Leaf lettuce: health benefits

Modern culinary specialists often use leaf lettuce as the basis for many second courses. However, in most cases it is used as a decorative tool in the design of the served dish. This approach is due to the convenient shape and attractive appearance of the plant. Nevertheless, one should not forget about its beneficial properties and vitamin value, which any human body so needs.

Today, leafy lettuce is easy to find on the counter of any supermarket, which makes it not only a useful and attractive culinary ingredient, but also an easily accessible tool that can replenish the body with the necessary trace elements.

The presented vegetable is one of the ten most useful plant foods with a high content of healthy vitamins and minerals. He is the undisputed leader in calcium and occupies the second position in the composition of minerals, second only to spinach. In addition, leaf lettuce surpasses other products in concentration of vitamin K, which helps to improve blood coagulation. This property allows you to avoid both bleeding gums, and the release of blood through the nose, which affects a certain group of people.

Plus, the salad contains a fair amount of folic acid, which ensures the normal functioning of the circulatory system and strengthens the immune system. Finally, it is worth noting that the vegetable belongs to the dietary group of products that are low in calories and contribute to improved digestion.

Types of Leaf Salad

In the culinary of different countries of the world, more than 100 different types of leaf lettuce are known, which are used to prepare various dishes. They can be leafy or cabbage and differ in various forms, as well as colors. The shape and size of the sheet in different species can also have significant differences. Some take the form of large whole sheets, similar to cabbage, others are small in size and resemble mint or sorrel in shape. In addition, there are popular varieties that can be found everywhere.

Lettuce

This variety of leaf lettuce has received the greatest distribution. The main difference between this vegetable is that, as it grows, the leaves of the plant form small, rounded formations that look like weakly condensed cabbage heads. To preserve a rich vitamin base, the cut leaves are washed with cold water and divided into large components or used whole.

In addition to the head, lettuce can take leaf. Such a salad, on the contrary, is recommended to be chopped quite finely, since the extracted juice is of maximum value. It is quite easy to distinguish it by contrasting color, where burgundy streaks stand out against a green background.

Arugula

This is one of the very first varieties of salad, which was used in the cooking of Ancient Rome. Today, farms in the southern part of Europe are engaged in its cultivation.The young leaves of this salad are considered the most valuable, since, unlike the old ones, they do not have a bitter taste.

The most favorable time for collecting this vegetable is considered to be the end of spring and the beginning of summer, during this period the salad has the most pleasant taste and contains the maximum concentration of vitamins. This plant contains a large amount of ascorbic acid, as well as carotene. Arugula creates excellent flavor combinations with most vegetables used in cooking.

Romano or roman salad

In simple use, this leafy salad is also called Chinese cabbage, which is used to make the popular Caesar salad. The ripened plant takes the form of a soft head of cabbage, having the shape of an elongated oval. The leaves are pale green in color, which have a juicy crisp composition and a tart, slightly spicy taste, serving as a hallmark of the presented vegetable. Romano is also used in medicine for the prevention and cure of a number of diseases. Plus, this salad is included in the diet for various diets due to the high concentration of sodium.

Iceberg

This plant has the additional name “ice salad”, and its taste is very reminiscent of the cabbage we are used to because of hard and brittle leaves that can crackle. Thanks to these qualities and a pleasant taste of their own, this leafy salad is very often added in a combination of fresh vegetables. The creators of this variety of salad were California breeders, who at first dubbed it as "crispy salad."

The vegetable received a new name in the 20s of the twentieth century due to the special way of storage during transportation. In order to preserve the freshness of leaf lettuce upon delivery to neighboring state markets, manufacturers were forced to sprinkle it with crushed ice, which subsequently affected the name.

Composition and calorie content

Studies by modern experts confirm that the beneficial properties of lettuce serve as an excellent prophylactic against a number of known diseases. Thus, the qualitative composition of the vegetable is able to prevent the formation of the causes of Alzheimer's disease, strengthen the bone tissue and the human skeleton as a whole. Fiber contained in the plant improves digestion. The rich composition of minerals improves the condition of the skin and mucous membranes.

Chemical composition
The invaluable benefits of leaf lettuce as a vegetable crop are explained quite simply, this contributes to the richness of its chemical composition. The main composition of the plant is water, carbohydrates, fiber, a small amount of protein and almost complete absence of fats. Here, like nowhere else, contains a high concentration of useful trace elements, such as:

• phosphorus;
• iron;
• iodine;
• copper;
• cobalt;
• potassium;
• sodium;
• zinc.

