Watercress Helping to keep NHS Staff Healthy
***UPDATE*** 04/6/20 We have now delivered over 16,000 bags and counting! Watch this space for an exciting announcement….
For those of us who joined in with the national clap of gratitude for the NHS, we know that keeping hospital staff fit and healthy has become a primary objective for the nation. And The Watercress Company is pleased to be playing its part.
Back in January, they installed a ‘Grab-a-Bag’ fridge in the Damers Restaurant at Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester. It was there for staff, patients and visitors to take a free bag of fresh watercress to educate them about its nutritional benefits. Now the bags are there exclusively for hospital workers who need fresh fruit and veg to stay healthy and to boost their immune systems as they work under immense pressure, on all our behalves.
And it seems staff are loving it!
Beth Cooke, Lead Occupational Therapist on the Stroke Unit at the hospital said: “With limited time to eat, having free watercress on tap is a godsend. It can quickly be added to your usual sandwich to give it a boost and make it more satisfying and filling. And you know you’re doing yourself a whole lot of good.”
Watercress is one of the most nutritionally dense vegetables available and with unusually high levels of vitamin C provides a vital boost to the immune system. One 80g bag of watercress contains more than the RDA of Vitamin C which helps resist infections, maintains healthy immune cells and helps iron absorption. Watercress also contains high levels of Vitamin A; a single bag can provide 50% of your daily needs. Vitamin A helps form and protect mucous membranes, important with colds and coughs, and it contributes to the normal function of the immune system. Watercress is also a natural source of a range of vital anti-oxidants which protect against cell damage, both a cause and consequence of chronic disease and ageing and which are associated with the prevention of Type 2 Diabetes and certain diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
At testing times like these, it is especially important to stay positive; that goes for NHS staff and the rest of us. Recent research published in the Journal of World Psychiatry featured an Antidepressant Food Scale with a list of foods that ‘are the most-dense sources of nutrients demonstrated by scientific literature to play a role in the prevention and recovery from depressive disorders.’
The foods were judged on their percent daily value of 12 Antidepressant Nutrients: folate, iron, long chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA, DHA), magnesium, potassium, selenium, thiamine, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C and Zinc. Watercress easily topped the list of both animal and plant sources scoring a huge 127% in the Antidepressant Food Score, suggesting eating more of it might help us all keep a positive attitude.
Tom Amery, MD of The Watercress Company concluded: “We’re delighted to be playing our part in supporting NHS staff and will continue to do so. We’re just about to start the UK watercress season and so are looking forward to sending more freshly harvested, Dorset-grown watercress their way. It’s not just hospital staff who benefit from eating it though; we could all do with boosting our immune systems and eating watercress is an easy, tasty way to do it. We’re determined to ensure good supply to all our customers in the coming weeks, keeping shelves stocked, come what may.”
As well as the fresh watercress, The Watercress Company has started to make daily deliveries of Watercress, Mango and Pineapple Smoothie to the hospital staff. There’s nothing better, or easier to make, to give a healthy, nutritious boost to our valiant NHS staff members. We salute you!
