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The Health Benefits (and Downsides) of Watercress: The World’s Healthiest Vegetable

The internet loves “best of” lists. But while many of these lists involve movies, electronics, or how well someone dressed at the Oscars, until recently, I wasn’t aware there was a “best of” award for the world’s healthiest vegetable. The competition was fierce. Kale and chard came on strong. Sweet potatoes gave it their best shot. And blackberries brought their A game with a heavy dose of antioxidants. But in the end, it was a humble leafy green, mostly overlooked by foodies and health influencers, that took the top spot in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) list of the healthiest fruit or vegetable. Based solely on nutritional density, watercress was voted the healthiest…

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 This Is Officially the Healthiest Food in the World

Goji berries, açaí, chia seeds, or the humble, Vitamin C-packed orange? In the search for the healthiest food in the world, researchers at William Paterson University in New Jersey examined 41 types of fruit and vegetables and compared them with each other. The winner—officially titled the most nutrient-dense food in the world—may surprise you: The superfood par excellence can actually be grown and thrive in your home, even if you don’t have a garden.

 Watercress – the “weed” with tremendous healing power

Watercress, a semi-aquatic, fast growing vegetable, is the most ancient vegetable known to, and consumed by man. It is nature’s answer to our needs of vitamins, minerals, nutrients and fibre, all in one. It contains carbohydrates, proteins, fats, micronutrients and antioxidants. Watercress is said to be the most nutritious and medicinally powerful vegetable. Some others have described it as both a vegetable multivitamin and multi-mineral.

Articles of Interest

Watercress: Are You Eating This Powerhouse Green?

So which fruit or vegetable fared the best? Watercress, with a score of 100, topped the list because of the large amounts of the critical nutrients it contains. Following watercress were Chinese cabbage, chard, beet greens, and spinach.

Why watercress is good for you

Overshadowed by rocket, which is so tediously ubiquitous, watercress struggles to get a look-in. Curious that, because the latter is by far the superior leaf. With watercress you get that reliable, but not overbearing pepperiness, all bound up in juicy, sappy succulence. It's a two-in-one vegetable: the leaves have the velvety floppiness of lamb's lettuce, while the stalks have the snap of beansprouts.

A bagful of cress a day may keep cancer cells at bay, study suggests

It contains more iron than spinach, more vitamin C than oranges and more calcium than milk. Watercress may be better known as a decorative garnish, but a study published yesterday said the salad leaf could significantly cut the risk of cancer. The study suggested that eating 85g of watercress a day could inhibit the growth of cancer cells and even kill them. Scientists at Ulster University found that the watercress reduced the damage caused by cancer cells to white blood cells by 22.9%. Watercress also raised levels of antioxidants which absorb so-called "free radicals", molecules which some experts believe damage the body's tissues.

A Narrative Review on Therapeutic Potentials of Watercress in Human Disorders

Watercress (WC) is an aquatic vegetable that belongs to the Brassicaceae family, and it often grows near water. In traditional medicine, WC is a known remedy for hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, arthritis, bronchitis, diuresis, odontalgia, and scurvy. It also acts as an antiestrogenic and can be used as a nutritional supplement. It has been reported that these therapeutic effects are due to primary metabolites such as isothiocyanates, glucosinolates, polyphenols (flavonoids, phenolic acids, and proanthocyanidins), vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, E, and C), terpenes (including carotenoids), and bioelements which exist in this plant.

Health Challenge: Switch Up Your Salad With Spicy, Sultry Watercress! (Here's How It Boosts Your Health)

I've always been a huge fan of watercress. I love the spicy, mustardy taste of the greens--such a welcome change from boring romaine. And now, switching to watercress may have bigtime health payoffs, say researchers ...

Watercress helps in fight against breast cancer

Scientists claim that health-boosting properties in watercress could help stop breast cancer tumours growing...

Resources

3 Reasons Why Watercress Is the Healthiest Vegetable

Peppers, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers, all chopped up over mixed greens. All the makings of a perfect salad. Right?There might be an even better salad ingredient that you’re missing out on, says BreAnn Erickson, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist with the Digestive Health Institute in Shelton and Bridgeport.“Watercress, which was recently named healthiest vegetable by the CDC, offers plenty of benefits that you won’t want to miss out on,” she says.