In addition, lettuce is rich in vitamin K, allowing you to keep blood coagulability within acceptable limits. They have a high content of vitamin C, exceeding the concentration in citrus fruits - lemons or oranges. In addition, leaf lettuce contains a high concentration of carotene, as well as carotenoids, which help improve vision. In addition, there is a lot of folic acid, which is necessary for pregnant women, as well as nursing mothers. Great benefit from this component also for growing children during the formation of the skeleton.

Calorie content
This product is considered dietary because of its low calorie content: 100 g of fresh leaves contains only 15 calories. For this reason, leaf lettuce is able to stabilize blood sugar and serve as a prophylactic against obesity. It has a high concentration of ascorbic acid, which makes it an excellent antioxidant and slows down the aging process of cells. Most often, leaf lettuce is used in raw form, adding to vegetable salads, cold snacks and all kinds of side dishes.

What is useful leaf lettuce

A large number of nutrients, which are in high concentration in lettuce leaves, makes it an indispensable ingredient in the daily diet. It is recommended for use by both men and women even during gestation or breastfeeding. This vegetable is recommended for use by children during the development of the body and the elderly as an excellent prophylactic.

For women

The cosmetic properties of lettuce can also have a beneficial effect on the female body. For this purpose, a fair amount of lettuce is soaked in moderately hot water in order to subsequently take a warm bath with this composition. This simple procedure helps restore the skin and gives it elasticity.

For men

For the male body, the presence of B vitamins in leaf lettuce is of great importance, which contribute to the general strengthening of a number of vital systems. And with a lack of this necessary component, irritability may appear, leading to insomnia, the likelihood of numbness of the extremities will increase, and high fatigue will be observed.

When these symptoms appear, experts recommend including lettuce leaves in the diet, which combine perfectly with many products and allow you to use them in a wide variety of recipes. This vegetable is very useful for athletes experiencing great physical exertion, it helps to reduce the painful effects that arise later.

Among other things, the composition of the salad can contribute to the growth and restoration of the hairline. For this purpose, a special tincture is prepared from the leaves, which can penetrate deeply, reaching the epidermis, and nourish the hair roots. This tool also has a beneficial effect on the restoration of damaged cells.

During pregnancy

Folic acid, which is abundant in the presented vegetable, allows regulating the hormonal balance of pregnant women. In addition, it contributes to the process of activating childbearing function. In addition, such a dietary supplement reduces the likelihood of premature birth, as well as the risk of miscarriage. The microcomponents that make up the leaves of lettuce help to ensure the full development of the fetus.

When breastfeeding

To enhance lactation, as well as improve the characteristics of breast milk, it is recommended to take water infusion on lettuce seeds. In addition, the salad included in the diet of a nursing mother, contributes to the formation of both bone and muscle tissue of the baby. This is due to the high concentration of calcium in the composition of the plant.

For children

Children are not at all forbidden to include lettuce in the diet, for this there are even certain recommendations. This is due to the high content of various vitamins, such as C, K, B, B4, P and E, as well as due to the high concentration of potassium and calcium. The presented vegetable will have a beneficial effect in case of gastric disorders, problems with the genitourinary or nervous system. The leaves of the salad have refreshing qualities, contribute to the general calm, stabilize the water balance and improve the sleep of the child.

For weight loss

Lettuce leaves are an integral component of various weight loss diets for a long time. Varieties of the presented vegetable differing in pleasant taste occupy the first positions in the list of modern low-calorie diets. And this is not surprising for the reason that on average 100 g of a product contains only about 16 kilocalories. Together with the high content of useful microelements, this becomes a convincing reason for unequivocal approval by most nutritionists.

In addition, lettuce leaves are able to add volume to the displayed dish, emphasizing the taste of vegetables and protein products. A useful plant allows you to enrich the body with vitamins throughout the year.In addition, unpretentious culture is easy to grow at home in the garden or in a greenhouse for daily consumption.

Leaf lettuce in medicine

Useful qualities of lettuce are widely used not only for gastronomic research, but also for medical and cosmetic purposes. This plant received a cultural form in ancient times among the countries of the Mediterranean, where it was considered a panacea for many diseases. Today, this vegetable has gained worldwide fame as a low-calorie product, rich in useful trace elements, able to act as an effective prophylactic. However, there are diseases in which the salad can cause harm.

With diabetes

People with diabetes do not have the ability to eat like everyone else, the disease forces them to adhere to a certain diet. Moreover, they are limited in taking not only protein foods, but also a certain group of vegetables and fruits. It is very difficult for such people to replenish the necessary balance of trace elements in the body due to multiple prohibitions. For them, lettuce leaves, which contain a high concentration of the necessary vitamins and minerals, but almost completely no fats, and a low calorie content, can become an indispensable product.

