Health and Nutritional Benefits of Lettuce
Salad plays an important role in a healthful diet in our daily meal. Foods are incomplete without salad, so when we talk about salad, then green salad like Spinach, Lettuce and others play important role in our daily meal. Lettuce also helps to decorate the salad before serve in meal, which makes beautiful and increase the quality of the meal.
Health and nutritional benefits of lettuce include its use and effects in malnutrition, weight loss, hair loss, skin ailments, vision loss, color blindness, etc.
Lettuce Nutrition Facts
Lettuce is high in water, so it is good for us because it is low in calories. It contains the source of vitamins A, B, C, and K along with magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Lettuce is a great vegetarian source of Vitamin A. It contains 7405 IU Vitamin A, which is equal to 148% of its daily value.
Major Nutrients
Major Nutrient | Value per 100 g |
Calories | 14 |
Protein | 1 g |
Total Fat | 0.2 g |
Carbohydrate | 3.2 g |
Dietary Fiber | 1.3 g |
Sugar (Total) | 0.78 g |
Water | 95 g |
Lipids & Fatty Acid Details
Lipids | Value per 100 g |
Saturated fat | 0 g |
Monounsaturated fat | 0 g |
Polyunsaturated fat | 0.1 g |
Trans fat | 0 g (7.5 mg) |
Cholesterol | Nil |
Vitamins in Almonds
Vitamins | Value per 100 g |
Vitamin A, IU | 7405 IU |
Vitamin C | 9.2 mg |
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.22 mg |
Folate | 38 µg |
Niacin | 0.375 mg |
Riboflavin | 0.080 mg |
Thiamin | 0.070 mg |
Vitamin B-6 | 0.090 mg |
Minerals in Almonds
Minerals | Value per 100 g |
Calcium, Ca | 36 mg |
Iron, Fe | 0.89 mg |
Magnesium, Mg | 13 mg |
Phosphorus, P | 29 mg |
Potassium, K | 194 mg |
Sodium, Na | 28 mg |
Zinc, Zn | 0.18 mg |
Source: USDA
Nutritional Benefits of Lettuce
Lettuce is the source of vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C and all other nutrients. Many varieties of Lettuce have grown with different harvest times. Lettuce is a cool season crop, which even tolerates the frost. Because Lettuce is a cool season crop, it grows well in the spring and fall in most areas. It is important to store the Lettuce in a refrigerator and rinse well before use.
Different types of Lettuce are available in the market, which gives slightly different flavors. Some give slightly bitter or tangy flavor, some give mild flavor and so on. It gives benefits to the health, skin and hair.
Improves vision & beneficial for skin – 148% Vitamin A
Lettuce is the storehouse of vitamin A. 100 grams of lettuce contains 148% daily value of vitamin A. It is beneficial for eyes and improves vision.
Lettuce delivers nutrition, which enhances the glow of skin and makes hale and hearty. Lettuce comprises the source of Vitamin A, which increases the skin turnover.
Improves circulation and oxygen supply
Lettuce also contains potassium, which supplies oxygen and nutrition by improving circulation, which increase the glow of skin and make it healthy.
Loaded with other vitamins
Lettuce contains the source of vitamin B (vitamin B-6), which is upright for our blood. It also contains riboflavin and thiamine.
Lettuce leaves consist of beta-carotene and lutein. It also supplies vitamin C and vitamin K, calcium, folate, fiber, and iron. Vitamin K helps to make the blood clot. Other nutrients are potassium, zeaxanthin, vitamin A and B6, and folic acid lycopene.
Health Benefits of Lettuce
Lettuce is the perfect weight loss food that gives benefits to the overall health. It has less sugar and sodium, protein, calcium, vitamin K, iron, vitamin C, vitamin A and all other nutrients, which give much benefit to our health. Some Benefits of lettuce are:
Helps with weight loss
Every person wants to lose his or her weight because it increases the probability of diseases. Lettuce contains cellulose as well as fiber. Fiber improves your digestion, which helps in long-term weight control.
Low calories
It gives fewer calories, which has almost zero fat. Lettuce is good for weight loss because 10 grams lettuce has only 12 calories. Because it gives fewer calories, so it also decreases the probability of sickness as well.
Color blindness & night blindness
Generally, these conditions represent deficiency of vitamin A. 100 grams of lettuce contains 148% daily value of vitamin A. Therefore, lettuce is highly beneficial in color blindness and night blindness.
Lowers cholesterol
Fiber also helps to replace the bile salt that breaks down cholesterol to do so. That is why it is also good for your heart.
Hair loss
Lettuce is the highly nutritious food, which gives benefits to your hair. Drinking Lettuce juice regularly helps in the growth of the hair.
The Lettuce provides nutrition and essential vitamins to the hair for proper nourishment because the cause of hair loss is obtained due to the inorganic form of food (like devitalized and cereals) and the consumption of food by which the hair does not receive the proper nourishment.
Reduces risks of fractures and beneficial in osteoporosis
Research indicates that eating lettuce regularly reduces the hip fracture of older women about 45%.
Mixing lettuce with other fresh produce like cheeses and meats in salads is healthy as well as a low calorie way to double the benefits. So the salads should be the part of our everyday live health-wise.
Prevent Lung and hurt Cancer
Lettuce contains the source of vitamin A (148% of daily value), which helps to prevent cancer. Vegetables and fruit, which is the source of vitamin A, are well known about the ability to prevent cancer and reduce the risk of lung and oral cavity cancer.
Protect Eyesight
The leaf of lettuce is made by one of the carotenoids called carotene, which is absorbed by molecules lute by a selective way, which helps to achieve some level of light protection or filtration. So it helps to protect the eyes and maintain the influence of eyes, which decrease the possibility of loss of sight and reduce the problem of eyesight.
Alzheimer disease
Lettuce is the very rich source of vitamin K, which helps to prevent against Alzheimer by helping to limit the damage of the brain and to promote our bone mass.
Provides nutrition throughout prenatal period and lactation – Anemia during pregnancy
Lettuce contains Folic acid, which helps prevent megaloblastic anemia during pregnancy. Eating lettuce with peas, spinach, cauliflower and asparagus increase vitamin B or folic acid from the diet.
Inhibits birth deficiencies
Lettuce holds folic acid that assists to inhibit birth defects in the early stage of pregnancy. It also prevents anemia.
Improving fertility
The fresh lettuce contains the source of vitamin C and foliates. Vitamin C helps to increase the immune system and helps to fight infection. Foliates helps to reduce the possibility of complications and keep a healthy fetus during pregnancy. The faults help to increase the fertility.
Purifies blood and detoxifies body
In addition, Lettuce contains best source of vitamin K and chlorophyll. They are rich in mineral salts with alkali elements, which are very dominating. It helps to keep blood clean, your mind and body becomes healthy.
Side effects & Contraindications
Before storing the lettuce, it must be washed properly because the pesticides are commonly used on lettuce crop. So it will become harmful if not washed properly.
Carotenodermia
Lettuce has beta-carotene, so it is possible that if we eat so much lettuce then it acquire carotenodermia. Carotenodermia provide a yellowish tint to the skin, but it goes away quickly if you decrease the amount of beta-carotene.
Lettuce contains sodium, but if you eat much lettuce, then your kidney may be damaged. It contains diseases like blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease or heart failure etc.
The green lettuce is very beneficial for our health, but it must be assured that it should take in regular diet in a proper manner. Too much quantity of lettuce can make disease, so it must be taken with limited diet. It fulfills the needs of our body. A person will take neither more nor less lettuce. If we take it in a proper diet, then it makes us healthy and fit for a longer time-period.