Lettuce is an antioxidant-rich green vegetable, which is delicious and suitable for any meal. This vegetable is often used as fresh vegetables, sandwich fillings, burgers, and pickles.
In addition to complementing the dish, lettuce also contains nutrients that can optimize health and beauty. So, what are the benefits you can get by eating this vegetable? Let’s check out more!
Nutritional Content in Lettuce
Here is the nutritional information of lettuce per 100 grams according to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference:
- Calories (kcal): 14
- Total Fat: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 28 mg
- Potassium: 194 mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 2,9 g
- Dietary fiber: 1,3 g
- Sugar: 0.8 g
- Protein: 1,4 g
- Vitamin C: 9.2 mg
- Calcium: 36 mg
- Iron: 0.9 mg
- Vitamin B6: 0.1 mg
- Magnesium: 13 mg
Lettuce is a good source of vitamins A, C, and K. Vitamin A is important for eye health and immunity, vitamin C plays a role in helping iron absorption and maintaining healthy skin.
In addition, vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting and bone health. Lettuce also contains fiber, which can help improve digestion. Although low in calories, it is important to balance lettuce with other nutritious foods to meet your daily nutritional needs.
Health and Beauty Benefits of Lettuce
Lettuce is a healthy vegetable because of its nutritional content. It contains fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. In addition, this vegetable also contains vitamins A and K which are quite high.
One cup of lettuce leaves can fulfill 82 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin A and 60 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin K.
Not to forget, lettuce contains calcium and folate which makes this vegetable even more beneficial for health.
From the various nutritional content, here are the benefits of lettuce for health and beauty:
1. Maintain skin hydration
Lettuce has a water content of 98 percent. This helps the body to stay well hydrated. Additionally, you can use cardamom to prevent bad breath when talking to other people
When the body is well hydrated, this condition will also make skin health more optimal. The skin will avoid dry, dull, and itchy conditions.
Even so, don’t forget to consume at least eight glasses of water every day to keep your skin healthy.
2. Optimizes bone strength
This vegetable is high in vitamin K. Meeting the needs of vitamin K can optimize bone health to be stronger.
In addition to containing vitamin K, lettuce also contains calcium which can help to strengthen bones. By fulfilling the needs of these vitamins and minerals, the risk of bone health problems will decrease.
3. Optimize vision
Lettuce contains vitamin A which is quite high. This vitamin plays a role in maintaining eye health. With the fulfillment of vitamin A in the body, this can help you improve the quality of vision.
In fact, you can avoid cataract disease to macular degeneration.
In addition, launching from the journal Antioxidants, lettuce also contains the antioxidant zeaxanthin which can optimize eye health and prevent various eye diseases.
4. Lower cholesterol levels
Consuming lettuce can help you to lower cholesterol levels in the body. When cholesterol levels are well controlled, this condition makes you avoid heart disease.
5. Helps you lose weight
If you are on a diet program to lose weight, you can try incorporating lettuce into your daily diet.
Lettuce contains fiber and low calories, making it suitable for weight loss. Launching from PLoS Medicine, consuming lettuce that contains high fiber can increase satiety.
This condition can reduce total energy intake and prevent weight gain. Additionally, you can use bananas to help reduce weight better.
6. Maintain heart health
The potassium content in this vegetable can help maintain heart health. This makes you avoid various health problems in the heart.
7. Lower blood pressure
In addition to maintaining heart health, the potassium content is also good for people with high blood pressure. Potassium helps lower high blood pressure by reducing the effects of sodium and dilating blood vessels.
According to a study in the journal Current Hypertension Reports, the potassium content is quite high in red lettuce. Consuming it can help fulfill the need for potassium in the body.
As a result, potassium is able to reduce the impact of sodium and dilate blood vessels, thus helping to lower blood pressure.
8. Makes skin firmer
The vitamin A content in this vegetable is also beneficial for skin health. When this vitamin can be fulfilled properly, the skin looks firmer, softer, and healthier.
9. Optimizes the body’s immune system
Various vitamin and mineral contents in lettuce can optimize the body’s immune system. In fact, the vitamin A content in it can relieve infection, inflammation, and cell damage.
10. Prevents cancer
Lettuce is a green vegetable that is rich in antioxidants. The content protects the body from various free radical exposures that trigger the emergence and development of cancer cells.
11. Prevents pregnancy complications
In pregnant women, lettuce is beneficial for reducing the risk of pregnancy complications. This is because this vegetable contains folate, which is good for health. The folate content is proven to be able to reduce the risk of defects in the fetus.
12. Prevents fatigue
Lettuce contains folate, which helps the process of producing healthy red blood cells. When healthy red blood cells are fulfilled in the body, then you avoid the condition of continuous fatigue.
13. Maintains healthy gums and teeth
This vegetable also contains good vitamin C, especially in Romaine lettuce. Meeting the needs of vitamin C in the body helps optimize the health of gums and teeth to be healthier.
Conclusions
Those are the benefits of lettuce for health and beauty that you can feel. In addition to consuming these vegetables, don’t forget to eat the right diet for optimal health.
