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Page 103
| Watercress |
| Helps prevent and treat infection |
| Helps prevent and treat anemia |
| Helps protect against birth defects |
| Decreases risk of cataracts |
| Helps slow effects of aging |
| May reduce cancer risk |
| May protect against heart disease |
| With its lively, springlike taste, watercress perks up your tastebuds as well as your diet. It's packed with health-enhancing antioxidants, minerals, and other cruciferous delights. |
| Antioxidant Action |
| Studies show that people who often eat leafy greens, especially cruciferous vegetables such as watercress, have lower rates of cancer. And watercress is particularly beneficial because it's often eaten raw, retaining all its nutrients. |
| Watercress is high in antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C, both linked to lower cancer rates. Researchers believe that it may be especially good at fighting lung cancer caused by smoking or breathing secondhand smoke thanks to a natural compound called phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). |
| When lab animals were fed watercress after being exposed to tobacco's cancer-causing chemicals, they were 50 percent less likely to develop cancer than animals who got the same chemicals but no watercress. And researchers have found similar results in people who smoke. That's not to say that watercress can delete, or even significantly diminish, the lethal effects of cigarette smoke. But it does appear to have a powerful cancer-fighting effect. |
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