Ten Great Reasons to Eat Watercress!
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- Watercress literally oozes beta-carotene, which is needed for healthy skin and eyes. No wonder 17th Century philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon claimed it could “restore a youthful bloom to women”.
- British watercress farmers are launching a new cancer research project in 2008, investigating watercress’s anti-cancer potential in relation to breast cancer. According to information provided by World Cancer Research Fund, this is the most common cancer in women in the Western world, currently affecting approximately 1 in 9 women during their life-time. The new clinical study, completing in October 2009, aims to identify the components of watercress that circulate in the body after digestion and measure their ability to suppress breast cancer cell development.
- Watercress is said to be a good cure for a hangover. For a great “morning-after” cocktail, peel and dice one mango and whiz in blender with a bag of watercress and up to 500ml of pure apple juice.
- Watercress is a member of the healthy Cruciferae (or Brassica) family, and therefore related to broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, rocket and radish. These vegetables are known to be excellent sources of certain phytochemicals, which are believed to have anti-cancer properties. Watercress should not be confused with mustard and cress, a completely different species. Cress comes from the Greek word meaning “to creep” and covers a host of low growing salads.
- Watercress contains Lutein and Zeaxanthin, types of carotenoids that act as antioxidants, meaning they can mop up potentially damaging free radicals. Lutein specifically is considered to be very important for eye health. It also contains Quercetin, a type of flavonoid and a powerful antioxidant.
- The ancient Greeks called watercress kardamon; they believed it could brighten their intellect, hence their proverb “Eat watercress and get wit”.
- Watercress is low in calories and fat. A serving of 80g (a typical cereal bowl full) has just 18 calories and makes up one of the five daily portions of fruit and vegetables, as recommended by health experts.
How many more reasons could you need to include watercress in your diet? Put it on your shopping list today – and get cooking! Visit www.watercress.co.uk for some great watercress recipes.
National Watercress Week
National Watercress Week kicks off on Sunday May 11th, with the annual watercress festival to mark the start of the Watercress season – so put the date in your diary.
It will be held in the beautiful Georgian town of Alresford, Hampshire, the UK's capital of watercress farming. It will be a great day out for all the family, with a fabulous food market, music and children’s entertainment. There will be free cookery demonstrations from Antony Worrall Thompson, who will be signing copies of a new anniversary watercress book available to order from the beginning of May 2008 on www.watercress.co.uk.
Antony Worrall Thompson is a great watercress fan. “Watercress is a fantastic salad leaf. Its lush, plump, vibrant leaves not only taste wonderfully peppery and crisp, but are amazingly good for us too, literally brimming with vitamins and minerals”, he says.