Is Lettuce as worthless as I percieve it to be?

[John]

I've been trying to eat healthy for awhile and that means, more salads, vegetables, and less red meat.

Its always been my opinion that lettuce is nearly worthless as a vegetable. From my understanding, it has very little in the way of nutritional benefit. So I've tried to replace it with a better vegetable: fresh spinach.

In salads, on sandwiches, etc, it has more flavor than lettuce. If you don't like it, don't worry, the taste will grow on you.

What are your thoughts on this?

[Billy]

Lettuce is an empty food. You'll spend more calories chewing and digesting it then you actually gain from it. It's alright as a source for ruffage but you can get that from better sources that actually give other benefits.

Now, it does make a hell of a carrier for dressing in salads.

[POLLO]

Hence why the call lettuce 'shrubbery'. +1 on the dressing carrier.


I love spinach, however I never tried the fresh kind, I've had the canned spinach.

[terry.ho]

Spinach is really good for you.

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/foods_view/1,1523,35,00.html#Nutrition_Chart

[Vito_Corleone]

They're both negative calories. They're not useless as long as you're using them as basically filler food, other than that, not great.

[Frances]

Iceburg lettuce is pointless.

Romaine, arugala, spinach, and any other "dark green leafy vegetable" is an excellent source of calcium (particularly if you don't eat dairy).

[Shizzle]

Broccoli is one of the healthiest everyday veggies out there.

[93ex]

Lettuce is basically there to fill you up, so you dont eat other crap.

[TNathe]

Iceburg lettuce is pointless.

Romaine, arugala, spinach, and any other "dark green leafy vegetable" is an excellent source of calcium (particularly if you don't eat dairy).
:werd: Romaine lettuce is good for you. You have to differentiate between what types of lettuce your talking about.

[Vito_Corleone]

Still negative calories, it's nothing really special.

[Malevolent X]

Lettuce is good for those who want to decrease water retention, as is other greens. When i'm dieting and working on losing the water weight lettuce is a main ingredient on making that possible as well as drinking lots of water.

[tampamax]

Lettuce is a god send. Have a light(small serving) of salad with very little dressing on it after your meal. You could eat a buffalo, and still feel like running a marathon after the salad. Not really, but you get the idea. For whatever reason the salad will "lighten" your stomach after a very heavy meal. Heavy would be a huge helping of extra thick creamy aflredo sauce and your choice of noodle. Another great benefit is it cleanses the palate so you don't have horribly bad breath, nor do you burp up the smell of your meal.

Lettuce reminds me of Watermelon. Not really anything to it but water. But this sweet red goodness will give you the shits if you indulge to much in its face smacking goodness.:D

[...mikey]

ive always heard dont touch a salad if bulking up.. because its so much water and essentially wothless calories.. it makes you feel full but in reality you gained.. oh.. negative calories.. like everyone else said.