List of the Top 14 Most Nutritious Vegetables
According to the the CDC, here are the top 14 most nutritiously packed vegetables on our planet. They are in order by their “nutrient density” score.
The one vegetable that tops the list and gets very little attention in our diets is watercress! It’s AMAZING that the MOST nutrient packed vegetable is one that sadly gets overlooked the most.
Watercress – 100%
Chinese cabbage – 91.99%
Chard – 89.27%
Beet green – 87.08%
Spinach – 86.43%
Chicory – 73-36%
Leaf lettuce – 70.73%
Parsley – 65.59%
Romaine lettuce – 63.48
Collard greens – 62.49
Turnip greens – 62.12%
Mustard green – 61.39%
Endive – 60.44%
Chives – 54.80%
Watercress has tons of antioxidants and:
More vitamin C than oranges
More iron than spinach
More calcium than milk
Great source for Vitamin A and Vitamin-K
Watercress is the most nutrient dense food on our planet! Let’s learn to love it!
If you are new to watercress, start serving it by trying this very simple yet super-nutritious salad.
Blueberry Feta Salad
2-1/2 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup watercress, chopped
1 cup blueberries
1 cup cucumbers, sliced into small pieces
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Wash the lettuce and watercress; drain of all water. Chop the lettuce and watercress into very small bite-sized pieces. Wash and dice the cucumber, leaving the skin on the cucumber. Mix the lettuce, watercress and cucumber together in a medium bowl. Top with blueberries and feta cheese. Use your favorite salad dressing.
How to clean and prepare watercress.
Always leave the rubber band around the base of the watercress while cleaning. Fill a medium bowl with water and carefully Wash the leaves by dipping the leaves in the water. You can also do this in the sink about half filled with water.
Gently shake any excess water from the leaves and lay the plant on a paper towel to dry.
Remove the stems by cutting straight across the knob of stems with a sharp knife as close to the leaves as possible.
Storing your fresh watercress.
Store the watercress dry until you are ready to use. Like most fresh greens you need to eat them pretty quickly after purchase. They are preservative free so they don’t have a very long shelf life!
Toss watercress into everything! Soups, salads, pizza and just about everything that goes on our table could use a little bit of this powerhouse vegetable.