With pancreatitis

People suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract have to completely review their diet, excluding all kinds of irritants from food. For all its usefulness, lettuce also did not escape strict selection due to the high content of various acids in them. With exacerbations of pancreatitis, such patients are forced to stick to starvation, and in other cases, fresh salads are allowed to eat no more than 2 times a week.

With gastritis

With this disease of the stomach, lettuce should also be treated with caution and used in food with great restrictions, so as not to provoke a relapse. In gastritis, green salads are recommended to be served only in finely chopped form for speedy assimilation with the least contact time with the gastric mucosa.

With gout

This is one of the diseases in which lettuce leaves fall into the category of prohibited foods. This is due to the high content of purines: per 100 g of lettuce, their content reaches 55 mg, which will certainly increase the level of uric acid, which is dangerous in such cases. For patients with gout from herbs, dill and parsley are allowed, and even then in limited quantities.

Application in cosmetology

The wealth of useful elements in lettuce has found its application not only in cooking and medicine, but also in skin care. A variety of face masks and tonics are prepared from this versatile vegetable. The high concentration of minerals contained in the plant allows not only to nourish skin cells, but also to stimulate the rejuvenation process.

Salad face tonic

To prepare this product, you need to select large sheets of salad and squeeze the juice out of them, using a meat grinder with small holes or a juicer for this purpose. For one serving, you need 2 tablespoons squeezed salad leaves, which is mixed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. The resulting mixture is applied to the skin for a period of 15 minutes, after which it is washed off with warm water.

Mask for normal skin

This mask is used to nourish the skin and give freshness. To make it, lettuce is finely chopped and 1 tablespoon of the resulting mass is taken. Then it is poured with one tablespoon of vegetable oil and one teaspoon of lemon juice. All components are thoroughly kneaded and applied to the face. After 15 minutes, the mask is washed off with warm water.

For dry skin

To prepare this composition, finely chop the juicy lettuce leaves and 1 tablespoon of the resulting mass is poured with 1 tablespoon of sour cream. Moreover, if the skin is excessively dry and prone to peeling, it is better to use fat cream instead of sour cream. Next, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the composition, after which everything is thoroughly kneaded. The resulting mask is applied to the face for 15 minutes, and then washed off with warm water.

For oily skin

To make a face mask according to this recipe, take juicy lettuce leaves and grind them. In the resulting mass add protein from one egg and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Then all the components are well kneaded and applied to the skin for 15 minutes. When time runs out, the mask is washed off with cool water.

Cooking use

Before preparing a salad appetizer, it must be prepared. To do this, the first thing to do is cut the roots from the bunch, and then carefully disassemble the leaves. In the process of disassembling, it is necessary to remove accidentally weeds, to remove leaves with damage or with traces of drying. Next, the selected sheets are washed under running water or in a bulk container. You should carefully look at the sinuses of the sheets, because there may remain earth or shelter insects. They wash the salad in very cold water, it gives the salad additional elasticity.

Washed leaves are dried with a towel or paper towel. For various salads, you can use whole leaves or tear them apart into small pieces with your hands. Less commonly, a recipe involves cutting a salad with a knife, in this case you need to make sure that the tool is sharp so that it does not wrinkle the sheets.

Prepare a salad immediately before serving, otherwise there is a likelihood that it will quickly fade. For one serving, it is enough to use 50 g of greens. To let the salad on the table delight consumers with a pleasant taste and enrich it with a variety of vitamins, several important rules should be taken into account.

1. When cooking, small leaves are best left intact, and large sheets should not be cut with a knife, but torn apart with your hands.
2. You should not cook a salad long before serving. It is prepared just before the meal, and seasoned immediately before use.
3. For all its attractiveness, salad is used not only for decorating dishes, it is served as a side dish, as a complement to protein products or as an independent snack.
4. It goes well with garlic or with lemon juice, in which case it does not even have to be salted.
5. More is not always better, for this reason it is not recommended to use several varieties of salad in one dish. The only exception is the appetizer, which is specially prepared from several varieties of salads.

Following these rules, every gourmet will have the opportunity to not only enjoy the taste of a popular vegetable, but also get a powerful vitamin charge.

Harm and contraindications

No pronounced harmful qualities were found in the salad; it is considered a dietary product with a high concentration of vitamins and minerals. However, fresh salads are not recommended for people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (due to the content of folic acid) or people with individual intolerance to this product.

