Lettuce and your Health

Lettuce is 95 percent water, but don't let that fool you.

Lettuce is a wonderful source of nutrients.
Look for the dark-leaf varieties.

A whole head of iceberg won't give you the nutrition you'll find in a cup of romaine leaves.

Darker leaves are especially important for their beta-carotene content; the darker the leaves, the more antioxidants they contain.
Plus romaine is high in vitamin C and folic acid and contains potassium, some calcium, and a little iodine and iron.

Lettuce also has antioxidant phytonutrients including flavonoids, coumarins, and lactucin.

Many people think that if certain foods are good, a lot is better.
This is not always the case, and high doses of certain food are actually toxic.

Read about the healthy food, research the vitamins and minerals and check with your health care provider if you are unsure about how much to eat and how much may be too much.