Lettuce provides a lot of vitamin A, folate, and some plant compounds that help improve health, according to the health page. Health.
Ms. Jillian Kubala, a nutritionist working in the US, shared some of the health benefits of lettuce as follows.
Provides essential vitamins for the body
Lettuce is a familiar food in daily meals. Not only delicious, lettuce is also a rich source of essential vitamins for the body, especially folate and vitamin A.
Folate is important for red blood cell production and cell division. Pregnant women need more folate to support fetal development.
Vitamin A plays an important role in the immune system and vision. 47 grams of lettuce provides 23% of the recommended daily nutritional value of vitamin A for the body.
In addition, lettuce also contains vitamin K to help improve bone health and vitamin C to help strengthen the immune system.
Antioxidants
Lettuce contains many antioxidants. These substances help protect the body from the harmful effects of free radicals, which are the cause of many diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, aging...
Lettuce is also especially rich in beta-carotene and lutein, which have powerful antioxidant effects. Studies show that people who eat a lot of lettuce have a lower risk of breast cancer and age-related macular degeneration.
In addition, lettuce also contains polyphenol compounds, which help support blood vessel health, reduce inflammation and regulate blood lipid levels. Therefore, they can also help prevent cardiovascular diseases and strokes.
Reduce illness
Many studies have proven that people who eat a lot of vegetables, especially raw vegetables like lettuce, have a lower risk of diseases such as cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Lettuce is low in calories but rich in vitamins A, C, K and essential minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Lettuce also contains antioxidant compounds such as beta-carotene and lutein, which help protect the body from cardiovascular diseases, cancer and macular degeneration.
Although lettuce is safe for most people and poses few health risks, there are still some things to consider.
Lettuce can be contaminated with food poisoning bacteria such as E. coli, Norovirus, Listeria, Salmonella and Cyclospora. Therefore, you need to wash the lettuce under running water before eating to remove bacteria.
To avoid cross-contamination, you should not let lettuce come into contact with raw meat, poultry, or seafood and wash cutting boards, knives, and kitchen surfaces before preparing lettuce.