How to choose and store leaf lettuce

The main indicator of the quality of any salad is its freshness. Therefore, it is worth considering the leaves carefully for signs of lethargy, browning, and damage. In addition, it is worth knowing that the mucus formed on the stems also indicates a low quality product. If you need to choose a vegetable in a head of cabbage, then you should give preference to not particularly large, strong specimens that differ in symmetry. However, excessively hard heads can have a bad taste.

The salad is best stored in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment, before which it should be placed in a plastic bag. It is also important to remember that it needs to be slightly dried before storage, as a wet salad will quickly mash.In all cases, rolled salads are preserved better than leafy salads.

Is it possible to freeze

Freezing in the freezer is not recommended. As a result of freezing, the product will lose its vitamin value and palatability - the most valuable characteristics, due to which the salad has high consumer ratings.

Is it possible to dry

The same applies to lettuce drying. When dried, it loses not only the taste and valuable vitamin components, but even changes its original color, after which it completely loses its attractiveness.

How to keep leaf lettuce for the winter

For long-term storage, it is best to immerse the lettuce in the marinade. Thus, the product can be stored for several months, providing the host table with useful elements all winter.

How to cook leaf lettuce: recipes

To get a complete picture of the preferred flavor combinations, it is proposed to consider a few simple recipes.

With lemon juice

To prepare this recipe, you will need 4 bunches of salad, 50 g of sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (can be vinegar), mustard, ground pepper, salt.

First, divide the salad into separate leaves, and if they turn out to be too large, then each into several parts. Then the leaves are washed well with cold water and left for a while to make it glass. After that, prepare the sauce by mixing all the other components. At the last stage, salad should be seasoned with ready-made sauce just before serving.

With mustard

For this recipe you will need 4 bunches of salad, 50 g of vegetable oil, juice from half a lemon, 1 tablespoon of mustard, a little dill and salt.

The disassembled lettuce leaves are washed and divided into four parts each. Next, prepare dressing by mixing the remaining components. Before serving, the salad is placed in a salad bowl and poured with the resulting filling.

With honey

For this recipe you will need 4 bunches of salad belonging to different varieties. For dressing you will need 50 g of olive oil, 30 g of wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of not sugared honey, pepper and salt.

Wash the salad well and let it drain. Further, smaller sheets are left intact, and the rest are divided in half. To prepare the fill, beat the remaining components with a whisk. At the end, the salad is placed on a dish, watered with pouring and mixed well.

With garlic

To prepare a salad according to this recipe, take 4 bunches of salad, 50 g of vegetable oil, juice from half a lemon, 4 cloves of garlic, pepper and salt.

A well-washed salad is put in a colander and poured with boiling water, after which it is left for a while until the water drains. Next, lettuce leaves are cut into neat strips so that the thickness does not exceed 1 cm. After the filling is prepared, mixing all the remaining components. At the end, the salad is placed in a salad bowl and seasoned with filling.

With nuts

For a salad according to this recipe, you need 3 bunches of green salad and 50 g of walnuts, which need to be slightly fried. For refueling you will need olive oil - 50 g, apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon, balsamic vinegar - 1 tablespoon, tablespoon mustard - 1 salt, honey - 1 teaspoon.

The salad is sorted into leaves, washed and dried well, and the walnuts are finely crushed. Next, prepare the filling, whisking with a whisk all the remaining components. Before serving, the salad with nuts is placed in a salad bowl, watered with pouring and knead well.

Why lettuce leaves are bitter

Sometimes it happens that the acquired salad has a sensitive bitterness, which spoils the pleasant taste sensations. There can be several reasons for this, as well as ways to eliminate them. Exceptions are only some varieties that initially have this feature.

Causes

The least bitterness can be expected from varieties that have colorless (maybe slightly greenish) juice; these are, as a rule, popular varieties of salads that have come into common use. Varieties in which white juice stands out, about the same as in dandelions, initially suggest a taste of light bitterness.

The next reason may be untimely harvesting. In this case, lettuce will look clearly coarse.

How to remove bitterness

If it so happened that the acquired salad has tangible bitterness, it is worth giving it a little time. To do this, put the chopped salad aside for about 15 minutes, and only afterwards combine with the rest of the components. In addition, it is preferable to tear the salad with your hands than cut it with a knife. In this case, the possibility of oxidation, which can also cause the formation of bitterness, will be excluded.

