We got some sunflower greens (a.k.a. sunflower microgreens) recently at our wholesale produce market and they are incredibly delicious and vibrant looking!
A few weeks ago, I shared about sunflower microgreens as being a surprising source of selenium, so here is one of our favorite salads with 2 ounces of sunflower microgreens added:
10 cups torn romaine lettuce (470 g)
3 cups chopped dandelion greens (165 g)
1.5 cups grated cucumber (170 g)
1 cup grated carrots (110 g)
1 cup grated yellow summer squash (149 g)
0.5 cup chopped tomato (90 g)
2 ounces of sunflower microgreens (56 g) (about 2 cups)
Sprinkle of chopped purple cabbage (not in nutrient analysis)
Nutrient analysis of salad:
| Adult DRIs – not including pregnancy, lactation, or children | ||
| Vitamin B1 | 1.1 mg | 1.1 mg for women, 1.2 mg for men |
| Vitamin B2 | 1.2 mg | 1.1 mg for women, 1.3 mg for men |
| Vitamin B3 | 2.1 mg | 14 mg for women, 16 mg for men |
| Vitamin B5 | 2.1 mg | 5 mg for both men and women |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.4 mg | 1.3 mg for both 50 and under, 1.5 women over 50, 1.7 men over 50 |
| Choline | 144.8 mg | 425 mg for women, 550 for men |
| Folate | 818 mcg | 400 mcg for both |
| Vitamin C | 135 mg | 75 mg for women, 90 mg for men |
| Vitamin E | 9.5 mg | 15 mg for both men and women |
| Calcium | 630 mg | 1000 mg women 19-50, men 19-70, 1200 mg women 50+, men 70+ |
| Iron | 23.4 mg | 18 mg pre-menopausal women 8 mg for men and post-menopausal women |
| Magnesium | 245 mg | 310 mg 19-30 year-old women 320 mg 31+ year-old-women 400 mg 19-30 year-old men 420 mg for 31+ year-old-men |
| Potassium | 3294 mg | 2600 mg for women, 3400 mg for men |
| Selenium | 19 mcg | 55 mcg for both women and men |
| Zinc | 3.5 mg | 8 mg for women, 11 mg for men |
If one added an extra ounce (about one cup loosely packed) of sunflower microgreens to this salad, the selenium content of the salad would increase to 27 mcg, which is almost half (48%) of the adult selenium RDA of 55 mcg! This is especially good news for raw food enthusiasts who have sensitivities to Brazil nuts, a concentrated source of selenium, as one 5 g Brazil nut has been measured to contain 96 mcg of selenium (174% of the adult RDA for selenium).
Enjoy!
