps protect against cardiovascular disease and also prevents urinary tract infections. Additionally, it helps with digestion, protects against food poisoning, supports healthy menstrual function, prevents colon cancer, and soothes skin irritation.

Also known as the table beet, garden beet, and green beet, beetroot microgreen is another great one to try. Starting off with its nutrients, this one is packed with ones like fiber, vitamin B9, manganese, iron, potassium, and vitamin C. As you might know, not only is the beetroot itself eaten but also the leaves.

For the benefits, this promotes regular cell and tissue function while keeping the blood pressure in control. Moreover, it improves exercise capacity, improves heart health, and also boosts skin health. Some other benefits include its ability to improve hair health, promote a regular flow of blood, slow down aging, and boost the immune system.

In case you are looking for some kind of beans, you can give this one a try. It is known to include nutrients like fiber, folate, manganese, magnesium, Vitamin B1, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, potassium, selenium, and Vitamins B2, B3, and B5. It is also rich in antioxidants that can help reduce the risks of chronic disease while also preventing heat strokes.

Furthermore, it reduces cholesterol levels and also helps lower blood pressure. Mung beans might also help improve digestive health, lower blood sugar levels, suppress hunger by raising fullness hormones, supporting a healthy pregnancy, and are very versatile too.

As you might know, half a cup of brussel sprouts helps completely fulfill the daily Vitamin K as well as Vitamin C. In addition to all that, it contains lots of antioxidants that help get rid of the free radicals, helping promote anti aging and reducing oxidative stress.

Also, these are great for people looking for protection against cancer or those who want a better digestive system as these also contain fiber. Moreover, these are known to promote the formation of blood clots, and help maintain healthy blood sugar levels, increase insulin resistance while also decreasing inflammation. Lastly, it enhances immunity and is very easy to add to the diet through dishes like pasta and frittatas as well.

For the last, here are the dill microgreens. So, these, as you might know, contain nutrients like Vitamin C, manganese, Vitamin A, folate, and iron, among some others. For its exact benefits, the very first one would be its ability to prevent heart conditions like strokes and all. Also, dill is known to be healthy for the brain, liver, and kidney. In addition to all that, it has antimicrobial effects and contains a lot of antioxidants that help with anti-aging. Dill microgreens are also known to help to reduce blood sugar levels while also preventing various forms of cancer, improving bone health, relieving menstrual cramps, and helping fight harmful bacteria.

Now that you know some of the best types of microgreens available, let's move on to how you can actually eat them. So, a great recipe would be to make a salad, like the Asian Vegetable Microgreen Salad. This will require for you to have half a cup microgreens of your choice, some coriander, one-quarter of a cup of capsicum, one cup boiled chickpeas, ten basils, half a cup carrot, two tablespoons tomato, two tablespoons onion, half a teaspoon salt, half a teaspoon chat masala, three-quarters of a tablespoon lime. one-quarter of a teaspoon garam masala, one tablespoon sesame oil, and one tablespoon crushed ginger.

To make it, start by soaking the chickpeas for eight hours. Now, wash them and cook till soft before cooking them out. Next, wash and dry the basil and coriander and grate the ginger before setting these aside. After this, prepare the microgreens and cut the onion, tomato, capsicum, and carrot into thin slices and add all of these to a large bowl. Once done, add in all of the powders and mix them together gently. Lastly, add the microgreens and sesame oil and stir well before serving.