How Watercress can support your gut health
There is more truth in the sayings ‘go with your gut’ and ‘you are what you eat’ than you might have expected. Thanks to an incredible 40 trillion bacteria continually hard at work, your gut helps power your entire body. Increasingly science is showing that gut bacteria produce neurotransmitters (including serotonin and dopamine) that regulate your mood as well as your digestion. Watercress has long been regarded as a food helpful to the digestive system and was regularly consumed by the Roman Army when making bold decisions.
The second brain
There is an entire ecosystem of bacteria and a vast neural network operating in our guts which lines the entire digestive track from the oesophagus to rectum. This enteric nervous system is known as the ‘second brain’. It causes the sensation of nervous butterflies or a pit in your stomach that are innate parts of our psychological stress responses. Up to 90% of the cells involved in these responses carry information to the brain via the Vagus Nerve rather than receiving messages from it, making your gut as influential to your mood as your head is. Maybe even more so.
‘Good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria living in harmony
The 40 trillion bacteria in our gut are a mixture of ‘good’ and ‘bad’. These creatures make up our microbiome and have evolved uniquely within each of us since birth helping to digest our food and fight off unfriendly viruses. However, to keep us healthy they need to be healthy, plentiful and in balance themselves. When these bacteria become imbalanced, such as when the ‘bad’ ones overpower or outnumber the ‘good’ ones, it can lead to illness. For example, Dysbiosis occurs when the bacteria in the gut become imbalanced, causing a wide array of digestive disturbances including indigestion, diarrhoea, constipation, and bloating. It can be linked to other conditions including, but not limited to, gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease, and colon disease.
As well as directing digestive activity the gut flora communicates with important neurotransmitters embedded throughout our enteric nervous system to send messages that influence the way we feel. This could give hope to those who suffer from anxiety or depression since studies indicate that those with healthy and diverse gut microbes are less likely to suffer from either malady.
How easy is it to re-balance your gut flora?
The good news is that you can cultivate a new microbiota (otherwise known as gut flora) in just 24 hours by changing what you eat. Bacteria that live in our intestinal tract flourish on colourful plant-based food such as watercress.
9 reasons why watercress is good for gut health and digestion
1. Digestive enzymes – watercress contains digestive enzymes which can aid smoother digestion. The chlorophyll that gives the leaves its vivid green colour is particularly rich in these digestive enzymes that help the body fully utilise the nutrients in any meal.
2. Stimulates release of gastrin – watercress encourages the brain to release the digestive hormone, gastrin, which begins a chain reaction of neural and endocrine actions such as appetite stimulation and the release of digestive enzymes.
3. Stimulates flow of bile – the bitter taste of watercress can help to stimulate bile flow from the liver. Bile helps to emulsify and digest fats and helps us digest and absorb vital fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin A and Vitamin E. Good bile flow is also necessary for efficient detoxification, as it is the liver’s way of getting rid of fat-soluble wastes and toxins.
4. Promotes healthy bowel regularity – crops known as ‘bitters’ which have a sharp, pungent taste or smell, like the peppery flavour of watercress, help to promote healthy and regular bowel movements and reduce bowel restrictions such as constipation. They stimulate the smooth muscle of the stomach to increase the rate of emptying the stomach to prevent vomiting.
5. Helps regulate the body’s blood sugar – bitters have been proven to regulate the secretion of the pancreatic hormones that help to regulate the body’s blood sugar, insulin and glucagon levels and also help with repairing tears in the gut wall.
6. High levels of magnesium – magnesium is important to support bowel health but as it is a water-soluble mineral, it needs to be supplied in the diet every day. One of the best ways to ensure you get enough is through eating leafy greens, such as watercress, which contain high levels of this mineral.
7. Reduces DNA damage – watercress is a great source of the anti-oxidants vitamin C and beta carotene, which help fight free radicals. Studies have found that regularly eating watercress can help reduce DNA damage.
8. Weight loss – watercress contains only 11 kcal/100g and is 95.11% water. Eating it regularly not only helps to hydrate the body, but also helps safe weight loss by restricting calorific intake while supplying significant amounts of important nutrients essential for good metabolism.
