Fruity/Veg Talk:Lettuce

           

Lettuce, This beautiful, nutritious rich leafy green vegetable belongs to the daisy family of Asteraceae. Scientific name: Lactuca sativa. It is a small size annual plant that flourishes well under sandy or humus soil.
 Lettuce is sometimes called “the perfect weight loss food” and “rabbit food,” ..and yes, rabbits love lettuce. It has amazing healing benefits and calories and comprises of about 20 percent protein.
Like cabbage, lettuce can be used for salads, sandwich, burgers etc or you can eat it alone.

 Some health benefits:

Weight Loss
Lettuce contains fiber and cellulose. Besides filling you up, fiber improves your digestion and trust me, improving your digestion helps  you to lose that weight for a long time.
Fiber also helps remove bile salts from the body. When the body replaces these salts it breaks down cholesterol to do so. This is why lettuce is also good for your heart!
               

Folate and Vitamin C
 Fresh leaves contain good amounts folates and vitamin C. Folates are part of co-factors in the enzyme metabolism required for DNA synthesis and therefore, play a vital role in prevention of the neural tube defects in the baby (fetus) during pregnancy. 

Calcium
It also contains good amounts of minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, which are very essential for body metabolism. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. Iron is essential for red blood cell formation.
                 

B-complex
It is rich in B-complex group of vitamins like thiamin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), riboflavins.

Helps with Insomnia
The white fluid that you see when you break or cut lettuce leaves is called lactucarium.
This has relaxing and sleep inducing properties similar to opium but without the strong side effects. Simply eat a few leaves or drink some lettuce juice.

 Lettuce is Alkaline Forming
The minerals in lettuce help remove toxins and keep your acid/alkaline balance in order. Once you are balanced on this level there are a host of benefits including greater energy, clearer thinking, deep restful sleep, and youthful skin.
Enjoy!