Lettuce is a popular salad vegetable of cool climates. Lettuce is believed to be originated in the region comprising of the Mediterranean region and Siberia. Scientific name of Lettuce is Lactuca sativa. It is a hardy, annual herb plant belonging to the family Asteraceae, the sunflower family. Though it is grown for its edible leaves, sometimes its seeds and stems are also consumed as food. It is fairly easy to cultivate lettuce.

Red Leaf Lettuce: Red leaf lettuce has a deep red tint to the edges of the leaves. It is mild in flavour and texture. It consists of five different species such as “New Red Fire Lettuce”, “Red Sails Lettuce”, “Redina Lettuce”, “Galactic Lettuce”, and the “Benito Lettuce.”

According to USDA, a 100g serving of raw, fresh red leaf lettuce provides about 16 kcal of energy. A detailed account of nutrients present in red leaf lettuce is given below:

Water-g-95.64 g; Energy-kcal-16 kcal; Protein-g-1.33 g; Total lipid (fat)-g-0.22 g; Carbohydrate-g-2.26 g; Fiber-g-0.9 g; Sugars-g-0.48 g; Calcium-mg-33 mg; Iron-mg-1.2 mg; Magnesium-mg-12 mg; Phosphorus-mg-28 mg; Potassium-mg-187 mg; Sodium-mg-25 mg; Zinc-mg-0.2 mg; Vitamin C-mg-3.7 mg; Thiamin-mg-0.064 mg; Riboflavin-mg-0.077 mg; Niacin-mg-0.321 mg; Vitamin B-6-mg-0.1 mg; Vitamin A-IU-7492 IU; Vitamin E-mg-0.15 mg and Vitamin K-µg-140.3 Aug

Green-Leaf Lettuce: Green Leaf Lettuce variety is also mild-flavored like red leaf variety. It has tender, delicate green leaves which are mainly used as a leafy green and also in salad preparations.

According to USDA, a 100 g serving of fresh, raw green leaf lettuce provides about 15 kcal of energy. It is also rich in moisture, up to 95% of fresh weight.

A 100 g edible portion of green lettuce contains 1.36g protein, 0.15g fat, 2.87g carbohydrate, 0.78g sugar, and 1.3g fiber. A detailed account of ‘Vitamins and Minerals’ present in green leaf lettuce is given below:

Calcium, Ca-36 mg; Iron-0.86 mg; Magnesium-13 mg; Phosphorus-29 mg; Potassium-194 mg; Sodium-28 mg; Zinc-0.18 mg; Vitamin C-9.2 mg; Thiamin-0.07 mg; Riboflavin-0.08 mg; Niacin-0.375 mg; Vitamin B-6-0.09 mg; Folate-38 Aug; Vitamin A-7405 IU; Vitamin E-0.22 mg and Vitamin K-126.3 Aug

Romaine Lettuce or Cos Lettuce: Scientific name of Romaine or ‘cos’ lettuce is Lactuca sativa var. longifolia. It is a heat-tolerant variety of lettuce. Romaine lettuce is mainly used in preparing Caesar salads.

A detailed account of nutrients present in fresh, raw romaine lettuce is given below:

Water-94.61 g; Energy-17 kcal; Protein-1.23 g; Total lipid (fat)-0.3 g; Carbohydrate-3.29 g; Fiber-2.1 g; Sugars, total-1.19 g; Calcium, Ca-33 mg; Iron, Fe-0.97 mg; Magnesium, Mg-14 mg; Phosphorus, P-30 mg; Potassium, K-247 mg; Sodium, Na-8 mg; Zinc, Zn-0.23 mg; Vitamin C-4 mg; Thiamin-0.072 mg; Riboflavin-0.067 mg; Niacin-0.313 mg; Vitamin B-6-0.074 mg; Folate-136 Aug; Vitamin A-8710 IU; Vitamin E-0.13 mg and Vitamin K-102.5 Aug

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Crisphead Lettuce or Iceberg Lettuce: Scientific name of crisphead lettuce is Lactuca sativa var. capitata. Crisphead lettuce is grown for its large compact heads with crisp leaves; therefore the crop is called crisphead. Though there are many types of cultivated lettuce crops, it is crisphead lettuce that is mainly produced on commercial scale.

According to USDA, a 100g serving of fresh, raw iceberg lettuce provides about 14 kcal of energy. Water or moisture presence is about 95.6%. A detailed account of nutrient present in iceberg lettuce is given below:

Protein-0.9 g; Total lipid (fat)-0.14 g; Carbohydrate-2.97 g; Fiber-1.2 g; Sugars, total-1.97 g; Calcium, Ca-18 mg; Iron, Fe-0.41 mg; Magnesium, Mg-7 mg; Phosphorus, P-20 mg; Potassium, K-141 mg; Sodium, Na-10 mg; Zinc, Zn-0.15 mg; Vitamin C-2.8 mg; Thiamin-0.041 mg; Riboflavin-0.025 mg; Niacin-0.123 mg; Vitamin B-6-0.042 mg; Folate-29 Aug; Vitamin A-502 IU; Vitamin E-0.18 mg and Vitamin K-24.1 Aug

Butterhead Lettuce: It is also known as Boston or Bibb lettuce. This is similar to crisphead lettuce in appearance with a head forming with a loose arrangement of leaves. Butterhead lettuce is known for its sweet flavor and mild, tender texture. A detailed account of nutrients present in fresh, raw Butterhead lettuce is given below:

Water-95.63 g; Energy-13 kcal; Protein-1.35 g; Total lipid (fat)-0.22 g; Carbohydrate-2.23 g; Fiber-1.1 g; Sugars, total-0.94 g; Calcium, Ca-35 mg; Iron, Fe-1.24 mg; Magnesium, Mg-13 mg; Phosphorus, P-33 mg; Potassium, K-238 mg; Sodium, Na-5 mg; Zinc, Zn-0.2 mg; Vitamin C-3.7 mg; Thiamin-0.057 mg; Riboflavin-0.062 mg; Niacin-0.357 mg; Vitamin B-6-0.082 mg; Folate-73 Aug; Vitamin A-3312 IU; Vitamin E-0.18 mg and Vitamin K-102.3 Aug

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