Lettuce beats Orange in Vitamin C content!

Today’s Amazing Fact:

 Lettuce beats Orange in Vitamin C content!

There are hundreds of lettuce varieties grown throughout the world and, because they peak at different times of year, there's always a plenitude of this universal salad favorite. 

There are four general lettuce classifications, most of which comprise many varieties.

• Butterhead
• Crisphead
• Leaf
• Romaine

However, the result of the Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) content has brought attention to this vegetable. One head of lettuce contains 167% RDA of vitamin C while an average sized orange contains only 92%. This so amazing!

Lettuce aids digestion and promotes liver health. It can also reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and cataracts. Other research shows it helps to reduce the risk of cancer and may ease nervous insomnia.However, if one of the family is the only type of lettuce you eat, you are limiting your benefits. All  lettuce or leafy green vegetable would be a better combination.

As a general rule, the darker green the leaves, the more nutritious the salad green. For example, romaine or watercress have seven to eight times as much beta-carotene, and two to four times the calcium, and twice the amount of potassium as crisphead lettuce.

"The vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber found in romaine lettuce are especially good for the prevention or alleviation of many common health complaints," according to the website WHFoods.org.

"Due to its extremely low calorie content and high water volume, lettuce is actually a very nutritious food. Based on its nutrient richness, our food ranking system qualified it as an excellent source of vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene), vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, manganese, and chromium. Lettuce also emerged from our ranking system as a very good source of dietary fiber and 6 vitamins and minerals."

By varying the greens in your salads, you can enhance the nutritional content as well as vary the tastes and textures.

When shopping for any kind of lettuce a general rule of thumb is to choose those that are crisp and free of blemishes. As with all greens, lettuce should be washed and either drained completely or blotted with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.

Never allow lettuce to soak, as the water tends to soften some leaves. Refrigerate washed and dried greens airtight in a plastic bag for 3 to 5 days, depending on the variety. 

All lettuce is low calorie and most of it is rich in calcium, iron and vitamins A and C. Keep in mind that the darker green leaves contain the most nutrients. Never add salt to a lettuce salad until you are ready to serve it. The salt tends to wilt and toughen the lettuce.

The greener leaves on the outside of lettuce contain more nutrients than the inner leaves. Try to save as much as possible.

Here are some nutrition information about this wonderful green vegetable:

Protein. Believe it or not, romaine lettuce is 17% protein with 7.7 grams per head. It is also a complete protein! That means that it has all 8 essential amino acids, 9% RDA of some and up to 26% RDA of others.

Calcium. One head of romaine has 206mg of calcium (about 21% RDA). Blend it with calcium rich fruits like papaya and oranges and you’ll get more calcium than a glass of milk!

Omega-3s. One head of lettuce contains 44% RDA of Omega-3 essential fats. Forget the tainted fish oils, reach for some leafy greens instead!

Vitamin C. One head of lettuce contains 167% RDA of vitamin C while an average sized orange contains only 92%.

Iron. One head of romaine contains 6mg of iron, which ads a significant source of iron to the diets of vegetarians and vegans.

B-vitamins: Thiamine (B1) – 38% RDA, Riboflavin (B2) – 32% RDA, Niacin (B3) – 12% RDA, Pantothenic Acid (B5) – 18%, Pyridoxine (B6) – 36 %, Folate (B9) – 213%!

Water. One head of romaine provides 16% of your daily water needs with about 20 ounces of water per head!

Vitamin A (as beta-carotene) and K. As with most leafy greens, lettuce is super rich in beta-carotene with 1817% RDA per head and has 535% RDA of vitamin K.

Low Levels of Oxalic Acid. If you have problems with calcium oxalate kidney stones, lettuce might be a good choice for leafy greens since it is very low in this anti-nutrient.

Mineral-Rich. Don’t let the lighter color of romaine lettuce fool you. This not-so-dark leafy green is rich in minerals. One head contains copper (33% RDA), magnesium (22% RDA), manganese (42% RDA), phosphorus (27% RDA), potassium (33%), selenium (5% RDA) and zinc (13% RDA).