There are a wide range of vegetables to choose from, but research shows that there’s one that’s particularly good for you: watercress.
This leafy green has been deemed the healthiest vegetable by America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with an impressive nutrient density score of 100 out of 100. But watercress isn’t just ranked the healthiest vegetable: It beat runner-up Chinese cabbage by more than eight points.
Watercress got top honors thanks to its perfect nutrient density score - the ratio of nutrients in a food to the amount of energy - or calories - it provides. Put another way: the more nutrient-dense a food is, the more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants it has per calorie per gram.
The CDC’s study lists out more than 40 so-called “powerhouse” fruits and vegetables. While watercress was the only one that received a perfect score, the runners-up are also worth noting. Rounding out the top five are:
Chinese cabbage (91.99 points)
Swiss chard (89.27 points)
Beetroot (87.08 points)
Spinach (86.43 points)
Despite watercress's virtues, Dana Ellis Hunnes, Ph.D., a senior dietitian at UCLA Medical Center and assistant professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, stresses that you eat more than just watercress. “Even if it is the healthiest of all vegetables, it’s still better to eat a wide range of vegetables and fruits than to just stick with one. That allows you to get a fuller complement of nutrients.”
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