Lettuce - A Better Choice

Lettuce

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Lettuce is one of the most widely used salad vegetables and is available in a variety of colours, shapes and flavours.
Lettuce seeds arrived in Australia on the First Fleet.
The most popular lettuce varieties in Australia are:
- Iceberg with a round, compact head.
- Cos lettuce which has longer dark green leaves.
- Butterhead with brown/red or softer green leaves.

Health Benefits

Lettuce is an excellent source of vitamin A (the darker the leaves more vitamin A and iron)

100g of lettuce yields the following:

Calories – 14
Total Carbs – 1% of DV
Protein – 0.9g
Dietary Fibre – 5% of DV
Vitamin A – 10% of DV
Vitamin C – 5% of DV
Calcium – 2% of DV
Iron – 2% of DV

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Selecting tips

Select lettuce which have crisp, firm leaves without any sign of wilting.
Ball-head lettuce varieties should feed heavy for their size.

Storage tips

Remove the core and wash the lettuce thoroughly in cold water.
Line a plastic container with paper towel and place lettuce leaves on top (after shaking off excess water), seal container with a lid and store in the fridge crisper.
Alternatively, place cleaned lettuce leaves onto paper towel, in one layer, roll up and place in a sealed plastic bag. Again, store in the fridge crisper.
Stored lettuce should last between 2-4 weeks.