Dive Brief:

• Watercress is the new powerhouse vegetable. The leafy green topped a list of healthy fruits and vegetables compiled by researchers at William Patterson University.
• The researches measured the levels of 17 critical nutrients in 47 varieties of fruit and vegetables that have a reputation for being very healthy. Watercress scored a 100 on the researchers' scale. Second place went to Chinese cabbage.
• The list is dominated by leafy green vegetables. Fruits did less well. And four fruits -- raspberries, tangerines, cranberries, and blueberries -- were left off the list for failing to have sufficient nutritional levels to impress the researchers.

Dive Insight:

This has to be fabulous news for watercress growers. And it's also good news for the number of consumers looking to make their diets a bit more health-conscience. 

Watercress is one of the easiest foods to add to a diet. You can eat it raw. You can drop it on top of sandwiches and into salads. And one of the best ways to cook it is to blanch it -- a process that takes only seconds.