Iceberg Lettuce: No Nutritional Value Or Just Given A Bad Rap?
I remember as a kid eating salads, burgers and more and there was only one kind of lettuce that was used all the way around…iceberg lettuce. Yep, good ‘ole iceberg with its crunchy, moist goodness.
Then, I got older, I got more into nutrition and healthy eating and all of a sudden, I found myself buying green leaf lettuce…romaine lettuce…red leaf lettuce…baby greens… and poor little lonely iceberg got no more attention from the King household.
Why?
Because somewhere, someone told me that iceberg lettuce had absolutely NO nutritional value whatsoever
It was implied that eating iceberg lettuce was like eating… air, basically. So I stopped buying it, figuring it was a waste of money.
Heck, some people even discredit lettuce, period! In fact, the reason I wrote this blog post/article in the first place was because I recently read a recipe on a health group and the person said she replaced the lettuce in the recipe with spinach because “lettuce has no nutritional value”.
Although this person said, “lettuce”, and not just one particular type of lettuce; I figured I’d write about iceberg in particular because part of me believes that the statement was made about lettuce out of ignorance to other types of darker green lettuces. Not only that, but iceberg is the lettuce that seems to get the most ridicule and the least amount of kudos.
I’ve recently started back buying iceberg (in addition to my other lettuces and greens) after having done more research on it and having learned some things about it…not to mention my daughter LOVES it and getting her to eat ANY lettuce is a great thing! So here is my “Ode To Iceberg Lettuce” – just kidding, but I will be sharing some things that may cause you to take another (more favorable) look at these little white-green heads:
- Iceberg lettuce DOES have nutritional value. Perhaps not a whole heck of a lot, but some…
- Fiber – 4%
- Vitamin A – 9%
- Vitamin C – 4%
- Calcium – 2%
- Iron – 2%
- Protein – 1%
- Trace amounts of potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous, folate and Vitamins K
- It is a low-calorie food - only 14 calories per 100 grams
- It contains 0 grams of fat
- Iceberg lettuce is cholesterol-free
- It’s low in sodium
- Slightly sweet iceberg lettuce is cool & refreshing and has a crispness to it that other lettuces just can’t compare with! And if nothing else…
- It is HIGH in water content – 96% water to be exact according to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture! (www.ca.uky.edu) Some people complain about not getting enough water or not liking to drink water…well, consuming iceberg lettuce is a great way to increase your intake of water!
So there you have it! Reasons to continue buying iceberg lettuce. No, you can’t survive on it alone and yes, you should incorporate other lettuces and green leafy vegetables into your diet…but why not mix it up and add some delicious iceberg lettuce to the mix?
Bye for now!
Cherie King
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Thank you so much for this article. I’ll be given iceberg lettuce a second look. I’m not big on ANY greens or leafy foods so now that I’ve gotten myself to eat a little bit of lettuce (mostly only when drenched in lemon and a hint of salt)maybe it will help me find a way to start eating other greens.
Thanks again
Hi CC and thank you for stopping by! I’m glad you enjoyed the article and that it was helpful to you. I can totally relate to not particularly liking too many green, leafy foods as I was once this person. It’s a great start down that path and what you’re putting ON your lettuce is an awesome mixture – provided you’re using sea salt as opposed to, say, Morton’s table salt. Maybe after a while, you can add just a little bit of some other green leafy into it such as raw spinach or romaine or green leaf lettuce. You might like the baby greens that you can find in most grocery stores in a bag as well. But baby steps, right? Continue eating iceberg and perhaps you might feel inclined to add in some cucumbers or shredded carrot, just for a little variety!
Thanks again for stopping by and writing!
Cherie
AYRAH SHOAIB
I am 11 years old and I have just learned about iceberg. Evryone says eating iceberg is like eating air. But I love the crisp crunch of our forgotten but delicous lettuce. I am not into healthy food so my aunt told me to read youre article. Thank you soooo much for getting me into healthy food!!!
Awww…aren’t you sweet!
Thank you for reading the article and I’m glad you enjoyed it and are trying to eat healthier foods! 
Cherie
I just read your article and I am glad I am across it because I have a friend that alway say that iceberg is not good for you. Now I can tell her she is not correct! Thanks again because I love salads and all kind of lettuce .
