Lettuce what is that?

mistystover
mistystover Posts: 16
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
There are six basic types of lettuce, which include butterhead, Chinese, iceberg, looseleaf, romaine and Batavian. Butterhead lettuce forms a loose head and has a buttery taste. Chinese lettuce forms long sword-shaped leaves and has a somewhat bitter taste. Iceberg is known for its crunchy leaves and mild taste. Looseleaf lettuce has mildly flavored leaves. Romaine is a head-forming type of lettuce with elongated leaves. Batavian forms a dense head and the leaves have a crunchy texture


The most nutrition is found in the dark green leaves of lettuce. The dark leaves contain beta carotene as well as phytochemicals such as flavonoids. According to HealthandFitness.com, beta carotene may help prevent cancers of the lung, stomach and esophagus. It also states that there is some evidence that beta carotene may reduce the risk of developing other forms of cancer, as well.

NOTE that it says DARK GREEN.......

In order to derive the maximum health benefits of lettuce, it should be included in your diet on a regular basis. Using various types of lettuce together, such as iceberg and romaine, can balance the nutritional benefits. For example, romaine is more nutritious than iceberg so using them in combination can ensure that one obtains adequate nutritional benefit. Lettuce eaten in combination with other green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach can also increase the nutritional benefits.

Read more: Nutrition Information for Lettuce | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5152236_nutrition-information-lettuce.html#ixzz0uzqn56EC


"I have actually stopped eating iceburg and even now on sandwiches and taco's I use spinich" :) BUT thought this was all some great information so wanted to pass it on.

Replies

  • raindancer
    raindancer Posts: 993 Member
    I also started using spinach. My son had a iguana when he was a teenager and they told him never feed it lettuce because of the lack of nutrients. I assumed that if it wasn't good for that mini monster it wasn't good for me.
  • mistystover
    mistystover Posts: 16
    Exactly I never had thought in a million years that I would be putting spinich on my sandwich or turkey taco's but OMG I love it.
  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
    I've always been under the impression that iceberg lettuce was more-or-less nutritionally bankrupt, at least compared with other varieties of lettuce. Plus I never really liked it anyways... Now that I actually eat fresh greens, I tend to use green leaf lettuce or spinach.

    And for a nice side-by-side comparison of iceberg and romaine:
    http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/lettuce_info.htm
  • immacookie
    immacookie Posts: 7,424 Member
    I've always been under the impression that iceberg lettuce was more-or-less nutritionally bankrupt, at least compared with other varieties of lettuce. Plus I never really liked it anyways... Now that I actually eat fresh greens, I tend to use green leaf lettuce or spinach.

    Ditto! Iceberg is just tasteless. Sometimes I mix baby spinach with some mixed field greens, but usually it's just baby spinach.
  • FrostyLady
    FrostyLady Posts: 6 Member
    only two leaves of romaine lettuce have the nutrirional value of a hole head of Iceberg lettuce!!! I'm love romaine lettuce. But adding a bit of spinach to all salads is a good idea!!
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