Broccoli Microgreens Secret Ingredient
Ahh, yes the magical broccoli microgreen. Not only are they amazing because of their delicious deep nutty flavor, but also because they’ve been scientifically proven time and time again to be so powerful for our bodies!
As we all know by now, the best way to treat your body is to feed it the best you can. Fresh, organic, and raw broccoli microgreens are better than any other powder or pill because of a few different reasons, but the most important being: Sulforaphane.
Benefits of Broccoli Microgreens/ Sprouts:
40 x
The nutrients as adult plants
7 x
More anti inflammatory than turmeric
#1
Anti-cancer food
Good for:
Hair, skin, anxiety, cancer, stomach ulcers, liver, heart disease, inflammation, diabetes, anti-aging properties, anxiety, and smokers.
Higher levels of sulforaphane than any other food.
What is Sulforaphane?
Sulforaphane is an antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that may protect your cells against free radicals, which may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Free radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food or when you’re exposed to tobacco smoke or radiation.
Studies done by Dr. Paul Talalay at John Hopkin’s University state that sulforaphane stimulates and releases the production of enzymes in our bodies that detoxify cancer-causing substances, and that it’s anticarcinogenic.
Sulforaphane also has anti-diabetic effects for those with type 2 diabetes and improves hemoglobin A1c. Dr. Talalay’s studies also found that sulforaphane lowered fasting blood sugar levels by 6.5% and supports heart health by reducing inflammation that leads to heart disease.
Recommended Dose
1 oz broccoli sprouts = 73 mg of sulforphane
Most therapeutic amounts are around 400 so you want 4-5 oz daily of trying to cure yourself from something.
Eating 2 of our clamshell size of broccoli microgreens a day will satisfy this therapeutic amount.
How to Eat Broccoli Microgreens & Sprouts
Put in a smoothie, salad, sandwich, or juice. Broccoli microgreens have a deep nutty flavor. Our favorite is to pair it with other strong flavored food such as salads with beets or in smoothies with banannas
As long as you’re not cooking the microgreens and eating them fresh, you will be able to absorb the most nutrients possible from the plant.
Broccoli vs Broccoli Microgreens
Broccoli
Broccoli, though a healthy vegetable in its adult state, usually needs to be cooked for better digestion. Hence, causing it to lose most of its nutritional value.
Broccoli Microgreens
Broccoli microgreens are commonly eaten in a raw state, therefore there is no nutrient loss because no steaming or boiling is involved. While microgreens and sprouts may provide less Vitamin A and C of mature broccoli heads, they do provide the added benefit of higher amounts of Vitamin K.
How to Sprout
Sprouts are a crunch very early phase of the broccoli growth cycle and are easy to grow. Here’s how:
- Soak seeds in water (twice the height of the seeds) in a bowl overnight. About 2 tables spoons should make about 1 mason jar’s worth for a weeks worth of broccoli sprouts.
- Drain seeds in a fine strainer or cheese cloth in the morning and then rinse seeds with fresh water and leave in the strainer. Cover with a moist paper towel or cloth.
- Rinse seeds in fresh water again in the evening if they are dry.
- Rinse once or twice a day for about 2-3 days until sprout is ready to eat.
- Keep in jar/container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Store in paper towel to reduce moisture.
How to Grow
Growing broccoli microgreens at home take a little longer than sprouting, but is more nutritious because they’re grown with soil. Here’s how it’s done:
- (Day 1) Soak 1/4 cup of seeds for a 10″ x 20″ tray in water in a bowl overnight. (Water twice the height of the seeds)
- (Day 2) Drain seeds in a fine strainer or cheese cloth in the morning and then rinse seeds with fresh water and leave in the strainer. Cover with a moist paper towel or cloth.
- (Day 2) Rinse seeds in fresh water again in the evening if they are dry.
- (Day 2-3) Rinse once or twice a day until sprouted.
- (Day 3)Plant sprouted seeds in .5-1″ of soil in 10″ x 20″ tray. Water tray with a gentle midst thoroughly. Cover with an empty tray to keep seeds dark.
- (Day 3-4) Water 1-2 times a day and recover tray for 2 days.
- (Day 5-10) Uncover the tray and keep in full-spectrum LED light or indirect sunlight. Water 1-2 times a day when soil is dry.
- (Day 10) Broccoli microgreen tray will last for about 5-10 days in the refrigerator. Harvest by cutting with scissors or a knife/razor. Harvested product in a container with paper towel will last 5-7 days in the refrigerator.
