Watercress which is known to be low calorie and low fat vegetable may be consumed in both raw as well as cooked form. The calorie content in watercress varies based on its form. Being low in both calories and fats it is recommended for those who are trying to maintain or reduce their weight.
One cup of chopped raw watercress contains 3.7 calories out of which just 0.31 calories are obtained from fat. The total fat content in an equal quantity of raw watercress is 0.034 gram consisting of 0.0092 gram saturated fat content, 0.0027 gram monounsaturated fat and 0.012 gram polyunsaturated fat content. The total potassium and sodium content in one cup of chopped raw watercress is 112.2 mg and 13.9 mg respectively. The total carbohydrate content in it is 0.44 gram, dietary fiber content is 0.51 gram and protein content is 0.78 gram.
10 watercress sprigs contain as less as 3 calories and none of these calories are obtained from fat. There is 10 mg sodium, 0.3 gram carbohydrate, 0.1 gram each of dietary fiber and 0.6 gram of protein in 10 watercress sprigs.
One cup of cooked watercress contains 15 calories out of which 1.2 calories come from fat. The total fat content in an equal serving of cooked watercress is 0.14 gram, total carbohydrate content is 1.8 gram and protein content is 3.1 gram. It is a rich source of vitamin A, good source of vitamin C and some amount of vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and vitamin B6. Various essential minerals including iron, calcium, copper, magnesium and zinc are also present in cooked watercress.
Watercress soup is also a popular watercress preparation. Each serving of watercress soup contains around 53.7 calories. It contains 0.2 gram of fat, 9.4 grams of carbohydrate content and 4.3 grams of protein content.
