6 INCREDIBLE HEALTH BENEFITS OF WATERCRESS - NUTRITION

The benefits and properties of watercress for health are numerous: it prevents cancer, takes care of eye health, lowers blood pressure, maintains strong bones and others that I will discuss below.

Watercress, Nasturtium officinale, is a fast-growing, leafy, aquatic plant that grows abundantly in most cool, shallow-area streams and lakes.

It is native to Europe and Asia, and one of the oldest vegetables consumed by humans. It is a member of the Brassicaceae family, botanically related to mustard, radish, and wasabi, all noted for their spicy flavor.

A 100-gram serving of watercress provides 11 calories and is particularly rich in vitamin K.

It also contains significant amounts of vitamin A, C, riboflavin, vitamin B6, calcium, manganese, and folate. It is low in carbohydrates, protein, fat, and dietary fiber.

Despite being a rare plant for some of us, you can find it in most greengrocers and supermarkets. It has a slightly spicy flavor so it is ideal to combine in a plate of Mexican food.

In recent times, watercress has been used in gastronomy mainly as a simple garnish, although little by little, it is gaining prominence as a star food.

Watercress is a food loaded with properties for our health, very rich in vitamins and minerals as well as low in calories due to the high amount of nutrients it has.

6 Health benefits of watercress

1-Prevents cancer

70% of studies on the subject have found links between cruciferous vegetables, such as watercress, and protection against cancer.

An experiment with four women who overcame breast cancer consumed about two cups of watercress a day and their levels of phenyl isocyanate (anticancer agents) increased, thus producing a substantial improvement in them, reducing the chances of relapse.

The National Cancer Institute shows that these compounds can:

Help protect cells from DNA damage.
Disconnect carcinogens (capable of causing cancer).
Antivirus and antibacterial benefits.
It has anti-inflammatory properties.
It represses the formation of blood vessel tumors and the migration of tumor cells.

Watercress contains more anticancer agents than any other cruciferous vegetable.

2-Take care of the health of your eyes

As a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, watercress is an incredible source of eye nutrients such as vitamin A, beta-carotene, carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin.

Not getting enough lutein and zeaxanthin has been linked to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

AMD is a disease that blurs the acute central vision needed for activities that require looking straight ahead, such as reading, sewing, and driving.

The American Optometric Association states that age-related macular degeneration is "the leading cause of blindness in people over 55 in the Western world and the incidence is expected to triple by 2025."

Including watercress in your diet is additional protection against the growth of cataracts.

3-Lower blood pressure and take care of your heart

Consuming watercress due to its high content of lutein and zeaxanthin has been shown to help patients with cardiovascular disease.

According to one study, higher blood levels of lutein and zeaxanthin were associated with less arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, than those with lower levels of the carotenoids.

Additionally, participants with the highest blood carotenoid levels were also less likely to succumb to heart attacks.

Its high nitrate content is also to be commended. Most fruits and vegetables contain high levels of naturally occurring nitrates in the diet. Nitrates are a salt of nitric acid and are an essential nutrient for plants to grow.

Because certain fruits and vegetables also contain vitamin C, a natural nitrosamine inhibitor, eating them offers you all the benefits of healthy nitrates without all the negatives.

Dietary nitrates have been shown to have a wide range of benefits for vascular health including:

Lowering blood pressure.
It represses platelet aggregation (blood clotting).
Preserves diseases such as arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, sepsis, thrombosis among others.
Improves exercise performance in healthy individuals and in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

4-Keep your bones strong and healthy

Believe it or not, watercress has more bioavailable calcium than milk. For every gram of raw watercress, you will find 1.5 mg of calcium, which is higher than the 1.13 mg of calcium per gram of whole milk that you would be drinking.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirms that getting calcium exclusively from dairy products is dangerous because casein, calcium, fat, saturated lactose, and cholesterol contribute to poor health.

Researchers claim that the same nutrients found in milk are readily available in healthier plant-based foods, like watercress.

But calcium is not the only nutrient needed to build and maintain strong, healthy bones. You also need to keep up with your vitamin K.

Watercress is an excellent natural source of calcium that helps prevent osteoporosis. This is a disease caused, among other things, by the absence of calcium in our diet.

The disease is associated with a gradual loss of bone density, which increases the risk of fractures.

Adequate calcium intake also helps keep teeth strong and healthy.

5-Control diabetes

Watercress is low in fat, sodium, and cholesterol. It is an ideal food for people with diabetes problems.

Its intake, for diabetics, produces significant improvements on the pancreas, helping to improve glucose levels in the blood and taking care of the manufacture of insulin.

Since obesity is undoubtedly the main culprit for diabetes, watercress for diabetics is the perfect aid in supporting weight loss.

Watercress includes complex carbohydrates, which significantly decrease the amount of insulin needed, as well as manage blood glucose levels, which could increase after meals.

Experts recommend including a minimum of three to four servings of watercress in your daily diet each week to optimize the benefits.

6-Healthy and radiant skin

Watercress is full of antioxidants and minerals, properties that favor the elimination of toxins and improve the health of our skin.

It also has antimicrobial and antibacterial properties naturally. In fact, in one study 10 out of 11 women experienced visible improvements in their skin in just four weeks after adding a bag of watercress to their diet every day.

These improvements are visible in the reduction of wrinkles, skin texture, reduction of brown spots, and fewer bacteria on the skin.

Watercress may not be as popular as other cosmetics but it has the ability to keep up with its natural competitors.

How to incorporate watercress into your diet

The most common use for watercress is as part of salad, but it can also be incorporated into pasta, stews and sauces like any other green product.

Watercress can be sautéed like hard vegetables such as kale and collard greens, or it can also be combined with other dishes such as meat and fish.

Another option for the laziest is to make a smoothie. Take a handful of watercress and mix it with your favorite fruit. In this way, its incorporation into your diet will be more bearable.

The watercress can be perfectly combined with the omelette or with anything that comes to mind, the important thing is not to forget it on the shopping list!

References

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/285412.php.
http://www.optos.com/es/Pacientes/Patologias-oculares/Degeneracion-macular-relaciona-con-la-edad-AMD/.
www.healthbenefitstimes.com/health-benefits-of-watercress/.
http://www.botanical-online.com/medicinalsberro.htm.
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-watercress.html.
www.nutritionsecrets.com/amazing-health-benefits-of-watercress/.
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6 INCREDIBLE HEALTH BENEFITS OF WATERCRESS - NUTRITION - 2024