Health Benefits of Watercress

In one of the issues of Elle magazine, Elizabeth Hurley revealed that whenever she wants to lose weight, she eats at least six cups of watercress soup a day. Eating the soup helps her fight off her hunger pangs and boosts her energy. In her recipe, she uses three large bunches of watercress with the stems removed, finely chopped onions, two diced potatoes and chicken stock.

The watercress soup diet is effective probably because it has a low energy density and makes a person feel full after taking it, which is very helpful in weight control.

Watercress or nasturtium officinale with a spicy peppery taste is categorized both as leafy vegetable and herb. As vegetable, the leaves are eaten raw or cooked. It is also used as a garnish. Watercress seeds are grounded and used as mustard.

When used as medicinal herb, the fresh leaves are crushed and made into poultice to treat inflammation such as rheumatism. Freshly squeezed juice is used both internally and topically to treat various conditions such as blemishes and acne.

Watercress leaves are rich in nutrients. The chart below shows the amount of vitamins, minerals and nutrition in a 100grams of raw watercress.

Nutrients	Units
Water	95.11g
Energy	11 kcal
Protein	2.30g
Total lipid (fat)	0.10g
Carbohydrate	1.29g
Dietary Fiber	0.5g
Sugars	0.20g
Calcium	120mg
Iron	0.20mg
Magnesium	21mg
Phosphorus	60mg
Potassium	330mg
Sodium	41mg
Zinc	0.11mg
Copper	0.077mg
Manganese	0.244mg
Selenium	0.9mcg
Vitamin C	43.0mg
Thiamine	0.090mg
Riboflavin	0.120mg
Niacin	0.200mg
Pantothenic acid	0.310mg
Vitamin B6	0.129mg
Folate	9mcg
Beta Carotene	1914mcg
Vitamin A	3191IU
Vitamin E	1.0mg
Lutein + zeaxanthin	5767mg
Vitamin K	250mcg

Watercress also contains phytochemicals which are non-nutritive plant chemicals but have disease preventive properties. One of the phytochemicals present is gluconasturtiin which produces the mustard like taste and studies suggest that this phytochemical may protect from breast cancer, stomach cancer and lung cancer triggered by smoking.

Take a look at the amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. And even though the amount of vitamin E, selenium and zinc are small, they add up to make watercress rich in antioxidants.

The Health Benefits of Watercress

1. Since it is rich in antioxidants, one of the health benefits of watercress in is preventing cell damage that can cause serious health problems such as cancer, hardening of the arteries, heart diseases, stroke as well as premature aging. Antioxidants are immune system booster and help fight off infections.
   
   
   
2. Beta carotene is a provitamin A which is stored in the body when not in used and converted to vitamin A when the need arises. Lutein and zeaxanthin are great for eye health and may help prevent age related eye disease, cataract and night blindness.
   
   
   
3. Vitamin A is beneficial for eye, gums, hair, lungs and skin health. Besides its antioxidant activities, vitamin C speeds up wound healing and fight cancer causing substances. The additional benefits of vitamin E is it may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Selenium has the ability to prevent blood clot and zinc is helpful in preventing prostate enlargement.
   
   
   
4. Watercress is rich in vitamin K. The benefits of vitamin K include building bones, depositing calcium and protecting the heart. Calcium is important in building and maintaining strong bones. Folate assists in maintaining proper blood circulation.
   
   
   
5. Drinking fresh watercress juice may help remove toxins and treat water retention as it acts as a natural diuretic.

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