According to the Vegan Society, vegans and vegetarians look set to make up a quarter of the British population by 2025, and flexitarians just under half of all UK consumers. According to Mintel, retail sales of vegetarian and vegan products are expected to be worth £658m by the end of 2021 as retailers develop their own range of plant-based foods and more and more new brands are launched. But why buy these ready meals, many of which are surprisingly high in sugar and salt, when it’s easy to make your own inspiring dishes using fresh ingredients that are so much better for you?
The Watercress Company has collaborated with Dorset based chef, Suze Morrison to develop six new mouth-watering vegan and vegetarian recipes in time for World Vegetarian Day on 1 October and World Vegan Day on 1 November.
Mother Nature is a wonderful thing and generally provides for our bodies everything we need to be healthy. When opting for a veggie or vegan diet it’s important to compensate for the nutrients typically obtained from meat. Iron is a prime example and iron is why watercress should play a key role in any vegan or vegetarian’s life. Not only does watercress contain over 50 vital vitamins and minerals, in fact, gram for gram it boasts more calcium than milk, more Vitamin C than an orange, more folate than a banana and more Vitamin E than broccoli, but crucially for vegetarians and vegans, it’s also high in Vitamin A and rich in iron. For plant iron to be absorbed, vitamins C and A are required to convert it into a more easily absorbable form such as haem iron as found in meat. Not all veg that contains iron have as high levels of Vitamins A and C as watercress, and so the iron is not as readily available in some green veg as in watercress.
Watercress is also a rich source of fibre and of crucial antioxidants, both vital for gut health, which in turn is linked to immunity and mental health. Finally, the distinctive peppery kick that makes watercress so special is down to the compound PEITC, which has been scientifically proven to help prevent certain cancers, and to aid post-exercise recovery by preventing DNA damage.
When all’s said and done, watercress is a great addition to any diet but for vegans and vegetarians, it’s key.
We’ve added Suze’s fabulous new recipes to our Recipes section, so give them a whirl.
