Cress is a healthy herb and is easy to grow at home. In this article you will learn all about the nutritional values of garden cress.
Even in ancient times, cress was considered a healthy spice and medicinal plant. In the Middle Ages, the seedlings could no longer be missing in any monastery garden. In order to always have supplies of the delicious herb, you can also plant your own cress at home today. The fact that cress is so healthy is mainly due to its valuable ingredients.
Cress: Healthy thanks to vitamin C, iron and co.
A pair of fresh cress leaves not only refine the daily lunch break, cress is also very healthy for your body. This is mainly due to the many vitamins and nutrients contained in the green herb. The most important include:
Vitamin C: not only supports your immune system, but is also said to prevent carcinogenic substances from forming in the body. With 50 grams of cress you can already cover a third of your daily vitamin C requirement.
Vitamin B6: Strengthens the nerves and your immune system.
Vitamin B9 / Folic Acid: Is good for protein metabolism and helps your body build neurotransmitters like dopamine, which can improve your mood and well-being.
Vitamin A: Protects your eyes and is also good for your body’s mucous membranes.
Potassium: Controls the transmission of stimuli in our muscles.
Calcium: Strengthens our teeth and bones.
Iron: Transports the oxygen in the blood and also plays an important role in blood formation.
The nutritional values of cress
In contrast to most lettuce, cress is not only healthy thanks to its many vitamins, but also due to a relatively large amount of protein. For example, cress consists of more than four percent vegetable protein and thus exceeds the protein content of lamb’s lettuce, lettuce and other varieties (between one and two percent).
In addition to protein, cress also contains many other healthy nutrients. Put in 100 grams cress:
Protein: 4.2 g
Fat: 0.7g
Dietary fiber: 3.5 g
Carbohydrates: 2.4 g
Calories: 41 calories
Incidentally, cress owes its hot taste to the mustard oil glycosides it contains. These belong to the secondary plant substances, are proven to have an effect against germs and pathogens and are one of the reasons why cress is so healthy.
This is how cress supports a healthy diet
As an easy-to-grow source of vitamins, cress should definitely be on your menu. Thanks to the long list of useful ingredients, the green herb also has many positive effects on our health:
Mustard oils (isothiocyanates) have an antibiotic effect, preventing bacteria from settling in the respiratory and urinary tract. In the flu season, the regular intake of cress can therefore protect against respiratory diseases and strengthen your immune system.
The mustard oils contained in cress can regulate the blood sugar level and ensure that it does not rise so quickly after eating. In a study with 97 subjects suffering from type 2 diabetes, scientists were already able to prove that taking broccoli sprout extract containing mustard oil glycosides improves blood sugar levels. Even if these results are promising, the effectiveness of the plant substance has yet to be confirmed by further studies.
The mustard oils of nasturtium in combination with the active ingredients of horseradish can help against urinary tract infections by destroying the bacteria responsible for the infection.