Help Improve Athletic Performance With Watercress

originally published at Sport Archives - IGP Beauty

Nature's Most Nutrient-Dense Food

FELLSMERE, Fla., July 31, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The optimal diet for an athlete includes watercress, says B&W Quality Growers. This healthy, flavorful, leafy green is loaded with essential nutrients and can protect athletes from damage caused by vigorous exercise.

Watercress is the most nutrient-dense food on the planet and is the only food to get a perfect score from ANDI and the CDC index rankings. Watercress contains antioxidants and amino acids. Antioxidants are the body's defense against damage caused by free radicals. Amino acids are the essential elements of protein, assisting in digestion, tissue growth, and hormone and neurotransmitter production, creating an energy source, promoting healthy skin, hair, and nails, bolstering our immune system, and helping to maintain regular digestion. These incredible benefits make amino acids an essential part of an athletic routine.

Free radicals are decidedly unstable compounds that the body naturally produces during rest, exercise, predominantly strenuous activity, and when the body converts food into energy. Individuals can also be exposed to free radicals through sunlight, x-rays, car exhaust, cigarette smoke, air pollution, and industrial chemicals. Free radicals are necessary for life and muscle functioning and are thought to promote adaptations to exercise.

However, an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants can cause oxidative stress, contributing to cell damage. Oxidative stress delays muscle recovery, contributes to muscle damage, and is linked to numerous diseases. Eating an antioxidant-rich leafy green diet packed with watercress can promote recovery from exercise, decrease the likelihood of muscle damage, and lower the risk of several chronic diseases.

Watercress may be remarkably beneficial as it's packed with abundant nutrients. Studies have shown that athletes who consume watercress two hours before exhaustive exercise develop lower levels of DNA damage and lipid peroxidation, which can lead to cell damage, compared to those who did not eat watercress before a workout. Researchers also found that eating a serving of watercress daily for two months decreased DNA damage and lipid peroxidation. This means athletes benefit from strenuous exercise with less potential for tissue damage.

Get juiced up on that leafy green goodness daily by adding watercress to salads, smoothies, sandwiches, wraps, omelets, pizza, and more.

For more on the most nutrient-dense food, visit B&W Quality Growers.

B&W Quality Growers has been farming responsibly since 1870. We're among the largest growers of distinctive leafy greens, including watercress, arugula, spinach, and ong choy. We sustainably grow, pack, and ship the highest quality distinctive leafy greens, providing well-being for our consumers and value for our customers. We've done this with zero product recalls and aim to provide a healthier, more flavorful world using premium leaves in everyday recipes. Follow B&W on our social media pages: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.