6 Benefits of watercress to help maintain a healthy body

Lettuce is usually eaten raw as fresh vegetables, used as stuffing in bread, or mixed in salads. However, did you know that there are other types of lettuce? Or have you even tried it? Yes, it is watercress that can be eaten immediately as raw vegetables or boiled first.

Do not want to be outdone by lettuce in general, there are various benefits of watercress that are good for supporting your health, you know. Let's see in full in the following review.

Get to know the nutritional content of watercress

Source: COOP Stronger Together

If lettuce is usually known for its broad leaf size that is light green in color, then watercress leaves have a smaller leaf diameter with a dark green color. As with other types of vegetables that have a lot of good properties, you can also get the benefits of watercress for free.

Watercress is equipped with various important nutrients that will further increase the adequacy of nutrients in the body. According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health's Indonesian Food Composition Data, 100 grams (gr) of lettuce can contribute as much as 17 calories of energy, 2.2 grams of carbohydrates, 3.1 grams of protein, and 0.7 grams of fiber.

It's not enough to stop there, you will certainly get a variety of vitamins and minerals when eating this one lettuce. Minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, copper, zinc and additional B vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin K also make this lettuce richer in nutrients.

So from now on, don't hesitate to eat watercress leaves which are not only fresh but also healthy for the body.

A series of health benefits of watercress

Apart from arousing your appetite, watercress also offers a variety of good benefits that you shouldn't just miss out on.

1. High in antioxidants

Source: Reader's Digest

Every time you eat watercress, you have increased the number of antioxidants that are in it. Antioxidants are compounds whose job is to protect the body from bad free radical attack. Too much exposure to free radicals has the risk of causing various dangerous chronic diseases.

Although antioxidants are actually produced by the body, it doesn't hurt to optimize the amount through daily food sources. Especially because the amount of antioxidants that the body produces is only a small amount.

More specifically, watercress has more than 40 types of flavonoids, which are antioxidants commonly found in plants. The amount is relatively high compared to other types of vegetables, so it is considered effective in neutralizing the effects of free radicals.

2. Prevent cancer

Other benefits of watercress that are no less interesting because they contain phytochemical and isothicyanate compounds. These two compounds have long been known to help reduce the risk of cancer by maintaining body cells, blocking carcinogenic compounds that cause disease, and preventing tumor growth and spread.

In fact, several studies reported on the Healthline page have proven that the isothiocyanates in watercress leaves are able to prevent colon, prostate, lung and skin cancer.

It is reinforced by other research in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, that the isothiocyanates and sulforaphane compounds that are both present in watercress leaves can suppress the emergence of breast cancer cells.

3. Lowering blood pressure

A 2013 study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, found that foods containing nitrates, such as watercress, have been shown to dilate blood vessels as well as promote stiff blood vessels.

Besides that, the nitrate content in this one lettuce is also able to increase the amount of nitric oxide in the blood. That is why, high blood pressure will gradually decrease later.

4. Protect heart health

Various important nutrients in vegetables are believed to be good for maintaining heart health, including watercress. Beta carotene, zeaxanthin, and lutein are some of the carotenoid family antioxidant compounds found in watercress.

The consumption of these three compounds is often linked to the prevention of heart disease and high blood pressure. What's more, high amounts of carotenoid compounds can also lower the risk of heart attack and stroke, according to the Mediators of Inflammation Journal.

For those of you who are trying to maintain heart health, this type of lettuce can be the right food choice because it usually helps lower body cholesterol, which directly affects heart function.

5. Maintain healthy bones

In fact, this type of lettuce contains a number of vitamins and minerals that are alleged to be able to strengthen and maintain bone function. Starting from vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, potassium, to phosphorus.

Here, vitamin K is responsible for accelerating calcium absorption, reducing calcium excretion in the urine, and as a component of osteocalcin, which is a protein that forms healthy bone tissue.

Coupled with the role of other minerals that further strengthen the ability and health of bones as limbs.

6. Healthy eyes

Not only vitamin A can maintain eye health, vitamin C also has the same contribution. Research published in the Acta Ophthalmologica Journal, explains that the vitamin C content in watercress can reduce a person's risk of developing cataracts.

In addition to cataracts, the antioxidant compounds lutein and zeaxanthin in watercress will prevent the development of macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is the appearance of disorders in the eye that can affect the ability to see.

This disease can strike with age, which is mostly experienced when someone is more than 60 years old.