It's time to start eating more watercress
We all know that fruit and vegetables are good for our health, but which one is the best? A new league table has been drawn up and watercress comes out on top.
Fruits and vegetables have been pitted against each other showing the nutrients density and watercress was number one.
Foods were scored by their content of potassium, fibre, protein, calcium, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folate, zinc, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K.
Watercress achieved the top score of 100. Broccoli got 34.89, kale 49.07 and tomatoes 20.37.
While fruits and vegetables such as oranges are thought to be healthy, many contain just one main nutrient, such as Vitamin C, whereas so-called powerhouse vegetables contain multiple nutrients.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the William Paterson University of New Jersey scored on the percentage of a person’s daily needs for each nutrient the food provides.
The scores were capped to ensure that a fruit or vegetable that provides a huge amount of just a single nutrient wouldn’t receive a disproportionately high overall score.
The six fruits and vegetables that didn't make the powerhouse list were raspberries, tangerines, cranberries, garlic, onions and blueberries. This is because they are not densely packed with important nutrients, the researchers said.
Watercress is also thought to have medicinal properties and contains particularly high levels of vitamin K- important for bone health - and vitamin A (eye health). It also contains glucosinolate compounds, which have been found to have anti-cancer properties.
Tagged in Nutrition Healthy eating Super Food