I’m glad you liked the article. Yes, I hear a lot of people say it’s bad for you or not good for you and I never understood that. I mean, it’s not toxic or anything so even IF there were no nutrients at all, what makes it bad? lol! I personally love to mix it in with other leafy greens for a delicious salad!
So iceberg is not a green leaf lettces right !!
It’s not a dark leafy green, but it’s considered a green vegetable much like cabbage is though it’s generally not dark green. There are light and dark green leafies… iceberg is a lighter variety.
iceberg is not as healthy as other lettuces but can be eaten as a health food.
I’ve always loved iceberg over every other lettuce but rarely bought it due to its lower nutritional qualities. Now that I’m a lifelong Coumadin user, it’s the only lettuce I can buy. Because of its low levels of vitamin K, I am able to enjoy salad (in moderation) and not worry about messing with my Coumadin levels.
Thank you for the artical. I enjoyed reading it , and loved your picture as well.
Thanks for the info. It’s great news! I will go back to enjoying my iceberg lettuce!
Awesome Nancy! But please remember to also incorporate darker greens into your diet along with!
Every body has to make a dollar this day and age. Full cream milk is not good for you but in moderation it’s the best calcium building agent since sliced bread. Not long ago nutritionists were saying eggs were bad for you. NOW you should have three or four eggs a week. Now lettuce. It anyone going to die from eating the old iceberg?
Always worthwhile debunking myths. So kudos for that, Cherie.
The most important perspective seems to me, though, one of comparison. In other words, it’s not so much whether iceberg lettuce has nutritional value, but how much should we use it, and are there better similar options? Is there a reason for me to use it instead of red or green leaf, romaine, spinach, etc.?
There are. The reasons that leap to my mind:
(1) Taste — This seems a weird one, as it has little more taste than water, but it has more to do with its texture. It does offer a distinctive crunch the other lettuces can’t duplicate, and I think it has the highest water content, so it makes a VERY pleasant and refreshing option during the summer.
(2) Cost. Generally, iceberg will be markedly cheaper than its healthier cousins. And it’s better than no lettuce, and it means its taking the place of other, perhaps unhealthy, options in filling you up. If you’re on a seriously tight budget, iceberg is a good friend.
Again, though — you may not have to excise it completely from your recipes, but use it at least in combination with more healthful greens, and the latter should be a much larger percentage of your intake than iceberg.
Nice article, Cherie!
Thanks so much Chris!
I appreciate your comment as well as the fact that it was actually a REAL comment and not a spam comment trying to pass! LOL
Yes, one should definitely mix iceberg with other greens for nutritional balance.
I agree, Jeff! I LOVE using full fat cream, butter and yogurt as well as eggs!
I have actually read articles where they not only say that iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value, but that humans should avoid it like the plague and not even eat it… they said it wasn’t good for our consumption, go figure. But as you said, we eat it… still here! 
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I also love Iceberg Lettuce..but there is a big reason why we need to avoid the regular kind in grocery stores and ONLY buy Organic: Iceberg Lettuce is among the “dirty dozen” fruits & veggies most filled with toxic pesticides. Just google “The New Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods to Eat Organic” for more info. Iceberg lettuce acts like a sponge and is filled to the brim with toxic pesticides -More than 50 pesticides have been identified on lettuce. No joke. No laughing matter. These pesticides are toxic to the human body over time, and can cause a multitude of problems in humans. And Iceberg absorbs these pesticides in large amounts, due to it’s size and moisture content. I can’t tell you how much this upsets me, because I grew up on this lettuce and love it, but I now have to struggle to find organic versions of it at my local Walmart. Walmart does a very poor job of keeping the organic version in stock, not to mention the organic versions are usually half the size of regular pesticide Icebergs..and cost twice as much. I used to eat tons of Iceberg lettuce as a teenager and young adult to control my weight, and now I suffer from many health problems others members in my family who weren’t Iceberg eaters don’t have..so now I wonder how much of my current illnesses are caused by all the pesticides I ingested eating all that Iceberg lettuce. Please folks..if your going to eat Iceberg..try to only eat Organic.
Thank you Nightbird for stopping by as well as sharing your insights into organic vs. inorganic iceberg lettuce with the readers!