Let Us Eat ! Lettuce is very versatile. It can be used in wraps, salads, and sandwiches. Here are some fun messages to help everyone think about the value of a salad:

1. One cup of lettuce contains just 5 calories. 2. Keep your lettuce choices nutritious by making them dark in color. This includes the purple colored . 3. Baby kale is a lettuce and you can serve it raw or cooked, which is versatile in your kitchen. 4. Lettuce lasts longer when you keep it covered but allow a little air flow. Puncture bags of lettuce when you get home. 5. Lettuce is considered a green leafy vegetable. 6. If you prefer a crisper lettuce over leaf lettuces, such as iceberg lettuce, consider choosing romaine lettuce instead. Its color and texture is very similar to iceberg lettuce but it has considerably more nutritional value.

Battle of the Nutrients between Romaine and Iceberg lettuces

Vitamin A Romaine lettuce is super rich in beta-carotene, with approximately 4,094 international unit (IU) of A in one cup. One cup of iceberg lettuce, however, only contains 361 IU of . Vitamin A, a -soluble vitamin, is important for your vision, immune system, and reproductive system. It has been linked to aiding the heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs in proper functioning. Winner: Romaine Romaine lettuce provides 48 micrograms of vitamin K in a one-cup serving while iceberg lettuce only provides 17 mcg. Vitamin K helps your blood to clot appropriately and regulate insulin. Winner: Romaine Lutein and Zeaxanthin (zē-ə-ˈzan-thən) Lutein and zeaxanthin can reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that occurs when the fragile center of the retina, the macula, deteriorates over the years. Romaine lettuce contains 1,087 mgs of lutein and zeaxanthin. Iceberg lettuce only contains 199 mgs of these two nutrients. The recommended amount of lutein is 6 to 10 mg per day, whereas the dose for zeaxanthin is 2 mg per day, to maximize the health benefits for your eyes. The National Eye Institute, per the Age- Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) conducted in 2001 and then in 2006, concluded that the use of the supplements C and E, beta-carotene, and the minerals zinc and copper, with the addition of lutein and zeaxanthin, are safe and protective against the advancement of AMD. Winner: Romaine

ADSS Nutrition Team, Spring FY’18