Watercress is a green leaf that is grown in spring water and from the same family as spinach, kale, and arugula. Watercress has small round leaves and is used often for food and medicine. One advantage of watercress is its versatility, offering a subtle and slightly peppery flavor, it can be added to salads, eaten as a vegetable, steamed or added to sandwiches or soup. The leafy vegetable offers a great range of health benefits and is known as a powerhouse or superfood vegetable.
Watercress is packed full of a range of nutrients, it is bursting with vital vitamins and minerals that give the body great health benefits. Some of the vitamin and mineral levels in watercress are better than some of the most popular fruit and vegetables. For example, there is more vitamin C in watercress than in an orange and there is more iron in watercress than spinach. It also has more calcium levels than milk and also has high levels of vitamin A, B6 and B12 as well as magnesium.
Immune System
Because watercress is packed full of vital vitamins and minerals, it is great to help improve the immune system. In particular, vitamin C is very good at protecting the body against diseases. Watercress has a high vitamin C content which improves the immune system well. The vitamins packed into watercress also release antioxidants which help get rid of free radicals and other symptoms from the body which improves the body’s immunity. So if you are feeling under the weather and need a boost, adding watercress to your diet will help boost your immune system and help fight infections.
WaterCress Helps Hangovers
You have probably look for a cure for hangovers for a while now and had no luck. There are many old home remedies that people use to try and cure or prevent hangovers. One of these includes watercress and drinking watercress juice. It works for curing a hangover as the vegetable helps to stimulate the cleaning of enzymes to detoxify the liver. This prevents the hangover feeling from excessive drinking to occur.
Bone Health
Watercress has high levels of calcium. Calcium helps to repair and build strong bones and a lack of calcium can cause osteoporosis. Calcium deficiency is becoming a problem with more people not getting the amount of calcium they should have in their diet. Calcium is needed for strong teeth and bones so by adding watercress to a diet, it is a great way to add calcium to their diet easily. It can help contribute to the improvement of strong nails, teeth, and bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis and other deficiency problems.
Mental Health
The increase of watercress in a diet has often been linked with the improvement of mental health. Folate, also known as folic acid, is a type of B vitamin that helps to make DNA and helps neurotransmitters, the pathways of the central nervous system and the production of neurochemicals including serotonin. Low levels of folate can often cause a high risk of depression. By adding food that is rich in folate such as watercress, to a diet, it can help reduce chronic disease and mental health problems.
Pregnancy
Watercress can also benefit pregnant women. Folate is an essential vitamin as it helps the healthy development of an embryo. It can also help regulate normal cell division and reduce neural tube deficiency. By adding watercress to a women’s diet when pregnant, they can help reduce the risk of any problems to the embryo.
Watercress is also packed full of key nutrients essential for pregnancy. It is important that the vitamin and mineral levels are kept high during a pregnancy so that the mother and baby are both healthy.
Improved Eyesight and Brain Health
Watercress is rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C is one the best vitamins as it helps a wide range of the body. It can help to improve eyesight and brain health significantly when consumed daily. Studies have found that the consumption of vitamin C can help minimize the risk of developing a cataract or other eye-related problems. As watercress is rich in vitamin C, it could potentially help improve eyesight and vision.
Vitamin C also helps with cognitive functions and brain health. Healthy and high levels of vitamin C in the body helps protect the brain and repair tissues when needed. This benefits the brain by improving memory, concentration and prevent problems related to Alzheimer’s and aging.
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