Watercress is positively packed with healthy vitamins and minerals. The writings of both the Romans and the Ancient Greeks record the consumption of watercress by all classes. Hippocrates, "the father of medicine", was so convinced that watercress was a great healer that he built his first hospital next to a stream so that he could grow a plentiful supply of the shiny green leaves for his patients. The Romans chewed watercress in large quantities, believing that it would cure baldness. They, too, looked with favor on watercress as a salad. Watercress sandwiches were traditionally a breakfast item in nineteenth-century Europe. The most basic type of watercress sandwich has two pieces of white bread with a mixture of butter and watercress greens . A nickname for the vegetable, in fact, was "poor man's bread", because watercress was often eaten on its own for breakfast by families that could not afford the bread to go with _ . Watercress is a member of the mustard  family. It contains vitamins C(66mg per 100g), K and A, and is also a valuable source of minerals such as iron, potassium, copper and calcium. The mustard oils in its silky leaves and stems contain an ingredient known as PEITC. Recent research has proved that PEITC can prevent the growth of cancer cells and, in some cases, actually destroy them. The best watercress has silky green leaves without any marks and has undamaged stems, The older the plant, the darker are its leaves and the thicker its stems. This means a higher concentration of oils and vitamins. Young watercress, on the other hand, may be harvested after only twenty-eight days growth and has a milder taste. It is  best to eat watercress fresh and raw , to keep more of its valuable nutrients, but it can be lightly cooked and used as an alternative to spinach--another dark green vegetable--in various recipes. From soups to salads, watercress is now considered around the world as a natural and healthy super food. Compared with older watercress, young watercress  _
has lighter green leaves contains more minerals is better for medical use is more suitable for eating raw