Marvelous Microgreens

By Mila McManus MD

Sometimes we find a food that is close to perfect, and microgreens may just be one of them! Rising in popularity and showing up in produce sections, microgreens are a powerhouse of nutrition, a tasty and attractive addition to meals, and easy to grow in a well-lit window.

What are microgreens? Consider how all plants begin as seeds. There are various stages of plant growth once a seed is planted. The first stage is when the seed sprouts, and the infant stem emerges from the seed. Microgreens are the result of the cotyledon growth stage, where the seed has sprouted and the sprout has produced its first set of very small leaves. If you allow the seed to continue growing, you end up with the full-grown plant. Popular microgreen varieties include red and green cabbage, broccoli, kale, arugula, pea, and radish.

Benefits of microgreens abound. They outshine their full-grown counterparts in nutrient density. This is due to the higher concentration of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making them powerful allies for health and wellness. They are excellent sources of flavonoids, carotenoids, a-tocopherol, phenolics such as rutin, quercetin, vitexin, isovitexin, orientin, isoorientin, and chlorogenic acids – all of which make microgreens a potent, disease-fighting, anti-aging, antioxidant. They also contain higher levels of vitamin C, vitamin K, and polyphenols, known for reducing inflammation and promoting heart health. They also contain several minerals, including copper, zinc, and selenium.

Microgreens are beautiful, adding an artistic stroke and a burst of flavor to the top of salads, wraps, pasta, soups, fish, and tacos. They can be added to smoothies, pesto, and salad dressings. They are a convenient and delicious way to elevate your meals, increase the variety of greens in the diet, and offer healthy creativity to recipes. One breakfast idea is to start your day with a bowl of microgreens, a chunked avocado, a couple of tablespoons of organic raw pumpkin seeds, olive oil, and salt. And next time you want a bunless burger, set that meat down on a lovely bed of microgreens for added flavor, deep nutrition, and eye appeal.

Growing microgreens at home is a simple and beneficial process. To get started, you’ll need quality seeds, a suitable growing medium, a shallow tray, water, and a well-lit area. Microgreens thrive indoors with ample light and a small amount of space and are ready to harvest within typically 1-3 weeks. This step toward sustainability, affordability, and nutrition makes cultivating microgreens at home more than just gardening. Cheaper than store-bought versions, you can be assured of unparalleled freshness and nutrient content. Home cultivation ensures your greens are chemical-free and eco-friendly. It is a great family educational experience, fostering personal satisfaction and promoting a self-reliant lifestyle. Here’s a link to a video about how to grow them.

Marvelous Microgreens, Marvelous for You. Be well.

References:

Neves, Andrew. April 13, 2024. Microgreens vs. Regular Greens: The Latest Nutritional Powerhouse Comparison. https://microgreensworld.com

EMF Protection, Part 2

By Mila McManus, M.D.

Last month in our newsletter we wrote about the health crisis that is emerging as a result of electropollution and the magnitude of the 5G implementation around the world. We provided an extensive list of steps to take in and around your home and workplace to protect your body from electromagnetic pollution. If you missed it, click here to read it! While reducing exposure is the first and most important step, it is also important to take self-care measures to support your internal chemistry at the cellular level against EMF damage.

Without diving deep into biochemistry, what is important to understand is that the constant barrage of electromagnetic radiation in unusually patterned and high frequencies results in damage at the DNA level and increases oxidative stress. For the human body, this means many critical resources are depleted, preventing the immune system from being able to repair the damage and work effectively for you. This is problematic for children who have thinner skulls and developing brains, as well as the aging, whose bodies are generally less effective with replenishment of nutrients simply by way of the aging process. Replacing these resources (e.g. vitamins, minerals, enzymes) is another critical piece to living healthfully for young and old alike. Generally, the older (over 40) we are, the more aggressive our therapy needs to be.

Here are specific ways you can care for yourself and your family:

#1 Read last month’s article and determine to reduce the family’s exposure, especially during sleeping hours. This gives the body time to repair and reset, away from EMF exposure.

#2 Practice time restricted eating (a.k.a intermittent fasting), limiting your consumption of food to a narrow window of time each day, ideally to a 6-8 hour window. For example, eating meals only between 9am and 5pm, or 12pm to 6pm. The alternating fasting period results in production of some of the essential nutrients required to support mitochondrial cleaning and repair at the DNA level. Also, having your last food at least three to four hours before going to bed protects depletion of critical enzymes for repair.

#3 Exercise in some way every day. The most effective options include high intensity exercise, aerobic, and resistance exercises. When we exercise, the essential repair and signaling enzymes for our DNA are increased.

#4 Be sure your supplementation includes about 25 mg of niacin a day. Niacin is a necessary precursor in the body for the production of the enzymes for DNA repair. One of the best studies suggests that inexpensive, non-time release niacin is preferred. It is often found in high quality B-Complex and Multi vitamins. We offer both in our office.

#5 Once again, what we eat remains foundational to disease prevention, strong immunity, and protection from EMFs specifically. Fruits, vegetables, and other plant nutrients such as those found in spices, nuts, and seeds offer some of the most important nutrients for stimulating the action of the enzymes and co-enzymes that protect and correct our DNA. Anytime we can get our nutrition from food over a supplement, we will be getting the natural, elemental vitamins and minerals needed for good health. That is why choosing properly grown (i.e., organic, non-GMO, unrefined) minimally processed food is the most sensible first step to good health. Some of the essential vitamins, minerals, and enzymes for DNA repair, which can be found mostly in plants, include magnesium, vitamin D, fisetin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), quercetin, isothiocyanates, terpenes, sulfur compounds, carotenoids, and fatty acids. For a specific list of some of the best sources, click here .

#6 Detoxification is an especially important step for staying healthy and providing protection from EMFs. It involves removing as many toxicants as possible from our diets, environments, and lifestyles while always staying focused on promoting and supporting the body’s detoxification pathways. One of the most effective ways is through the use of far or near infrared saunas. Here is an article about detoxification and how to go about it.

We believe it is important for everyone to begin to take intentional and consistent steps toward protecting yourself against the increasing impacts of EMFs to the human body, especially with the advent of 5G technologies.

[1] Primary resource for this article is from

Mercola, Joseph. EMF*D -5G, Wi-Fi & Cell Phones: Hidden Harms and How to Protect Yourself. New York: Hay House, Inc. 2020