Lettuce aka the one leafy green that you actually like eating, is just as healthy as it is delicious. Lettuce can spruce up even the most boring salad with its crunchy freshness. Romaine, iceberg, butterhead, no matter which variety you pick, they’re all just as healthy. If you’re looking for more reasons to eat lettuce, these eight points will make the case.
1. It’s An Excellent Source Of Vitamin A
Just one serving of lettuce provides with your entire daily recommended intake of vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for glowing skin and sharp eyes. It increases the rate of cell turnover, which helps your skin renew itself faster. It also prevents muscular degeneration in your eyes and staves off age-related eye diseases.
2. It’s Highly Anti-Inflammatory
The root cause for most diseases we suffer from is inflammation. Inflammation causes your joints to swell up, leads to rheumatoid arthritis, creates digestive problems and shows up on your skin as acne. Eating plenty of anti-inflammatory foods like lettuce could put an end to all those problems. Lettuce contains compounds which inhibits the production of inflammatory chemicals. This prevents your body from triggering an inflammatory response and keeps related diseases under control.
3. It Lowers Your Cholesterol Levels
Buildup of bad cholesterol (LDL) in your bloodstream causes major heart diseases. It forms plaque, clogs up your arteries and forces your heart to overexert itself. In one study conducted on rats, lettuce was seen to significantly lower cholesterol levels in the blood. So if you want to go on a healthier diet, lettuce should be the first thing you add.
4. It Can Help You Sleep Better
Lettuce was used in ancient medicine because it was believed to have the power to induce sleep. Modern scientists researched further into the effects of lettuce to find out if there was any truth to it. They discovered that certain compounds in lettuce were able to slow down heart rate and block rapid brain signals from being passed on. So if you want a good night’s sleep, have a side of lettuce for dinner.
5. It Promotes Brain Health
Our brain is composed of billions of neurons which are constantly sending and receiving signals. Our cognitive health is entirely dependant on how well our neurons function. With age, our neural cells can get damaged and we might suffer from neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. Lettuce has important compounds which maintain the health of our neural cell walls. Eating it regularly could delay or even prevent the onset of cognitive impairment.
6. It Can Help Your Hair Grow Faster
Lettuce has most of the compounds your hair needs to grow long and healthy. It contains silicon, phosphorous, sulfur and vitamin K. Add leaves of lettuce to your morning smoothie to give your hair a daily boost of nutrition. The potassium in lettuce could also prevent your hair from greying prematurely.
7. It’s The Ultimate Weight Loss Food
Lettuce contains calcium, magnesium and potassium which have been shown to increase your metabolic rate. It also contains plenty of fiber and almost no calories. This means while eating it will keep you full, it won’t add to your daily calorie count. Lettuce also has a high water content, which helps your body flush out toxins and eases water retention.
8. It Can Protect Your Skin From Sun Damage
While not a substitute for sunscreen, lettuce does have compounds which can give your skin added sun protection. It contains both vitamins E and C, both of which are known for their skin protection qualities. Eating lettuce often can make your skin cells more resilient to sun damage. It also contains antioxidants which repair the damage caused by environmental toxins.
