Vegetable
Watercress
A peppery leafy green packed with vitamin C and minerals that nourish the blood and bones.
📊 How it ranks (our editor score) — 89/100Tap to see the breakdown
🌱 What it is
Watercress is a peppery, dark-green leafy vegetable that grows in and around clean flowing water, eaten fresh in salads and dishes.
✨ Why it's good for you
- may help support bone health with vitamin K and calcium
- may help support healthy blood with iron and vitamin C
- may help support immune health as a nutrient-dense green
- may help support healthy vision with vitamin A
🥗 Nutrition
Per 1 cup chopped, raw (34g) · about 4 calories
- Vitamin K 85mcg
- Vitamin C 14.3mg
- Vitamin A 1610 IU
- Calcium 41mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
🥄 How to use it
Pile fresh leaves into salads and sandwiches, or stir into warm soup at the very end of cooking.
How much: A practical food amount is one to two good handfuls (about a cup or two) of fresh leaves most days, raw in salads or wilted into a finished dish.
Show full details & how to prepare it
Watercress is one of the oldest greens people have eaten, a fast-growing leaf with a clean, peppery bite. Despite weighing almost nothing it is remarkably rich, ounce for ounce, in vitamin C, vitamin K, and a range of minerals, which is why it was carried by sailors and prescribed by old physicians as a spring tonic to rebuild a tired, run-down body.
The vitamin C makes it a natural friend to the immune systemYour body's built-in defense team that fights off germs and helps you heal. More → and to the building of healthy skin and gums, while its iron and folate support the blood and its calcium and vitamin K support the bones. Like its cabbage-family cousins it also carries protective plant compounds studied for keeping cells healthy.
It is best eaten fresh and raw, or barely wilted, to preserve its delicate vitamins. The only real caution is to choose cultivated or thoroughly washed watercress, since leaves gathered from open streams can carry waterborne parasites.
Ways to prepare it
⚠️ Cautions
- Wild watercress from streams can carry parasites — use cultivated or well-washed leaves.
- Very large medicinal amounts may irritate the bladder; everyday food portions are gentle.
📚 What others say
- One of the oldest known leaf vegetables and a classic spring tonic
- Prized for its vitamin and mineral richness
Learn more
🕊️ A word of encouragement
Like watercress springing fresh beside running water, your strength can be renewed at the Source that never runs dry.
💬 Ask Remy about Watercress
📚 Resource confidence
Based on mentions in health references
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