Sulforaphane in Broccoli Microgreens are Good for:
Hair
Sulforaphane promotes hair growth in mice by accelerating the degradation of dihydrotestosterone, which causes the regression of hair follicles, suggesting that in humans it can help fight hair loss. – Tokyo Medical and Dental Univeristy
Skin
Cell damage from UV exposure declined by 37% due to sulforaphane. It also provides anti-aging benefits and the decrease in inflammation from sulforaphane may also help skin heal more quickly from acne. – John Hopkin’s University
Liver
Dietary sulforaphane is known to protect against liver injuries caused by carbon tetrachloride, intestinal ischemia reperfusion, and cisplatin. – University of Ulsan
It’s likely to be highly effective in improving liver function through reduction of oxidative stress. – John Hopkin’s
Smoking
Smokers can benefit from sulforaphane since it’s an antioxidant agent, it has protective effects against cell damage. Sulforaphane boosted benzene excretion by up to 61%. Benzene is a carcinogenic from tobacco smoking, so ridding the body of benzene is highly beneficial, especially for smokers. – University of Pittsburgh
Anxiety
Sulforaphane inhibits the inflammatory response to stress and was shown to inhibit the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal area of the brain. These two inhibitions result in reduced anxiety and lowered corticosterone transmission. Thus, it could be very realistic for sulforaphane to become a treatment for anxiety disorders. – Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto
Cancer
Broccoli micorgreens have one of the highest concentrations of sulforaphane, a chemical compound proven to prevent and reduce the risk of cancer. Broccoli microgreens have been proven to be one of the most anti-cancer foods on earth. (1, 2 3, 4, 5) “Broccoli sprouts consistently contain 20 to 50 times the amount of chemoprotective compounds found in mature broccoli heads and may offer a simple dietary means of chemically reducing cancer risk,” Dr. Paul Talalay reported in a 1997 Johns Hopkins press release.6
Heart Disease
Microgreens are a rich source of antioxidants, specifically polyphenols, linked to a lower risk of heart disease. Animal studies show that microgreens may lower cardiovascular disease and cholesterol levels (6, 7). A massive study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed 134,796 adults over an average period of 10 years and found that a higher intake of vegetables — and especially cruciferous vegetables — was associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease. (8)
Anti-aging properties
Studies show antioxidants fight off free radical cells which cause aging to the cells. Microgreens have one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants. A study at the University of Maryland shows the analysis of different microgreens and their nutritional content showing them to have 4-40 times the nutrients as their adult plants (this number varies widely based on the study and sources). 8 9
Diabetes
Plant based diets, especially ones full with nutrient dense plants such as microgreens, have been found to prevent and terminate Type 2 Diabetes. One study examined the effect of sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts on people with Type 2 diabetes. The 97 participants were each given broccoli containing 150 µmol of sulforaphane daily. The study concluded that sulforaphane helped reduce blood sugar levels by as much as 6.5% and also improved blood sugar control. (10, 11) Fiber slows the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream, preventing spikes and crashes in blood sugar. Additionally, one 2016 study out of China found that a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables was associated with a significantly decreased risk of type 2 diabetes among 306,723 participants.
Inflammation
Without a doubt, cruciferous vegetables, especially microgreens, top the charts as one of the best foods when it comes to relieving inflammation. One study in 2014 published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics showed that a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables was associated with up to a 25 percent reduction in markers of inflammation among 1,005 women.
Stomach Ulcer
Sulforaphane helps fight the type of bacteria that causes ulcers. One study on mice found that sulforaphane may even be more effective at treating ulcers than traditional antibiotics. A more recent study showed that these effects might be similar in humans as well. Test subjects who ate 2.5 ounces of broccoli sprouts every day showed lower levels of ulcer-causing bacteria than those who munched on alfalfa sprouts instead. They also had less inflammation.
Testimonials:
– Liana Wenrergray
Cited articles and case studies
https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-broccoli-sprouts#1
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2019/2716870/
https://www.newearthmicrofarm.com/microgardening/broccoli-heads-versus-broccoli-microgreens-a-big-bang-of-nutrition-maybe
https://sweetrusticbakes.com/broccoli-microgreens-benefits/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1549603/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4649129/#B4
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4572790/#:~:text=Sulforaphane%20(4%2Dmethylsulfinylbutyl%20isothiocyanate),cisplatin%5B5%2D7%5D.
https://juicing-for-health.com/broccoli-sprout-juice-fights-cancer