So far, our average customer is getting acquainted with the new outlandish words "iceberg lettuce" or "mix salad", in other countries without this green ingredient, they simply do not represent their kitchen. It is known that lettuce leaves can not only become the basis of everyday or festive dishes, but also help to improve health. In this article you will learn a lot about lettuce, its benefits and harms.
Lettuce salad: calorie and chemical composition
The weight watchers absolutely don’t have to worry about how many calories in a leaf salad. This is the perfect diet product: calorie green leaf salad - 15 kcal, red - 16 kcal, head - 13 kcal. 100 g of lettuce contains 1.36 g of proteins, 0.15 g of fat, 2.87 g of carbohydrates, 1.3 g of dietary fiber, 94.98 g of water, 0.62 g of ash.
Lettuce contains essential and non-essential amino acids, fatty acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6, saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated), as well as:
- Vitamins: A (RE), beta-carotene, B1, B2, B4, B5, B6, B9, C, E, K, PP (NE).
- Trace elements: iron, manganese, copper, selenium, zinc.
- Macronutrients: potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus.
Did you know? In ancient Egypt, lettuce was cultivated for food and oil production. The plant was actively used in religious rites, and its image is often found in tombs and wall paintings.
Useful properties of lettuce for the body
Lettuce is a healing product for the diet of children, the elderly, people with a weakened body after heavy loads, serious diseases, surgeries, and obesity. The vitamins contained in leaf lettuce are valuable for the body during the spring of beriberi.
Salad has an expectorant effect, increases the protective function, therefore, to combat coughing and general strengthening of the body, it is useful to eat it during illness. Regular consumption of lettuce can improve appetite and has a beneficial effect on the digestive system. Salad greens bring health benefits for nervous disorders, insomnia. Lutein and zeaxanthin contained in the salad are important for eye health.
Important! Lettuce can be used in the preparation of vitamin green cocktails. They can be made sweet or savory. In addition to water and salad, you can add fruits (grapes, apple, banana, orange, mango), berries (blueberries, raspberries), vegetables (celery, red onions, red pepper), herbs (basil, mint, dill).For the body of a pregnant woman (however, any person) iodine is urgently needed. With its deficiency, the mother will suffer from high blood pressure, low immunity and weakness, and the child may have developmental delays and defects in the organization of the nervous system. Sheet lettuce can be one of the natural food sources of iodine during pregnancy. It is also rich in folic acid, which is involved in the formation of the placenta and is indispensable for the healthy development of the fetus.
Lettuce juice has a positive effect on the body for diseases of the digestive system, hypertension, atherosclerosis, it has a laxative and diuretic effect.
Infusion of crushed fresh leaves is used as a remedy for chronic gastritis, scurvy and liver diseases.
Did you know? In the book "Canon of Medicine" of the famous Persian scientist Avicenna, it means that lettuce mixed with female milk treats corneal ulcers, and wild lettuce juice is a medicine for scorpion bites and karakurt.
The use of lettuce salad oil
Lettuce oil is produced from seeds by cold pressing. It is not a drug. 
Lettuce oil is positioned as A sedative that helps overcome insomnia, depression, nerve inflammation, pain. It is also considered to be aphrodisiac, effective in the treatment of diseases of the stomach, diabetes, with the restoration of the liver.
Lead oil improves skin condition, giving it elasticity, and improves hair growth.
Oil is used inside 2 teaspoons per day, and locally rubbed into the skin. To calm the nervous system, it is recommended to increase the intake. up to 3 spoons. Apply to normalize a dream 2 tablespoons of oil an hour before bedtime and 1 tablespoon just before bedtime.
Lettuce oil is used as massage oil for body and face massage. With it you can make massage mixtures, if you arrange the oils in the right proportions. The oil nourishes the skin, smoothes wrinkles, has a regenerating effect on the muscles and ligaments.
Did you know? The ancient Romans prepared and served lettuce leaves with oil and vinegar, sometimes eating small leaves raw. In the first century of our era, a tradition was born of eating a salad at the beginning of a meal.
