Garden cress is low in calories but loaded with nutrients. One cup (50 grams), raw, contains:

• Calories: 16
• Carbs: 3 grams
• Protein: 1.3 grams
• Fat: 0 grams
• Fiber: 0.5 grams
• Potassium: 6% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin A: 10% of the DV
• Vitamin C: 39% of the DV
• Vitamin K: 452% of the DV

As you can see, this plant has a low carbohydrate and lipid content. It also contains a trace of fiber. It also contains considerable levels of potassium and vitamin A, as well as a large quantity of vitamin C. Like many leafy green vegetables, it's high in vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting and bone health.

Consuming vitamin C-rich foods such as garden cress may assist your body fight illness and enhance immune function. This is due to the fact that vitamin C acts as an antioxidant to defend against oxidative stress, lessening your risk of inflammation. As a result, decreased levels of inflammation may protect you from diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

Furthermore, this vitamin aids in the prevention of hazardous germs from invading your body's outermost organ, the skin. Without enough vitamin C, your body does not make enough collagen, a key component of your skin, and wounds heal more slowly. Vitamin C also lowers your chance of infection by killing microorganisms, which are dangerous germs that have invaded your body, as well as dead cells, which can cause tissue damage.

Garden cress is a low-calorie item that may even help weight loss, with only 16 calories per 1 uncooked cup (50 grams). According to research, weight reduction is successful when you have a negative calorie balance, which may be achieved by either consuming fewer calories than you burn or spending more calories via physical activity. Replacing high-calorie foods with low-calorie items may aid in calorie reduction. Notably, you can eat a lot of these items without increasing your daily calorie consumption significantly.

According to research, high protein, low carb diets improve weight reduction by making you feel full, and limiting your calorie consumption. Garden cress and many other non-starchy vegetables are ideal for these diets since they are naturally low in carbohydrates. However, you should combine these meals with high protein sources such as chicken, lean meat, beans, and seafood.

Garden cress may protect against harmful chemicals such as heavy metals. Aluminum is prevalent in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, vaccinations, and fumes, all of which you may come into contact with on a regular basis. Because aluminum accumulates in your bodily tissues, you may ultimately encounter negative side effects including oxidative stress and impaired liver function.

Aluminum severely harmed liver and kidney function in research involving 50 rats. However, groups of rats given garden cress after or alongside aluminum had their liver and kidney function restored to near-normal levels. Human liver cells were subjected to harmful hydrogen peroxide before being treated with garden cress extract in a test tube investigation. The extract reduced oxidative stress by 56% and avoided cell death by 48%. While garden cress may benefit the liver and kidneys, more rigorous human trials are required.

Because of their balanced ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, garden cress seeds may enhance heart health. Garden cress seeds are high in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3, and linolenic acid (LA), an omega-6. Both are necessary fatty acids that the body cannot produce, thus they must be obtained through diet or supplementation. ALA and LA are also used by the body to produce important fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), albeit the body's capacity to convert these fatty acids into EPA and DHA is limited.

The normal Western diet is richer in omega-6s than omega-3s, resulting in chronic inflammation. In fact, omega-6-rich diets may diminish omega-3 anti-inflammatory effects. Although the exact link between these fatty acids is unknown, maintaining a healthy ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s is critical for lowering your risk of heart disease. This is because of the way this ratio affects inflammation. ALA has been demonstrated in animal experiments to prevent cardiac damage and cell death when there is the insufficient blood supply to the heart.

Garden cress may aid in the management of diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels. In rat research, individuals that consumed garden cress had considerably lower levels of fasting blood sugar and insulin resistance as compared to a control group. Both of these indications point to better diabetes control. Insulin resistance develops when your body ceases to respond to the actions of the insulin hormone. The study also found lower total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL (bad) cholesterol, as well as higher HDL (good) cholesterol.

Furthermore, the vitamin K content of garden cress may aid in the management of diabetes. 82 women with prediabetes were given 1,000 mcg of vitamin K or a placebo daily for four weeks in research. Those in the vitamin K group had better insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels.

Garden cress appears to have anti-cancer properties based on in vitro research. One such study used garden cress extract to treat leukemia cancer cells. According to the findings, as the quantities of garden cress extract grew, the number of live cancer cells fell — while the number of healthy cells increased.

In another study, garden cress extract dramatically inhibited gene expression in liver cancer cells, limiting tumor development. Garden cress extract was more hazardous to liver cancer cells at higher concentrations. Studies also indicate that getting enough vitamin A in your diet may safeguard against some forms of cancer. Furthermore, this vitamin provides immune benefits by helping to multiply and differentiate helper T cells, which aid your body’s autoimmune response.

One cup (50 grams) of garden cress contains 10% of the daily value (DV) for vitamin A, which your body cannot produce on its own. As a result, you must obtain it from your food. This vitamin is required for low-light vision, which lets you see in low-light circumstances. Garden cress contains a high concentration of vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin that aids in bone production, breakdown, and nutrition absorption.

This vitamin, in particular, is required by the bone protein osteocalcin to improve bone growth and strength. In Asian and European adults, low vitamin K levels are linked to bone fractures. In fact, vitamin K consumption is critical for preventing illnesses such as osteoporosis, which can be caused by age and dietary deficits. This disorder weakens your bones, increasing your chances of breaking them.