Lettuce Heads Up
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All Lettuce is not created the same. This crisp green vegetable is most often used in salads surrounded by an army of other vegetables, fruits, and sometimes nuts. Iceberg is the most commonly purchased variety of lettuce in the U.S., but how nutritious is it?
Iceberg Lettuce is a good source of fiber, zero fat, and very low in calories which makes it popular with dieters. However, it comes up short in the vitamin and nutrients department compared to its counterparts Romaine and Green Leaf lettuce, specifically Vitamin A, C, and Beta Carotene.
*One cup of shredded Iceberg contains 361 IU’s (International Units) of Vitamin A. Think that’s a lot? One cup of Romaine has 2729 IU’s, and Green Leaf has 2666 IU’s. Okay, let’s look at Beta Carotene, (based on one cup shredded), Iceberg; 215mcg, (micrograms), Romaine; 1637mcg, and Green Leaf 1599mcg. Vitamin C: Iceberg 2.0mg, (milligrams), Romaine 11.3mg, and Green Leaf 6.5mg.
The name Iceberg comes from the way the lettuce was transported in the US starting in the 1920s on train-wagons covered in crushed ice, making them look like icebergs.
*Another familiar lettuce I failed to mention, Butterhead (Bibb, or Boston), is also a good source of vitamins and nutrients boasting 1822 IU’s of Vitamin A, 1093mcg of Beta Carotene, and leads the other three in Potassium with 131mg per one cup shredded.
If you want to check out vitamins and nutrients for other veggies, fruits, and foods, hop over to http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/.
Bon Appetite
The Backseat Gourmet
*USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 19 (2006)
Popularity: 31% [?]
I usually stay away from anything green, but after this post I may have to change my ways. This link is just to show I haven’t forgotten my favorite Baby Boomer.
Comment by Sire — September 2, 2007 @ 4:18 pm
Greens, greens…they’re as good for you as beans. You DO realize you just tagged Hope, the Backseat Gourmet, don’t you?
Comment by angela — September 2, 2007 @ 6:31 pm
Sure, I’ll tag anyone that will feed me.
Comment by Sire — September 2, 2007 @ 6:51 pm
Hey Sire, sorry for the belated response, been out of pocket for a few days..Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts..
Say you don’t eat Anything green? That’s ccol, I know a lot of people that share your sentiment when it comes to greenies, my son for one.
Comment by Hope — September 3, 2007 @ 10:29 pm
Nah I was only pulling your leg, I eat a fair bit of green stuff including spinach. I always wanted to be just like Popeye but the muscles never did mimic his. Maybe the blighter was on steroids.
Comment by Sire — September 4, 2007 @ 3:17 am
LOL…Popeye never had that affect on my kids; making them want to eat Spinach.
Comment by Hope — September 4, 2007 @ 8:27 am
Popeye was the ONLY pers..er, character that was EVER able to get me to eat spinach. I remember eating it when I first discovered Popeye on TV at my grandmother’s when she babysat me at the age of about 3 or 4. Didn’t take long for that phase to end…tired of that nasty stuff after a few cans! Psst…I didn’t need muscles anyway!
Comment by angela — September 4, 2007 @ 11:48 pm
I think most kids growing up with Popeye at least tried for the mere fact that he made it look soooo good.
Comment by Hope — September 5, 2007 @ 8:21 am