What Is the Nutritional Value of Lettuce?

As it turns out, Bugs Bunny is not the only icon who knows best. More than just the foundation for your salad, lettuce in itself is a very nutritional food and has been cultivated since the earliest times--such as romaine lettuce, which found favor on tables by the Middle Ages. Lettuce has also been claimed as a cure-all for everything from easing the effects of hair loss to the calming of sexual passion. But for the average person who prepares it, the more readily documented nutritional benefits should prove more than adequate.

Lettuce Differences

• Lettuce is a considered an extremely nutritious food, but dieters should note one thing. There is a huge difference between extremely dark leafy greens vs. an almost white quarter of iceberg lettuce. The general rule is, the greener or darker in color the lettuce, the higher the nutritional value.

Lettuce Scores

• Lettuce gets high scores in the nutritional wars because it is rich in lutein and beta-carotene. Leafy lettuce also supplies vitamins C and K, calcium, fiber, folate, and iron. Vitamin K is credited with helping blood clots. As if that were not enough, lettuce can also include vitamins A and B6, and folic acid. Different varieties of lettuce also offer iron, magnesium, phosphorus, lypopene, potassium and zeaxanthin.

A Dieter's Dream

• Lettuce is extremely low in calories, averaging only 10 to 50 per serving. From the hardcore dieter's perspective, most of the calories found in salads come from the cheeses, bacon bits and dressings that frequently find their way into the typical restaurant salad dish. Salads with lettuce are often a core part of the dieter's arsenal. Lettuce is also rich in water, enabling the body to better hydrate itself. Lettuce also contains fiber, helping the digestion and adding a feeling of fullness.

Comparing Lettuce Varieties

• All of these lettuce varieties have nutritional benefits, but some are denser. Raddichio offers vitamins C and K, lutein, and potassium, with the romaine and green leaf lettuce varieties right behind. Even the often-maligned iceberg lettuce outranks cauliflower in some key nutrients such as vitamin K and lutein. Romaine wins the highest in folate award.

Explore Lettuce

• Different parts of lettuces have distinct tastes. Even some varieties--such as bibb--are notorious for tasting nearly buttery with their soft lighter green leaves. Red leaf and other types of lettuces combined with different greens are fast becoming best-selling salads. Many Americans who lack in-depth cuisine knowledge might also be missing out on the joys of cooked or sauteed lettuce, which is a common dish served throughout the world.