It’s in the micronutrient department that iceberg lettuce nutrition starts to diverge. As with other salad greens, there aren’t many carbs in iceberg lettuce (just two grams per shredded cup), as well as a negligible amount of protein (less than one gram) and virtually no fat, according to the USDA. Nutritionally speaking, all of these offerings are pretty similar in terms of not being a major source of macronutrients. By “regular” lettuce, let’s say we’re talking about things like romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, spinach, kale, or arugula, etc. What’s the difference between iceberg lettuce and regular lettuce? (The way we define “healthy eating” is pretty fraught anyway, given the influence of diet culture and discounting of important factors like joy and connection, food access, and culture.) Change the lettuce’s context by, say, sticking it in chicken and pepper fajitas or tucking it into a hummus and veggie wrap-foods that more people see as being healthier-and it starts to look a whole lot different. But because they usually don’t have the nutrition profile and glowing health halo of, say, a fiber-rich quinoa bowl, those foods tend to be looked down upon in the nutrition world-and by extension, iceberg lettuce does too. Of course, there’s nothing actually wrong with eating nachos or burgers, and all foods have their place in a varied, balanced diet. It’s typically thrown on top of things like nachos and burgers, or tossed with rich, creamy salad dressings, for instance. But first, another big reason for iceberg’s bad rap: the fact that it tends to get involved with foods and dishes that aren’t always seen as meeting our collective standard of good for you, notes Largeman-Roth. ![]() So, as you can see, while iceberg lettuce is not bad for you at all, it cannot hold a candle to romaine in terms of nutritional value.We’ll talk more about comparing iceberg lettuce nutrition to its rival greens in a minute. You’re also looking at small amounts of Vitamin E, zinc, B-complex vitamins, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, and protein. ![]() When it comes to vitamins, you can get 34% of your daily recommended value of Vitamin C from one serving of romaine, 109% of Vitamin K, and a whopping 148% of your Vitamin A intake. It’s also heavily rich in folate, iron, manganese, and potassium. For starters, you can get 7% of your daily fiber intake from one serving of romaine lettuce. In terms of minerals and vitamins, you’re getting a lot packed into a little. Of course, this difference accounts to absolutely nothing as you can burn two calories walking down the stairs of your house casually. There are small amounts of fiber, protein, and nutrients mixed within each serving, along with minerals such as copper, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, and zinc, however you’re not getting a lot of these.Ī serving of romaine lettuce on the other hand has about 15 calories, making it two calories more than iceberg. It also contains a fair amount of Vitamin A, folate, Vitamin K, and Manganese. This one serving of iceberg lettuce has a calorie count of only 13, so we’re on the right track instantly. One head contains anywhere from five to 10 servings, which is equal to about one cup. ![]() Let’s look at these lettuc es one at a time.įirst, you have iceberg, which is typically between 485 to 800 grams per head. It just lacks the micronutrient count of romaine. It’s still low in calories and fat, like every other lettuce. That’s not to say that iceberg lettuce is necessarily bad for you. Because of that, many are turning to romaine as an example of a more nutritious lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is a form of head lettuce, and it has been getting a bad reputation among the more nutrition conscious among us. The Long Answer:Īsk any dietician about the nutritional value of iceberg lettuce and you’re likely to be stuck in that conversation for a while. While both of these leafy greens are forms of lettuce, they are very different in terms of nutritional value. 2 Shares They’re both main components in most salads, so is there any difference between these two types of lettuce? Is one healthier than the other?
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