I don't recall ever ordering a watercress sandwich, but after reading Timothy Gower's recent article in Men's Journal on vegetables that "will save your life," I'm considering giving it a shot.

I wasn't surprised that leafy greens are considered a person's best source of natural nitrates and were the focus of this article. Yet I wasn't prepared to be led to this new appreciation for watercress, something that I thought of as simply a peppery garnish to be avoided in a salad or a British tearoom staple; that's when I thought of watercress at all.

Come to find that if you were to pull its little leaves apart, you'd reveal a big "K" as symbolic and empowering as Superman. Just a single cup of watercress can raise you above your recommended daily value of vitamin K.

Vitamin what?

Watercress is not the only leafy vegetable that contains vitamin K; it just has it in spades. I'm guessing vitamin K is not a part of your vitamin alphabet, yet it is currently receiving a lot of scientific interest in an effort to better understand its many potential human health benefits. Vitamin K was first discovered in 1935. It came to be an essential nutrient used by farmers to prevent abnormal bleeding in chickens. Thereafter, vitamin K became known as the "coagulation vitamin," commonly used to help regulate blood clotting, reduce plaque on artery walls and assist in lowering inflammation linked to chronic diseases such as arthritis. The "K" comes from the German spelling of coagulation (koagulation).

But it is much more than that, and if you were to eat watercress daily for two months, you might get the benefits participants in a recent study received. It could cut DNA damage to your white blood cells. It might reduce your risk of cancer by lowering your triglycerides (unhealthy blood fats) by as much as 10 percent. Cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are just some of the conditions with which vitamin K-dependent proteins are known to be associated.

A recent study by biochemist Bruce Ames on the link between vitamin K and longevity found that ample vitamin K intake, in general, may help you live longer. In the study, of a group of more than 7,000 people at high risk for cardiovascular disease, those with the highest intake of vitamin K were 36 percent less likely to die from "any cause at all" compared with those having the lowest intake. This benefit included those with initially low vitamin K intake who boosted their consumption during the course of the study.

It appears that more and more clinical information is pointing to vitamin K's being a nutrient capable of opposing many of the leading causes of death in modern-day Americans because of its unique ability to activate proteins involved in fighting these conditions.

It is also being suggested by some that the recommended daily value of vitamin K, which is enough to promote healthy blood clotting, may not be enough to activate the specific proteins that help prevent the many other conditions mentioned.

Enter vitamin K2 (also known as menaquinones).

It's not a mountain to climb but another form of vitamin K. It's being given a slight edge over simple K in the area of protection from arterial calcification, or what is commonly known as hardening of the arteries. Unfortunately, all the current back-and-forth within the research community about which form of the vitamin is most important is creating much confusion. Undeniably, both forms provide added protection.

The best known natural source of vitamin K2 is the Japanese fermented soy dish natto — which is a love-it-or-hate-it concoction even to Japanese people, and given its strong taste, strong smell and slimy texture, it is certainly a dish that is contrary to Western tastes.

This fact alone may lead people to manufacture supplement forms of vitamin K2, which deserves a note of caution. Vitamin K is rarely dangerous when it is obtained from food or in proper supplement form. Yet it is suggested that problems can sometimes arise when it is obtained from the synthetic variety of supplement. Experts advise against supplementing with it, unless under proper supervision. This is especially true for those who have been diagnosed with having deficiencies.

It has also been pointed out that certain blood thinners, such as warfarin, work by disrupting vitamin K's function, so if your doctor has prescribed these, you should consult with him or her before increasing vitamin K in your diet, especially through supplements.

This brings us back to watercress, one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables known to man.

It is also considered the most ancient of green vegetables. Its use can be traced back to the Persians, Greeks and Romans. I know this thanks to Watercress.com, an entire website devoted to all things watercress. It makes the following suggestions on how you can add watercress to your daily diet:

—Add watercress to sandwiches — not just the "with cucumber slices" variety but any sandwich.

—Add it to soups. Chop it up into fine pieces, and cook it in chicken or vegetable stock or puree it in a blender or food processor with boiled potatoes or peas.

—Add it to pizza. It works well with tomatoes, fresh basil and a little pancetta.

—Add it to salads. Except this time, if you're like me, don't avoid it; try embracing it with a "to your health" toast.

Write to Chuck Norris ([email protected]) with your questions about health and fitness. Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook's "Official Chuck Norris Page." He blogs at http://chucknorrisnews.blogspot.com. To find out more about Chuck Norris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.