What Is Watercress?
Watercress is an aquatic vegetable known for its zippy flavor. It grows in many water sources, from Europe to Asia, and is used in many types of cuisine.
Watercress Benefits
The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in watercress can provide important health benefits. For example, it's rich in vitamin A – also known as retinol – which is vital for keeping your retinas healthy and your vision good. Getting enough vitamin A is also crucial for keeping your organs healthy because it’s critical for cell division.
The leafy vegetable is also rich in vitamin C, which supports your immune system, helps you heal from injuries, and supports healthy collagen production.
It also offers other health benefits like:
Watercress is full of beta-carotene and other carotenoids, which are known for being potent antioxidants. Like most antioxidants, carotenoids have been linked to fewer free radicals in the body. This leads to less oxidative stress and a lower chance of cell damage, cancer, and other chronic illnesses like arthritis.
This vegetable can help support heart health. Experts link antioxidants (carotenoids, in particular) to lower blood pressure, lower odds of heart disease, and even a lower chance of heart attacks and strokes. Early studies point toward another heart health benefit: Watercress may help lower cholesterol.
Watercress is an excellent source of three minerals essential for healthy bones: calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Calcium is the most common mineral in your body. If you don’t get enough, your bones may slowly weaken over time, leading to osteoporosis.
Magnesium and potassium indirectly impact skeletal health by affecting the growth of bone cells. Consuming enough of these minerals can help lower your chances of further health problems from osteoporosis and aging.
Enhance athletic performance
Research shows that nitrate, which watercress has at high levels, affects exercise tolerance. One study found that people who consumed drinks rich in nitrates (in this case, beetroot juice) improved their endurance during high-intensity exercise. Nitrates lowered muscle fatigue, improved muscle contractions, and helped with the perception of effort and leg muscle pain. This suggests nitrate enhances endurance performance by helping muscles function more efficiently, making exercise feel easier and less painful.
Watercress Nutrition Facts
Watercress is rich in potassium, which is one of the most important minerals in your body. Potassium helps your body regulate your heartbeat, salt levels, blood pressure, and even the health of your bones.
It's also an excellent source of:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Beta-carotene
- Carotenoids
- Magnesium
- Vitamin E
- Thiamin
- Riboflavin
- Vitamin B6
- Phosphorus
Nutrients per serving
A half-cup serving of watercress contains:
- Calories: 2
- Protein: Less than 1 gram
- Fat: Less than 1 gram
- Carbohydrates: 1 gram
- Fiber: Less than 1 gram
- Sugar: Less than 1 gram
Watercress Side Effects
Watercress is rich in vitamin K. For many people, this is perfectly fine. But, people on the blood-thinning medication warfarin should take care of how much watercress they eat. To work the right way, warfarin relies on your body having a somewhat constant amount of vitamin K. Suddenly adding a significant source of the vitamin could cause further health problems with the medication.
Watercress is also high in nitrates, which can be converted to nitrites if exposed to bacteria. Doctors link nitrites to a higher chance of stomach cancer. You should drink juice or smoothies with watercress right away or refrigerate and drink it within a day to avoid the chance of bacterial contamination.
How to Eat Watercress
You'll often find watercress in supermarkets and health food stores around the country. Because it’s an aquatic vegetable, you can find it more often in the warmer months, usually from April to September. It’s a light, crunchy leaf that tastes peppery and bright. This makes it a perfect choice for salads, juices, soups, and more.
Here are some ways you can include this vegetable in your diet:
- Toss watercress into any salad.
- Try watercress soup.
- Saute watercress with ginger as a flavorful side dish.
- Add watercress to a sandwich.
- Include watercress in stir-fries.
- Blend watercress with fruits and vegetables into a green smoothie.
How to Grow Watercress
To grow watercress, use wet, nutrient-rich soil. For containers, a soilless mix with perlite or vermiculite works well. Keep the soil moist by setting pots in a water-filled saucer. Before planting, test the soil and add fertilizer if needed. You can start watercress from seeds or stem cuttings. Sow seeds just below the soil surface about 3 weeks before the last frost, and don’t let the soil dry out.
Watercress survives in sunny spots with wet conditions. Space plants 8 inches apart and transplant them outdoors after the frost. If planting in a pot, make sure the soil is completely wet before seeding. Watercress grows best in shallow water or very wet soil, so keep potted plants in a few inches and change the water weekly. Or plant it near a body of water to keep the soil moist.
You can harvest watercress anytime during the year by cutting the dark green leaves and young stems. For the best taste, harvest before the plant flowers and when the weather is cooler. You can also cut the plant back and allow it to regrow for another harvest later.
Takeaways
Watercress is a nutrient-packed vegetable known for its peppery flavor and various health benefits. It is rich in vitamins A and C, which help maintain good vision, boost the immune system, and aid in healing and collagen production. The antioxidants in this leafy vegetable, like carotenoids, help lower your chance of cancer and heart disease by lowering oxidative stress. Watercress also enhances athletic performance thanks to its high nitrate content; plus, it supports bone health with its calcium, potassium, and magnesium content, which help prevent osteoporosis. The plant thrives in wet, nutrient-rich soil or shallow water and can be grown from seeds or stem cuttings, requiring constant moisture and sunny conditions for the best growth.
Watercress FAQ
Is watercress OK for the kidneys?
Yes. If you have kidney conditions, it's good to eat vegetables like watercress, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, wax beans, lettuce, onion, peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash. You should limit or avoid eating asparagus, avocado, potatoes, tomatoes or tomato sauce, winter squash, pumpkin, and cooked spinach.
