HEALTH BENEFITS
Rich in nutrients, watercress is a leafy vegetable of peppery taste frequently regarded as a leafy green superfood. Abounding in minerals and vitamins, watercress comprises an amazing 312% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin K, along with high quantities of vitamin C. Moreover, watercress has demonstrated positive effects on protecting the body’s DNA from damage.
Broccoli, which is packed with vitamin D, is also a vegetable rich in fiber and three different types of glucosinolate phytonutrients crucial for your body detoxification.
A CANCER PREVENTATIVE MEASURE
Regular consumption of both broccoli and watercress considerably decreases the risk of colon, breast and prostate cancer. This is mainly due to the presence of glucosinolates, i.e. phytochemicals that produce isothiocyanates. These substances have demonstrated a capacity to turn off the tumor signals sent to your brain, which stimulate tumor growth.
More recent studies have discovered the presence of enzymes found in both broccoli and watercress that are released with chewing. High levels of the compound phenanthryl isothiocyanate (PEITC), produced in both vegetables, and widely known for its cancer-preventative properties, have demonstrated great efficiency in preventing cancer cells from growing.
BETTER THAN CHEMO?
A considerable disadvantage of chemotherapy (alongside the large amounts of radiation you’re exposed to) is that it actually aims at the large tumors in the body. Although this is effective for reducing or even eradicating large tumors, cancer cells can still remain in the body. If cancer stem cells survive, there is usually nothing to stop them from proliferation, which is why many cases of cancer are recurrent.
However, laboratory treatment of cancerous cells with PEITC, the compound found in watercress and broccoli, proved to destroy these cells within 24 hours. These results may not be so immediate or complete when cancerous cells are in the body, but the message is clear: the substances found in watercress and broccoli prevent or kill cancer cells. Including these vegetables in your diet can only benefit you.
