Watercress can help your health

DEAR HELOISE >> My sister-in-law is English, and she was kind enough to invite my husband and me over for afternoon tea last

Sunday. I thought it was fun, but my husband was puzzled by the watercress and butter sandwiches. When we got home later, he kept referring to watercress as the “weed sandwiches.” He firmly believes watercress has no nutritional value at all. I think he’s wrong. Which of us is correct?

— Hailee T., Dover, Delaware

DEAR HAILEE >> 1 cup of watercress has 4 calories, 112 mg potassium and only 0.4 g of carbs. It’s also a wonderful source of lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which act as antioxidants. Watercress contains high levels of amino acids and is believed to help protect eye health.

Watercress sprinkled into your salads can add a mild peppery flavor and help protect your health.

DEAR HELOISE >> If you were going to give up three foods, what would they be?

— Sandy F., Bozeman, Montana

DEAR SANDY >> I would give up the unhealthiest foods, which (in my opinion) are as follows:

■ Red meat: It’s been linked to colon cancer.

■ Artificial sweeteners: They’re difficult for the body to process.

■ Processed and refined foods: They contain too much salt, fat and/or sugar.

With so many fresh fruits and vegetables available in our grocery stores, we really should reach for an apple or an orange to snack on rather than ice cream, candy bars and other items with low-nutritional value.

DEAR HELOISE >> When I was in school, penmanship was important. Now I find that cursive writing is no longer being taught in many schools. Civics was an important subject because we needed to know how our government worked. Now civics has also been dropped by far too many schools.

We were taught geography because it was important to know where other countries were located. When I asked my 12-yearold grandson to point out the state of South Dakota on a globe, he couldn’t correctly locate the state.

Students can’t seem to tell fact from opinion in newspaper articles. In a survey, 60% of hiring managers said that candidates lack problem-solving skills and can’t write a simple resume. While critical thinking is important, so is creativity, and very few job applicants demonstrate that they can creatively approach a problem. All they were taught in school was how to memorize facts.

They also need classes on handling finances and how to navigate a job interview. In other words, they need life-skill trainings that will help them with communication, decisions on which field of work they’ll enter, and how to be an adult. We also need to teach students how to be a parent, if they so choose, and have them sit down and think about all the responsibilities of parenting.

The American education system needs an overhaul, and it’s time that the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., realized how important this has become.

— Harriet H., Los Angeles