![]() The greener or redder the leaf, the more nutrients this lettuce provides, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.Īnd now a word about iceberg lettuce. It is a good choice for sneaking some Vitamins A and K into the diet of the picky eaters in your family. Leaf lettuce - With its bright red or green colors, mild-tasting leaf lettuce adds visual variety to your meal. Butterhead is fragile, however, and will stay fresh only a few days in your refrigerator. It also has small amounts of calcium and iron. Butterhead has double the magnesium content of any other lettuce and is a good source of vitamin A. They offer a soft, almost velvety texture, to salads. Plan to eat loose leaf soon after harvesting or purchasing, however it is quite delicate.īutterhead – Soft green in color and sweet in taste, butterhead lettuce includes the Bib and the Boston varieties. Loose leaf contains the most fiber of any lettuce and also is rich in potassium. As its name implies, loose leaf lettuce appears to be barely joined to its stem. Loose leaf lettuce - Second only to romaine in Vitamin A content is loose leaf lettuce. Vitamin A promotes healthy vision, bones and cell division, as well as respiratory, intestinal and urinary functions. Image source: Flickr / Creative Commons / Lawrence Farmers’ MarketĪccording to the USDA National Nutrient Database, just one leaf of romaine lettuce contains 17 percent of the recommended daily value of Vitamin A. Need Non-GMO Lettuce Seeds? Get Them From A Company You Can Trust! Even better: Romaine will last for 10 days or more in your fridge. ![]() Each romaine leaf has a sturdy rib that helps it stand up well in salads and on sandwiches, but its flavor is surprisingly sweet. It also contains a healthy dose of Vitamin K, zinc and potassium. ![]() Romaine – With its dark red and green color and its elongated leaves, romaine (also called “cos”) is rich in folate and vitamins A and C. Just combine it with one or more of these more nutritious choices. If you love the crispiness that iceberg lettuce brings to your sandwich or salad, never fear. In fact, it ranks last on our list of healthy lettuce. The longtime and popular American salad staple has a pale color and, accordingly, offers little in the way of vitamins and minerals. Similarly, the darker the shade of lettuce is, the higher its nutritional content. The darker the berry, the higher the antioxidant value. When it comes to getting the most vitamins, minerals and antioxidants per serving, here’s my rating of types of lettuce from most to least nutritious: Romaine, green leaf, butterhead (Boston, bib), red leaf, and finally, iceberg.Nature gives us a great hint for choosing healthy fruits and vegetables – color. Compared to red leaf, green leaf, butterhead (Boston and bib types) and iceberg, it delivers more folate, potassium, beta carotene and lutein. So, to answer your question, the most nutritious lettuce is Romaine. In general, lettuce that is darker green in colour is a better source of nutrients than lighter coloured lettuce. That said, you can’t count on all types of lettuce to be a good source of all vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Recipe: Three ideas for those who love salads full of flavour and textureĪdd these 10 nutrient-rich foods to your diet to promote longevity Green leaf lettuce vs. The condition results in progressive loss of visual sharpness and is the leading cause of severe vision loss in older adults. (Macular degeneration attacks the central part of the retina called the macula, which controls fine, detailed vision. Research shows that people who have high intakes of lutein from foods are less likely to develop cataract and macular degeneration. Once consumed, lutein makes its way to the eye where it protects the retina and lens from free radical damage. Lutein is also an antioxidant that helps preserve our eyesight as we age. In fact, its antioxidant properties are thought to help prevent certain cancers and other diseases. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant, protecting cells in the body from damage caused by free radicals. Lettuce is also a good source of two phytochemicals: beta-carotene and lutein.
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