They both are aquatic plants that belong to the Brassicaceae family. Arugula has a fresh, tart, bitter taste; its leaves have smoother sides and a rounded top, while watercress has a peppery flavor, similar to mustard and wasabi, and is soft, mid-green leaves with an unbroken edge and an oval shape.
Can you eat raw watercress?
Yes, absolutely – in fact watercress is best eaten raw. When the rest of us would be snacking on a biscuit, watercress growers are often seen wandering the farm chewing on fresh, uncooked watercress, and my, what a healthy bunch they are! In Victorian times watercress was regarded as an essential staple.
Does watercress taste like rocket?
Q : What does watercress taste like? A : Raw watercress has a peppery taste, similar to other related plants like mustard and wasabi. Once cooked the pepperiness of watercress diminishes, leaving a distinctive vegetable flavour which tastes delicious in soups, stews and stir fries.
Which is healthier spinach or arugula?
The calorie, protein, and fiber content of both vegetables is similar, but the vitamins and minerals tip the scale towards spinach — except for calcium. Spinach has more vitamin A, C, K, folate, potassium, magnesium, manganese, and iron.
What is watercress used for?
Watercress is a plant. The parts that grow above the ground are used to make medicine. Watercress is used for swollen breathing passages in the lung, coughs, bronchitis, flu, and swine flu. Other uses include treating baldness, constipation, parasitic worms, cancer, goiter, polyps, scurvy, and tuberculosis.
Who should not eat watercress?
Stay on the safe side and avoid use. Children: Watercress is LIKELY UNSAFE for use as a medicine in children, especially in those younger than four years old. Stomach or intestinal ulcers: Don’t use watercress if you have stomach or intestinal ulcers. Kidney disease: Don’t use watercress if you have kidney disease.
Does watercress need to be washed?
Always wash your watercress in cold water before eating, especially if it was touching the water. Immersing the cress in cold water also refreshes it and makes it come back to life, an important trick to have around if it was purchased or a bit wilted.
Can I use arugula instead of watercress?
Arugula is probably the closest match you’ll find for watercress. Its flavor is similarly mild and peppery, and it’ll provide you with a similar nutritional boost. Nasturtium leaves.
Which is healthier watercress or arugula?
Arugula is richer in minerals than watercress. It contains more iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, copper, and potassium than watercress. Arugula also has less sodium.
What are the side effects of eating watercress?
There are no known side effects of watercress at routine doses.
What happens if I eat arugula everyday?
Arugula health benefits include protects your heart, could help control weight, improves eye health, reduces cancer risk, helps with digestion, helps control blood pressure, helps prevent diabetes, delivers vitamin K and calcium for healthy bones, good for your skin, may add years to your life, enhance athletic
Is arugula good for arthritis?
It Can Suppress Inflammation
Arugula was included as a part of an anti-inflammatory diet for those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a 2020 study.
Is it better to eat arugula raw or cooked?
Sauteing is the most common method of cooking arugula. If you want to make sure you are receiving the maximum nutrition benefits, studies show that it is better to eat arugula raw. This is because cooking arugula can slightly reduce its vitamin C, antioxidant, and mineral content.
What is another name for watercress?
watercress, (Nasturtium officinale), also called cress, perennial aquatic plant of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout North America. Watercress thrives in cool flowing streams, where it grows submerged, floating on the water, or spread over mud surfaces.
Which is healthier watercress or spinach?
Spinach is richer not only in vitamins but in minerals as well. Spinach has 15 times more iron, five times more zinc, and nearly four times more magnesium than watercress. Spinach is also richer in potassium, copper and contains higher levels of sodium.
Is watercress anti inflammatory?
Watercress also contains dietary nitrates, which boost blood vessel health by reducing inflammation and decreasing the stiffness and thickness of your blood vessels ( 21 ).
Which is healthier watercress or kale?
Watercress scores a whopping 1000 on the scale putting it in joint first place with kale, right at the top of the crops and way ahead of blueberries, edamame, broccoli and spinach.
Is watercress bad for high blood pressure?
Eating watercress can help support the health of your heart. Antioxidants (carotenoids in particular) have been linked to lower blood pressure, lower risk of heart disease, and even a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Does watercress cause high blood pressure?
Helps Lower Blood Pressure – Watercress contains nitrates that help create elasticity and in the blood vessels which therefore lowers blood pressure.
Should you keep watercress in the fridge?
To keep watercress fresh for up to 5 days, store it in the refrigerator in a deep bowl, upside-down with the stems submerged in cold water and the leafy tops covered with a plastic bag. Drain well before using. When a recipe calls for watercress tops, simply break the delicate leaves off the thick center stalks.
Can you get liver fluke from watercress?
People usually become infected by eating raw watercress or other water plants contaminated with immature parasite larvae. The young worms move through the intestinal wall, the abdominal cavity, and the liver tissue, into the bile ducts, where they develop into mature adult flukes that produce eggs.