How to Turn Lettuce Nutrition into Success

What nutritional value does lettuce have?

One cup of iceberg lettuce has 8 calories, 0.5 gram protein, 0.7 gram fiber, 10 mg calcium, 78 mg potassium, 1.5 mg vitamin C, 16 mcg folate, 13.3 mcg of vitamin K, 164 mcg beta carotene and 152 mcg of lutein + zeaxanthin. 

One cup of Romaine lettuce has 8 calories, 0.58 gram protein, 1.0 gram fiber, 16 mg calcium, 116 mg potassium, 11.3 mg vitamin C, 64 mcg folate, 48.2 mcg of vitamin K, 1637 mcg beta carotene and 1087 mcg of lutein + zeaxanthin. The Romaine lettuce is a better choice.

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How is lettuce nutritious?

Providing only six to 20 calories per cup, lettuce and other salad greens should be considered a nutritional bargain and a great way to get in one of your five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, says Janice Baranowski, a research dietitian with the USDA/ARS Children's Lettuce Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. One cup of raw salad greens counts as a serving of vegetables in the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid. 

As a rule of thumb, the outer leaves as well as lettuce varieties that are dark green and reddish in color are the most lettuce nutritious. But even popular, but pale, iceberg lettuce provides water, fiber, folate, and small amounts of other important vitamins and minerals like zinc and potassium. 

To bump up the nutritional quality of the salads you serve, try tossing in some deeply colored salad greens. Spinach, watercress, Lamb's lettuce, and dandelion greens are loaded with beta-carotene, a pigment our bodies can convert to vitamin A. Dandelion greens, endive, chicory, romaine, and spinach also provide plenty of folate, a vitamin many consider an important nutrient for cardiovascular health. Darkly hued leaf lettuce, spinach, lamb's lettuce, and mustard, beet and dandelion greens are rich in iron. Also, don't forget nutritious additions like vitamin C-rich tomatoes, broccoli and green pepper, beta carotene-rich carrots, nuts, seeds, and raisins.

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How long does lettuce stay fresh in the fridge? How can you keep lettuce crisp?

I wash all my greens (except iceberg lettuce) when I get them home. I separate the leaves and let them sit in a sinkful of cool water for 5 minutes or so. Then I rinse them well and drain well. I wrap them in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and put into a plastic bag, closing the bag good. Then I store it in the vegetable drawer in the fridge. It usually lasts a good week. For iceberg lettuce I usually try to wash it at least a couple of hours before I use it by removing the core and letting cool water run into the head. Let it drain for a few minutes, then wrap it in paper towels and put in a plastic bag, then into the fridge to crisp for a couple of hours. It gets really nice and crispy.

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Kinds of lettuce vegetable?

Butter head Lettuce - This is a loose folded, small-headed lettuce surrounded by a rosette of ground hugging leaves. Some kinds are dark green and some are light colored or purple-red. When they are mature, their heads have creamy interiors. 

Cos or Romaine Lettuce - This lettuce grows erect and has a cylindrical shaped head that is compact at maturity. It is a medium to light green color with a creamy interior. 

Crisp head Lettuce - Sometimes mistakenly called "iceberg", which is a named variety within this class, Crisp head Lettuce includes the commercially grown kind familiar in grocery stores and a few dwarf varieties for small gardens. 

Leaf Lettuce - This is very popular in North American gardens. This plant doesn't produce a head, but plain, rumpled, oak like or frilly leaves, instead. They range in color from apple green through reddish-bronze. 

The next plant described is a variety of L. sativa. 

Celtuce - Celtuce is also known as Stem Lettuce, Asparagus Lettuce and Chinese Lettuce. Though it has a common name of Celtuce, it is not a cross between Lettuce and Celery. It is just a variety of Lettuce grown for its romaine-like foliage and mainly for its thick, edible stem. The stem grows 6 to 8 inches long and about 1½ inches in diameter. They can be cooked like broccoli and tastes like a cross between a mild summer squash and an artichoke. The leaves can be used for salad.

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