If the leaves initially have noticeable bitterness, it is recommended to soak them in cold water for a while, adding a little vinegar. Soaking it may be useful to soak in well warm water for a period of 20 minutes. Another way is to season the salad with lemon juice, it is able to neutralize the bitter taste. Bitterness also manifests itself in plants that lacked watering. In this case, it is recommended to put the vegetables in the water for a while, after separating the roots.

Bitter varieties of salad before cutting must undergo the mandatory bleaching procedure. To do this, a couple of weeks before the harvest, the plants are covered with proportionate dishes or a very dense cloth. Thus, they achieve not only the prevention of bitterness, but also improve the taste of the core.

Although, according to many reports, light bitterness in the taste of lettuce is evidence of a high concentration of beneficial elements in the plant and serves as an excellent stimulus for appetite. However, those who are not ready to put up with this can use one of the recommendations presented.

Is it possible to give leaf lettuce to animals

To properly understand this issue, you must first clarify what kind of animals in question. After all, a good half of pets will simply not eat it. For example, cats or dogs are focused on a completely different diet, they basically do not eat both salad and other fresh vegetables.

Salad is likely to appeal to various rodents, hamsters or guinea pigs. And if it turns out to treat them with this delicacy, then nothing bad will happen from this. To say that there is any need to include salad in the diet of these animals is also impossible. However, there will definitely be no harm from the salad.

Also, various representatives of the bird brotherhood may not refuse the salad. For these favorites, it may even be necessary. Various parrots are especially painful for the winter period, so an extra portion of iodine can even be very useful for them.

As for cats, these animals are very eccentric, and it is quite difficult to get them to eat what they do not want. But the cat itself is able to feel the lack of any necessary elements in the body. For this reason, whenever possible near the cat feeder, it is periodically recommended to leave greens, including salad. If the animal feels the need, it will seize the opportunity.

Another thing is the dog, they do not care what to eat, if only it smelled of meat, even if it had undergone heat treatment. For this reason, the owner should always worry about the dog. Indeed, in their usual diet, it is necessary at times to additionally include various vitamins. It is also recommended to add fresh vegetables to porridge in small quantities, in this situation the salad will not be an exception.

In rare cases, some cats and dogs have a taste for food, which in principle is not characteristic of them. So individual dogs have a passion for chocolates, and cats can gobble up pickled cucumbers. If, for some unknown reason, such an animal has acquired a passion for leaf lettuce, then there can be no harm from this, because this is not a poisonous product. However, in large quantities, they can’t digest such food, their stomach is set in a different way.

Interesting facts about leaf lettuce

The salad became known on the Mediterranean coast for many centuries BC. Mention of this culture can be found in the sources of ancient China, Greece and Egypt. Also, the salad was famous in ancient Rome. Modern European states adopted this tradition in the 16th century, and it came to the territory of the Russian state even later - in the 17th century. However, housewives who were familiar with this product and knew how to cook it, enjoyed great prestige and were known as skilled craftsmen.

German prejudices
A special attitude to leaf lettuce developed in Germany, where the cooks worked with him exclusively in white gloves. They believed that if you touch the sheet with your bare hands, it will certainly spoil the valuable taste. But when it was time to mix the product with the filling, the gloves were necessarily removed, and this procedure was performed by hand. After all, touching with a spoon, like a fork, will certainly spoil the refined taste. In the complete absence of logic, everyone was convinced of this.

Origin of lettuce name
This salad has received various names over time, however today two of them remain the most popular. The first and most common is the well-known name lettuce, and the second, which can be found in some sources, is sowing lettuce. However, the scientific name has a completely mundane reason and it comes from the simple word "milk". And the salad deserves its name because of the color of the juice, which gives off the tops of the plant when the outer shell is damaged.

The part of the plant that is above the ground is suitable for consumption until the stem of the plant begins to form. After the growth of the stem, the salad loses its taste and acquires a characteristic bitter taste. In Egypt, today this plant is considered a symbol of fertility, indicating the richness of the surrounding soil. However, for successful seedlings and timely ripening of the crop, the soil must be fertilized with manure long before planting, since the fall, and special mineral additives are also required.

Homeland salad and his ancestors
Uniquely, the origin of the salad has not yet been established by any specialist. It is only known for certain that from ancient times this culture was found in Africa, Europe, Siberia, Asia and the Caucasus, there are historical references to this. A weed plant is also found in these places today, to which the prerequisites for the origin of the culture are attributed, it has the name Compass lettuce. Today, the cultivation of a popular plant is widespread throughout the world. However, today there are related species that farmers exterminate, considering them weeds.

Photo of lettuce