Healthy menu at first glance seem boring and monotonous. Even diet dishes Dietary food: what goes with what and why   original tastes can be surprising if you add them spicy greens - such as watercress. Tender green shoots of this plant are eaten in ancient Egypt, and to this day watercress - a real decoration of many useful and fragrant dishes.

An element of healthy nutrition

Doctors have many years of sounding the alarm: a modern person consumes too little plant food. It is a drawback of the diet of vegetables, fruits and herbs, doctors attributed the spread of many diseases of the cardiovascular diseases to cancer. On the day a person needs to eat at least 500 grams of vegetables and fruits, preferably at least part of plant foods consumed fresh, is not subjected to heat treatment. But in reality, not all regularly eat fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, such as salads.

Meanwhile, a large portion of salad greens and vegetables you need to eat every day. Diversify vegetable menu to help different types of green vegetables, which, according to doctors, especially beneficial to health, and thus low-calorie. For example, it is desirable to regularly eat watercress. Although this vegetable can not be called a well-known, it has an ancient history and a great future.

Grass kind klopovnik

Watercress - is an annual or biennial plant edible kind of bug-infested (cruciferous). That does not sound too appetizing, but watercress has long been used for food: the grassy vegetable used as a spice and medicinal plants in antiquity. Homeland plants considered to Africa, and, in all probability, for the first time began to eat watercress for food in ancient Egypt.

Watercress grows very quickly and does not require special care: in many parts of this plant can be found in the wild in the trash, railway embankments and wasteland. Many grow watercress and home. Plants may grow to 30-60 cm tall, but usually they are eaten before, without giving rise to such dimensions. Young shoots are especially tasty and tender.

Using watercress

Grassy vegetable used in different ways in different regions. For example, in North-East Africa watercress - a fodder plant. Bulls, horses and camels with pleasure snack succulent shoots with a spicy taste. In Ethiopia, from watercress extract oil, which is further used in food, and it is used in industry.

Even in ancient times watercress was used as a medicinal plant. This vegetable helps digestion and sleep, has a diuretic effect, removes bacteria and stimulates the appetite. Watercress great help in various diseases of the respiratory tract, but also has the ability to reduce blood pressure. Squeezed out of watercress juice is ideal for gargling, such as laryngitis. It is also advised to drink juice when you cough. Due to the high content of ascorbic acid watercress can be used for prevention and treatment of hypovitaminosis C.

Healing properties have all parts of the plant. For example, bitter because of the high content of lepidina roots since ancient times been used to treat fevers. Also, the fever was treated and aboveground plant parts. The juice from the leaves of cress was used to treat anemia. Seeds of plants pulverized and a substitute for mustard plasters. Also from the dried seeds and herbs mixed with fat or oil do ointment that was used in folk medicine as a bactericide and healing agent from mange and allergies.

You can use watercress, and to maintain the beauty. The juice of this plant is added, for example, lotions, masks for the care of withering skin.

Currently, watercress is used primarily as a food, not a drug. Spicy leaves of young plants are widely used in cooking.

Health on the plate

The leaves of watercress contain large amounts of nutrients, such as potassium and calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, iodine, copper and sulfur. Rich in vitamins and young shoots Vitamins for everyone . In addition to large amounts of ascorbic acid, they contain vitamins B, rutin and carotene. Many physicians attribute the watercress to the products to be used for the prevention of cancer. The specific taste of mustard oil gives the green, through which the leaves and shoots are bitter, pungent flavor. Many use watercress as a tart spice, replacing the fresh leaves of radish or horseradish Horseradish: vigorous root .

The greens watercress appreciated by both men and women. Lady appreciate vegetable because it contains low in calories, and therefore does not harm the figure. And thanks to the bright and rich flavor watercress makes a healthy and wholesome food is also delicious. Men are attracted by the fact that spicy greens watercress has long been considered an aphrodisiac and a means for maintaining potency.

Fresh leaves of watercress is used as a seasoning for salads, meat, poultry, fish and eggs, as well as soups and sauces. Sometimes watercress dried, but dried leaves lose much of its beneficial properties, and turns into a condiment to flavor a variety of dishes.

The tasteful and useful

According to the real gourmet, pleasantly sharp taste of green watercress gives a touch of freshness of a variety of dishes, and makes so pleasant variety in the daily menu. Enough small amount of watercress to stop the usual omelet or sandwich with cheese in a beautiful, original and delicious dish.

Juicy young leaves combine well with potatoes and rice, they can be added to the noodles and vegetable side dishes. Some even bake bread with watercress and claim that very spicy greens decorated with a taste of baking. Delicious and vitamin drinks juice from a mixture of watercress and other greens with a neutral taste.

Maria Bykov

Related Articles

Sauerkraut - just magic

Sauerkraut: unquestionable benefits

Sauerkraut: A simple recipe for health

Chinese cabbage - the guarantee of health and longevity secret