The right choice of lettuce leaves when buying
Salad, like any greens, fades quickly and loses its taste, so the main condition for buying it is to be fresh. The leaves of a good salad are juicy and bright, they cannot be sluggish and damaged, there should be no mucus on the stems.
If your chosen salad is a cabbage, pay attention to compact, symmetrical, strong, but not too hard heads. Cabbage lettuce can be stored longer and more easily tolerate transportation than lettuce.
The purchased lettuce should be used as soon as possible, and it should be added to the salad and refilled just before serving, so that it does not stack and does not lose its appearance.
Important! It is better to tear the leaves of the salad for cooking, and not to cut it so that they do not oxidize due to interaction with the metal.
How to store lettuce greens
The salad brought to the house must either be used immediately or placed in a refrigerator where it can be stored for up to two weeks. At the bottom of the plastic container you need to lay a paper towel, then put the dry lettuce leaves and cover with a napkin on top. Container tightly closed.
The second storage option for lettuce leaves - wrap them in a paper towel, put them in a freezer bag and refrigerate. Cabbage lettuce is stored with an intact head in a perforated bag.
Important! Mixed salad is a ready mix of washed and chopped lettuce of different kinds. All that is needed to make a salad is to add the missing ingredients (vegetables, meat or fish) and fill.
Lettuce in cooking: secrets of use
Lettuce - a very popular product in cooking. Fresh lettuce leaves become an ingredient or a decorative element of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, sandwiches, decoration for meat and fish dishes. Using a salad in the presentation of dishes, you can turn your table into a festive one. In addition, the salad helps the body better absorb the heavy food. 
Lettuce is an excellent base for a simple or exquisite salad.
- Cut tomatoes and cucumbers, tear lettuce leaves, pour olive oil and lemon juice dressing or sour cream.
- Boil 4 eggs, separate the proteins and grate. Tear the lettuce leaves, cut the onion into half rings, cut the parsley, mix everything. Grind the yolks with olive oil (3 tablespoons) and lemon juice (2 tablespoons). Pour over salad dressing and sprinkle with grated protein.
- A simple variation of Caesar salad. Fry 4 slices of bacon in vegetable oil and then fry slices of two chicken breasts in the same pan. Prepare the dressing: boil the egg in boiling water for 2 minutes, then beat it with a blender, adding salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tbsp. l grated parmesan. Tear 200 g of lettuce with hands, cut 150 g of cherry tomatoes into quarters, mix, pour with dressing. Place on a plate in a heap, put chicken and bacon on top, sprinkle with croutons and parmesan chips.
Did you know? The famous Caesar salad was made possible by an American chef of Italian origin, Caesar Cardini in the 20s of the twentieth century. Mandatory ingredients of the classic recipe: salted wheat croutons, Roman lettuce leaves ("Romain"), grated Parmesan cheese and a special sauce of lightly cooked eggs. According to legend, the salad was created when restaurant visitors demanded food, and only these products remained in stocks.
- Greek salad. PSpread the lettuce leaves with your hands, season with oil and mix. Put 2 diced cucumbers, 2 tomatoes and feta cheese (100 g), chopped basil, olives (10 pieces) on top. Prepare a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice or wine vinegar, salt, pepper. Dress up the salad.
- Snack of canned tuna on lettuce leaves. Grate 50 g of cheese, finely chop 2 boiled eggs, add chopped garlic and canned tuna in oil, pepper. Put a mass on lettuce leaves, put a diced cucumber on top, you can sprinkle with yolk, decorate with greens, olives.
- Wales traditional soup "Cawl Letysen". Fry 2 chopped onions until soft in butter, add 1 diced potato and mix. Put sliced lettuce (3 heads), pour vegetable broth (1 l) and cook for half an hour. When the contents of the pan cool down a little, whip it with a blender. Heat the soup again, add pepper, add 50 ml of cream.
