World's healthiest vegetable named by scientists — it's in every supermarket

World's healthiest vegetable named by scientists — it's in every supermarket You can easily pick up this vegetable in any supermarket — it's not expensive Scientists have compiled a list of the most nutrient-dense vegetables on the planet — and one comes out at the very top. A study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sought to rank vegetables based on the nutrients they contain and the density with which those nutrients are found. Only one vegetable scored a perfect 100 — and it's not some obscure, expensive food you need to hunt down in speciality stores. The vegetable in question is, in fact, watercress. The leafy veg, which has a distinctive peppery flavour, beat Chinese cabbage, chard, beetroot greens and spinach to the top spot. Part of the Brassicaceae family, it’s closely related to cabbage, kale, radish and mustard. Its Latin name, Nasturtium officinale, is translated as "nose twister", possibly in reference to its punchy, peppery taste. Although watercress is not that frequently used in many countries, in Britain it is commonplace and popular and available in supermarkets for around £1 a bag. In fact, it has been grown and eaten in Britain for hundreds of years and there is even a festival in its honour in the Hampshire town of Alresford, "the watercress capital of the UK". Dr Amy Lee, head of nutrition for nutrition firm Nucific, told Delish: "Watercress has a lot of health benefits. It’s high in vitamin A and potassium, more so than your typical lettuce." It is also high in vitamin C, a source of calcium, iron and vitamin E, as well as vitamin K and vitamin B6. The CDC report studied more than 40 "powerhouse fruits and vegetables", which it described as "foods most strongly associated with reduced chronic disease risk". Scientists first drew up "a tentative list" of these foods based on existing scientific literature and consumer guidelines then calculated a nutrient density score for each food. In general, they said: "Items in cruciferous (watercress, Chinese cabbage, collard green, kale, arugula [known as rocket in the UK]) and green leafy (chard, beet green, spinach, chicory, leaf lettuce) groups were concentrated in the top half of the distribution of scores, whereas items belonging to yellow/orange (carrot, tomato, winter squash, sweet potato), allium (scallion, leek), citrus (lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit), and berry (strawberry, blackberry) groups were concentrated in the bottom half." What to cook with watercress Watercress is most commonly used as the base for salads and soups. But you can also make a delicious pesto out of watercress, in less time than it takes to cook the pasta — recipe here. The CDC list of world's healthiest fruits and vegetables This table ranks the foods by their nutrient density score (out of 100). - Watercress 100 - Chinese cabbage 91.99 - Chard 89.27 - Beet green 87.08 - Spinach 86.43 - Chicory 73.36 - Leaf lettuce 70.73 - Parsley 65.59 - Romaine lettuce 63.48 - Collard green 62.49 - Turnip green 62.12 - Mustard green 61.39 - Endive 60.44 - Chive 54.80 - Kale 49.07 - Dandelion green 46.34 - Red pepper 41.26 - Arugula 37.65 - Broccoli 34.89 - Pumpkin 33.82 - Brussels sprout 32.23 - Scallion 27.35 - Kohlrabi 25.92 - Cauliflower 25.13 - Cabbage 24.51 - Carrot 22.60 - Tomato 20.37 - Lemon 18.72 - Iceberg lettuce 18.28 - Strawberry 17.59 - Radish 16.91 - Winter squash (all varieties) 13.89 - Orange 12.91 - Lime 12.23 - Grapefruit (pink and red) 11.64 - Rutabaga 11.58 - Turnip 11.43 - Blackberry 11.39 - Leek 10.69 - Sweet potato 10.51 - Grapefruit (white) 10.47