Lettuce Nutrition
Lettuce nutrition.. Grown as a leaf vegatable and a member of the daisy family, lettuce is mostly served cold and raw in salads or sandwiches as a cooling counterbalance to other ingredients due to its mild flavour.
• Lettuce has been cultivated for more than 2,500 years. It is a native to Europe and Asia but is grown throughout the world today.
• The name comes from ‘milk’ in latin as the plant has a milky juice: milk is lac in Latin, leche in Spanish, lait in French.
• The Yazidis that live in Northern Iraq consider eating lettuce a taboo, as they believe evil is found in it.
• Lettuce was considered an aphrodisiac food in Ancient Egypt.
• In China, lettuce is usually eaten cooked and the use of the stem is as important as the use of the leaf.
Types of Lettuce:
Romaine: Large, crisp leaves and a slightly sharp flavor.
Loose leaf: Mildly and delicately flavored leaves.
Chinese lettuce: Bitter taste on long and sword-shaped leaves.
Iceberg: Mild taste on crunchy leaves.
Butterhead lettuce: Softest leaves with a loose head and buttery taste.
Batavian lettuce: Non-hearty with frilly and crunchy – nutty flavoured leaves.
Lettuce Nutrition Values per 100 g
(Butterhead variety):
Calories: 13 kcal
Water: 96 g
Carbohydrates: 2.2 g
Fat: 0.2 g
Protein: 1.4 g
Dietary fibre: 1.1 g
Vitamin A: 166 μg (18%)
Folate: 73 μg (18%)
Vitamin C: 4 mg (7%)
Vitamin K: 24 μg (23%)
Iron: 1.2 mg (10%)
Lettuce Nutrition and Health Benefits:
• Lettuce can be eaten freely by diabetics, as it is very low in carbohydrate content.
• Lettuce is great for dieters because it is very low in calories.
• The high content of magnesium in the juice has exceptional power to vitalise the muscular tissues, the nerves and the brain.
• Lettuce contains considerable amount of iron and supplies a good form of vegetable haemoglobin. Iron must be replenished frequently to meet the demands of the body.
• Lettuce aids digestion and is associated with better liver health.
• Lettuce has a good content of dietary fiber, it is good for those suffering from constipation and it does help digestion.
• Romaine or cos lettuce is a great source of vitamin A– beta carotene,vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, manganese, and chromium. It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, 6 vitamins and minerals.
• Romaine lettuce has six times as much vitamin C , eight times as muchvitamin A, and three times as much calcium as iceberg lettuce.
• Lettuce in general is a good source of vitamin K and chlorophyll.
• Magnesium in lettuce is able to vitalize the muscular tissues, the brain and the nerves.
• As a general rule, the darker green the leaves, the more nutritiousthe lettuce is. So you may want to choose romaine lettuce over iceberg as it is greener and a lot more nutritious.
Return from Lettuce Nutrition to Glycemic Index home page
Or take me back to Glycemic Index Diet Plan
References:
Wood, Rebecca. The Whole Foods Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Prentice-Hall Press; 1988 1988. PMID:15220.
Ensminger AH, Ensminger, ME, Kondale JE, Robson JRK. Foods & Nutriton Encyclopedia. Pegus Press, Clovis, California 1983.
http://health.learninginfo.org/nutrition-facts/ lettuce.htm.
http://www.organicfood.com.au/Content_Common/pg-lettuce-information-facts.seo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lettuce.
