Microgreens and pregnancy

This is the second article in our four-part series on microgreens during pregnancy. Part I covered the nutrients that matter and what published data shows microgreens contain; this one looks at which varieties are worth choosing. Part III covers safety and handling, and Part IV has recipes.

A correction about where our recommendations came from

An earlier version of this article opened by saying that “according to specialized sources such as the Greenu Live Microgreens portal,” certain varieties stand out for their safety and nutritional value. Greenu is a shop that sells microgreens and microgreen seeds. A retailer is not a specialized source on prenatal safety, and citing one as though it were was a mistake on our part. That attribution has been removed, along with the two shops and the Instagram post that made up this article’s entire reference list.

What follows is split honestly into two parts: the small number of nutrient statements we can attach to a published measurement, and the rest, which is culinary judgement from growing and eating these crops ourselves.

What has actually been measured

• Broccoli microgreens are genuinely mineral-dense. Weber grew broccoli microgreens by compost-based and hydroponic methods and compared them with published figures for the mature vegetable. The compost-grown microgreens were higher in phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, sodium and copper, with an average microgreen-to-vegetable ratio of 1.73 across eight nutritionally important minerals. Magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc were higher regardless of growing method.
• Broccoli and radish microgreens carry glucosinolates. Demir and colleagues measured glucoraphanin — the precursor of sulforaphane — in broccoli microgreens, and glucoraphenin and glucoraphasatin in radish microgreens, across different LED light regimes. That is a composition finding. It is not evidence of any health effect, and we make no such claim here.
• Variety, not “microgreens”, decides the nutrient content. Xiao and colleagues measured 25 commercially available microgreens and found vitamin C ranging from 20.4 to 147.0 mg per 100 g fresh weight — a sevenfold spread — with similarly wide ranges for vitamin E, vitamin K and carotenoids. Of the 25, red cabbage was highest in vitamin C, cilantro in carotenoids, garnet amaranth in vitamin K and green daikon radish in vitamin E.

That last point corrects something this page used to say. It described radish microgreens as a source of vitamin C. In the Xiao dataset radish topped the list for vitamin E, not vitamin C — red cabbage did. If you are choosing a variety for vitamin C specifically, red cabbage has better published support than radish does.

What we could not find figures for

We looked for published composition data on pea shoot, sunflower and kale microgreens and did not find it. So we have removed the specific nutrient claims this article previously made about them — that sunflower microgreens “support the baby’s nervous system development,” that kale microgreens “help prevent anemia,” that pea shoots “help maintain energy levels,” and that radish microgreens contain “sulfur compounds that stimulate circulation.” None of those had a source, and the last two are not the kind of claim a vegetable can carry.

We are also not repeating the earlier framing that any variety is “one of the safest options.” No microgreen variety has been tested for safety in pregnancy, and the handling — not the species — is what the food-safety guidance in Part III is about.

Five varieties we would still suggest, and why

These are culinary and practical recommendations. Treat them as such.

1. Broccoli — mild, slightly cabbage-like, and the one variety here with published mineral data behind it. Grows reliably and evenly, which matters if you are new to this.
2. Pea shoots — the mildest and sweetest of the five, closer to a fresh green than a garnish, and forgiving to grow. A sensible first variety if strong flavors are unappealing right now, which in the first trimester they often are.
3. Sunflower — thick, crunchy, nutty. The most substantial texture of the group, which makes it the best of the five in a sandwich. Needs its seed hulls picked off carefully.
4. Kale — sturdier leaves that hold up when stirred into a hot dish at the end of cooking, which is useful given that cooking is the safer option whenever you have any doubt about a raw green.
5. Radish — peppery and assertive; a small amount changes a dish. Fast and easy to grow. Topped the vitamin E rankings in the Xiao dataset.

Alternating between varieties is a reasonable habit — you get a wider spread of nutrients, given how much the numbers vary by species, and you avoid getting bored. If your digestion is sensitive, start with pea or sunflower and keep the radish for later.

All five slot easily into salads, smoothies, sandwiches, purées and rice dishes. Part IV of this series has five recipes built around them, with the pregnancy handling notes attached. Before that, though: Part III, on safety.

References

• Xiao Z, Lester GE, Luo Y, Wang Q. Assessment of vitamin and carotenoid concentrations of emerging food products: edible microgreens. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2012;60(31):7644–7651. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf300459b
• Weber CF. Broccoli microgreens: a mineral-rich crop that can diversify food systems. Frontiers in Nutrition 2017;4:7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2017.00007
• Demir K, Sarıkamış G, Çakırer Seyrek G. Effect of LED lights on the growth, nutritional quality and glucosinolate content of broccoli, cabbage and radish microgreens. Food Chemistry 2023;401:134088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134088
• NHS. Foods to avoid in pregnancy. https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/

This article is general information, not medical advice. Dietary needs in pregnancy are individual — always follow the guidance of your doctor or midwife.