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Watercress.. A Culinary Delight Packed With Many Health Benefits

Watercress was once considered as an old fashioned garnish, more often than not left on the side of the plate, poor old watercress tends to get terribly ignored.

Well let's look at this vegetable in a different light now. After reading this it will be the first thing you will eat off your plate and you will be cramming it into your sandwiches. Peanut butter and water-cress....Hmmm?

Get this...Water-cress is a better source of vitamins C, K, E, B1, and B6, Zinc, Manganese, Magnesium and Iron than broccoli, tomatoes and oranges.

It is jam packed with powerful antioxidants such as quercetin and lutein which 'mop up' free radicals. It is full of vitamin A and beta carotene which we need for healthy eyes and skin and it also acts as an inhibitor of cancer.

A study carried out over 15 years ago found that smokers who regularly ate water-cress had protection from the carcinogen associated with lung cancer.

It is grown commercially mainly in Southern England in mineral-rich running water, just like rice it draws most of it's nutrition from the water. I remember having great fun growing it as a kid, but I never ate the stuff, obviously ignorant of its fantastic health benefits then, but when you are very young you don't really think or care about things like that do you?

Watercress.. Good For Bone Health

An excellent source of magnesium and calcium for strong bones and hormonal balance. Water cress is brimming with iron, needed for healthy red blood cells. In fact a couple of handfuls will deliver around 25 per cent of your RDA. It will help maintain energy levels and help to battle fatigue. Rich in sulphur, it is great for your hair and nails.

Although water cress has been consumed for hundreds if not thousands of years for it's health benefits, it's culinary delights have gained wide recognition.

There are many uses for water cress such as....

Made into soup
Cooked with fish
Added to sandwiches
Added to salads

...and healthiest of all-put through a juicer and the juice drank on it's own or mixed with other high antioxidant juices.

Truly a underrated superfood!

How about a refreshing water cress hot or cold soup recipe? Print this out and add it to your collection of healthy recipes.

Hot or Cold Water cress Soup

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

50g/2oz butter
500g/1lb potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
500g/1lb leeks, sliced
500ml/1 pt chicken stock
250ml/� pt single cream
2 x 85g/3oz packs watercress (leaving some sprigs for garnish)
salt and pepper

Directions
Melt the butter and gently fry the vegetables for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Cool a little and add the cream and watercress. Liquidise until smooth. Season well and either heat through for a hot soup or chill for 3-4 hours for cold soup.

Enjoy!

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