What Meal wouldn’t be Complete without it?

For Iowa Avenue’s last vegetable for National Nutrition Month, how could we not include what’s eaten virtually for every lunch and dinner around the world?

LETTUCE!!

Photo courtesy of Stones 55

Lettuce, especially romaine is among my favorite foods.

Why?

Eating lettuce is one of the best ways you can lose weight, without feeling hungry. Because by eating more you can weigh less; lettuce is one of those foods that you can eat a lot of, and that doesn’t put on a lot of weight.

One of the key components to a healthy diet is eating a salad for lunch and/or dinner everyday.

Lettuce roots literally started out as a weed around the Mediterranean. Served in dishes for more than 4500 years, lettuce has certainly made its mark in history with tomb painting in Egypt and identification of different types of lettuces by various Greek scholars. Christopher Columbus introduced lettuce to the new world which led to its cultivation in the United States.

Most dark greens are good sources of Vitamin C and other nutrients. A basic rule of thumb is the darker the greens, the more nutritious the vegetable.

Lettuce (Romaine, Shredded)

Serving Size 1 cup chopped, raw (56g)

Amounts Per Serving	% Daily Value
Calories 10
Calories from Fat 0
Total Fat 0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 0mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 2g	1%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Sugars 1g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A	70%
Vitamin C	20%
Calcium	2%
Iron	4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Penn State has created a great guide about lettuce’s nutritional benefits, along with recipes, and instructions on how to grow your own. It’s in PDF and completely printable: Lettuce

Here’s a recipe for you to try:

Honey Mustard Dressing

1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup reduced fat or fat free plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried dill weed

In a small bowl, whisk the Dijon mustard, honey, soy sauce, yogurt, garlic powder and dill weed together until well blended. If it’s too thick, add a little fat free milk.

After you finish making your salad and having dinner, but before you begin cleaning up, take a look at this video. It will give new meaning to Sweeping the Kitchen………………………..:)

We hope that you’ve bookmarked each post because between preparing, eating and cleaning up, you’ve got your own personal goals and dreams to pursue, and we want to help, because

After all, it’s about a healthy lifestyle!

Tags: food, nutrition, vegetables

Comment by Eve on March 30, 2008 at 10:07am: Sweeping away the spotlight - shades of Emmet Kelly. Maybe I'm the only one old enough to remember Emmet?

Comment by Michelle on March 30, 2008 at 12:04pm: I love adding romaine or spinach to my smoothies!!! A great way to add minerals and vitamins to your diet!

Comment by Metroknow on March 30, 2008 at 3:48pm: Wow that honey mustard dressing sounds great - definitely going to give that a try, maybe tonight! Thanks for the info on lettuce, and particularly the Penn State link.

Thanks!