9. Feel full for longer – because watercress is full of dietary fibre and contains essential amino acids, watercress helps people feel full for longer, which is clearly a benefit if trying to lose weight.
It is this reputation for aiding weight loss that makes the Watercress Soup Diet so popular – it is an easy way to get all the necessary nutrients required to be healthy but without the calories. For individuals suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease or hypertension, a watercress soup diet may help them lose weight, maintain their ideal weight and feel satiated for longer.
If you want to lose a few pounds download the Watercress Soup Diet here.
What you eat determines which bacteria thrive in your gut. Research tells us that good gut bugs (probiotics) get stronger when fed colourful, plant-based food packed with prebiotics which are the food for these bacteria. Here is a list of foods to help you achieve that.
7 foods and food groups good for good gut health and healthy bacteria:
1. Jerusalem Artichoke
Benefits: High in inulin, strong prebiotic potential
Background: Inulin, an insoluble fibre, travels through our bodies from the small to large intestine, our colon. Once this insoluble fibre finds its way to the colon, it ferments into healthy micro flora. Other good sources of inulin include asparagus, leeks, onions, and bananas. Note: It’s good to ease into eating Jerusalem artichokes, as they may cause distress to people with sensitive digestive tracts.
2. Bananas
Benefits: Restores health of the bacterial community, may reduce inflammation
Background: Like a peacemaker, bananas work to maintain harmony among microbes in the bacterial community, known as phyla. This is one reason bananas are a standard prescription for an upset stomach. Bananas may also reduce inflammation, due to high levels of potassium and magnesium.
3. Polenta
Benefits: This high-fibre, corn-based complex carbohydrate has a fermentable component
Background: Corn, the base of polenta, earns credit for fostering a healthy gut. Polenta’s insoluble fibre travels directly to the colon, where it ferments into multiple strands of gut flora. It’s good to note that polenta, like kombucha, varies in fermentable components.
4. Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables (watercress, kale, cabbage, and cauliflower)
Benefits: Cruciferous vegetables contain sulphur-containing metabolites, known as glucosinolates, which are broken down by microbes to release substances that reduce inflammation Background: Like a game of Pac Man, glucosinolates latch onto unwanted intruders in our colon and kindly show these pathogens the way out. One more reason to load up on leafy greens!
5. Blueberries
Benefits: Can modify the microbiota to enhance immune function
Background: Our eyes are naturally drawn to anthocyanins, the pigment that gives blueberries a bold colour, for good reason. We’re not sure if it’s the antioxidants, vitamin K compounds, or fibre that gives blueberries clout as a superfood, but studies show blueberries may help strengthen our memory, improve our immune system, and diversify our gut bacteria.
6. Beans
Benefits: Any legume will help release short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) that strengthen your intestine cells, improve absorption of micronutrients, and help with weight loss.
Background: Beans feed good gut bugs, which in turn revs up your immune system. Calorie for calorie, beans offer the most nutrition bang for your buck. They are packed with fibre, protein, folate, and B vitamins, which play a role in regulating a healthy gut and a healthy brain.
Bonus: Researchers from Toronto published a study in the journal Obesity that finds beans (pulses) improve weight loss by enhancing satiety.
7. Fermented plant-based foods: tempeh and miso
Benefits: Fermented foods, such as tempeh and miso, are trending for a reason. They directly inoculate your gut with healthy live micro-organisms that will crowd out the unhealthy bacteria, improve the absorption of minerals, and improve overall health.
Background: Fermented plant-based foods are probiotics that have been found to improve the health of the intestinal cells, improve immune function, decrease allergies, and treat diarrhoea.
“All Disease Begins in The Gut” said Hippocrates thousands of years ago and “Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease.” It is as though he knew about our second brain and the importance of our gut flora well before today’s scientists.
Bearing this wisdom in mind, he also uttered the words: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” and ensured his first hospital was built next to flowing water and a reliable source of watercress. Enough said!
