When we were selling microgreens this past summer at a farm stand, we had a lot of people comparing them to lettuce. While each vegetable has their own benefits and uses, there are some distinct difference between the two. Both can be a great addition to a healthy diet but each offer different nutrients.
While salads are often known for being a healthy meal, however, it doesn't quite have the reputation as a superfood like kale or goji berries. But lettuce overall has been measured to be a great addition into a healthy diet particularly because it is known as a good source of iron and antioxidants. Generally, the more pigmented the lettuce, the higher it is in antioxidants. The nutrient levels of lettuce is highly impacted based on it's genetics, growing environment and the time it's harvested (Martinez-Ispiuza et. al, 2022). It seems like even eating baby lettuce vs. it's mature form can affect the nutritional profile of it. Lettuce can be a great addition to a healty diet, there are significant nutritional difference between lettuce and microgreens.
Researchers were able to compare the nutritional profile of microgreens, baby lettuce and mature lettuce to find that:• In general microgreens were significantly higher levels of vitamins, minerals and nutrients in microgreens and baby lettuce than adult lettuce (Martinez-Ispiuza et. al, 2022).•They were also able to observe significantly higher antioxidant levels in microgreens than mature lettuce (Martinez-Ispiuza et. al, 2022).
Vitamin C was observed to be 41% higher in microgreens than adult lettuce.
In general, microgreens had higher Calcium levels (Martinez-Ispiuza et. al, 2022).
Hopefully that clears it up a bit if you're ever wondering the same question. That is why we always encourage to eat a variety vegetables to maximize the amount of different nutrients you can get. We want to enjoy our meals along the way too so find what works best for you!
Sources
Martínez-Ispizua, E.; Calatayud, Á.; Marsal, J.I.; Cannata, C.; Basile, F.; Abdelkhalik, A.; Soler, S.; Valcárcel, J.V.; Martínez-Cuenca, M.-R. The Nutritional Quality Potential of Microgreens, Baby Leaves, and Adult Lettuce: An Underexploited Nutraceutical Source. Foods 2022, 11, 423. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11030423
Note* This article is intended for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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