Hi, i've read here and there that regular ole' Iceburg Lettuce is basically worthless when it comes to nutrition. Is this so?

And if so....what's the best kind to buy and why.

Thanks for your help!

Lots of folks like spinach, it high in lots of nutrients and fibre, I think it's an acquired taste raw as I like it cooked but not raw. I use a lot of romaine. I believe in general dark leafy greens are best.

The darker the color, the more nutrition. I usually go for the dark leaf lettuces, romaine, and baby spinach. The pre-washed, bagged salad blends are good too, and very handy.

This is what I like and buy in order of preferences......

boston lettuce/baby spinach (tied for first place)

leaf lettuce (red or green)

romaine lettuce (I only buy this when I cannot find anything I like first)

I love baby lettuces and spinaches. You can often buy a bag of prewashed baby greens and they make wonderful salads.

I have too have read that iceburg lettuce is nutritionally inferior to other types of lettuce such as romaine. Got out my handy dandy book and this is why. Romaine lettuce is greener than iceburg lettuce and has about three times as much vitamin C and six times as much vitamin A as iceburg lettuce. Iceburg lettuce is mostly water and its light green colour makes it weak nutritionally, The darker green your lettuce is, the better it is for you. By the way,this goes for all vegetables- the more highly coloured your veggies are, the more better they are for your body nutritionally. For example, cucumber's do not have many nutrients, but they are full of water and may help you feel fuller. Fresh iceburg lettuce has a high water content too and is low in calories. This is why so many people use it in their diet plan, but its not a good a idea to rely exclusively on this type of lettuce for your salads-you will be short changing yourself nutritionally.
The vitamin K in leafy greens helps the body make a protein that is vital for bone health. Dark green colour Leaf lettuce is high in vitamin A supplying 40 % of your daily needs. Vitamin A is important for good eye health and helps the body fight infection. Romaine lettuce is also an excellent source of vitamine A and contains folate.
Phytochemicals in Romaine lettuce that are thought to reduce the incidence of Cancer include lutein and coumarins. So, skip the iceburg lettuce if your concerned with optimum nutritional value for your hard earned dollar and go buy yourself these lettuces: Romaine. Boston/Bibb/ butterhead. And Green leaf. Also, don't forget about all your other green vegetables such as Swiss chard. (Yummy sauteed)
Another thing about iceburg lettuce- you are not even supposed to exclusively feed your hamster iceburg lettuce! (my daughter just told me this)

i have a salad for dinner every night that consists of both baby spinach and romaine lettuce (among other things)... very good

Another good thing about romaine/cos lettuce is that it keeps much longer than iceberg.

I see that you live in my part of the country - so get out there this week and sow some seeds of leaf lettuce, buttercrunch, romaine, black-seeded Simpson, etc. this week. It works in a large flowerpot, too!

Great info everybody.....i'll take your advice and go "greener"!

Another great one is Rocket, which I think you will know as arugula (?) - anyway, another very green one to try

Be aware thet bagged lettuce has some sugar in it... Read the back... I did... my mixed bag said 2 grams of carbs per cup.

I read somewhere that they add sugar to cut bitterness in some greens. I wish they would leave well enough alone.

No way!

I buy the Dole pre-washed bagged lettuce, and never thought to check it.

My fave is butter lettuce followed by baby spinach and then spring mix.

That is exactly why I read everything! I cant believe they put sugar on lettuce!

Paris.... Just check the nutrient column on the back of the bag. I was surprised too. I found the original information here on one of the posts about a month ago... SO I checked, because I thought "no way" also