- Lettuce stewed in wine. Melt 50 g of butter over medium heat in a frying pan with a lid. Put lettuce leaves, salt, pepper, 8 pcs. crushed onion batun and 2 tbsp. spoons of white wine. Bring to a boil and turn the leaves. Simmer for half an hour, turning the salad in 15 minutes. Open the cover to evaporate the liquid. Sprinkle with chopped chives before serving.
Important! Salad of “Lollo Ross” and “Batavia” varieties is well combined with meat. Salad oak leaf can be successfully combined with mushrooms, croutons, salmon. Roman salad is often used in sandwiches and salad mixes. Iceberg lettuce is "friendly" with low-fat chicken meat, shrimps, cheese, and boiled pork.
The use of lettuce in the recipes of traditional medicine
Traditional medicine prescribes toothache to treat lettuce juice. For diseases of the spleen, it is recommended to drink the juice of lettuce with vinegar, for leg pain - a dressing made from a mixture of seeds and leaves with vinegar and flour.
- Infusion of cough. Grind 20 g of lettuce leaves, pour 200 ml of boiling water, leave for 2 hours. Strain, drink 50 ml 3-4 times a day.
- Infusion from insomnia. Grind 20 g leaves, pour a glass of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, strain. Drink 100 ml before bedtime.
- Infusion to improve lactation. 20 g of lettuce seeds pour 400 ml boiling water, leave for 2 hours, strain. To accept 2 times a day on 30 ml.
- Infusion with cystitis. 20 g of crushed leaves pour a glass of boiling water, insist 2 hours, strain, take 2-3 times a day, 100 ml.
- lettuce, fat sour cream, a few drops of vegetable oil;
- lettuce leaves, hot milk.
- 2 tbsp. l lettuce, 7-8 drops of lemon juice, egg white. Rinse with chamomile decoction;
- 1 tbsp. l Salad, 1 tbsp. l parsley, 3 tbsp. l kefir or ryazhenka.
Important! The best salad dressing with lettuce leaves is olive oil. You can use it in its pure form or make a sauce with the addition of lemon juice, crushed nuts, spices, honey. Mayonnaise can be added in small quantities and better if you cook it yourself. Also, the salad can be filled with unsweetened yogurt or mustard sauce.
The use of lettuce in home cosmetology
With hair loss, the juice of the leaves of lettuce is rubbed into the scalp, and together with honey it is used in the fight against dandruff. Pounded with yeast fresh lettuce leaves are used in carbuncles and boils.
Salad masks are used to prevent sunburn, relieve inflammation, eliminate oily shine, and tone skin on faded skin.
To make masks, lettuce leaves need to be ground to a slurry state, add various ingredients and apply on face for 15-20 minutes.
Refreshing: mix 2 tbsp. l lettuce with sour cream (or kefir, yogurt + 0.5 tsp. of olive oil).
Universal: Salad leaves mixed with olive oil and lemon juice. 
For dry skin:
Lotion for normal and combination skin: 2 tbsp. l salad juice, olive oil, lemon juice. Wipe the skin, wash off after 20 minutes.
Tonic: 3 tbsp. l juice of lettuce, radish and burdock, almond oil, lemon juice. Apply to face, rinse off after 15 minutes.
Mask for the skin around the eyes against fatigue and puffiness: soak 2 cotton discs with lettuce and cucumber juice, put on eyes for 15-20 minutes. 
Did you know? What is useful green salad, know exactly the "angels" of the world famous brand of lingerie "Victoria's Secret": observing a special diet, supermodels must eat it for lunch or dinner, often combining with beef steak.
Contraindications and possible harm
Salad can be harmful for people with colitis and enterocolitis, gout and urolithiasis.
Salad use is not recommended for exacerbations of intestinal diseases that are accompanied by diarrhea.
Contraindications to the use of butter is bronchial asthma.
Proper nutrition is a guarantee of health. Using lettuce, you can cook hundreds of different, and most importantly - healthy dishes. This wonderful product will help you to always remain slim and beautiful.
