When you think of a healthy diet, you think of lettuce.. And no wonder, it is a vegetable with many nutrients that benefit the body. In addition, its flavor allows it to be combined with a myriad of ingredients and in different dishes.
All lettuce varieties have properties and benefits. Thanks to this characteristic, lettuce has become the main ingredient in salads. Although it also makes presence in other type of dishes not necessarily dietetic, but in definitive it is a vegetable that cannot be absent in our diet.
- Related article: “Tomato: all the properties and benefits for your health”.
Know the benefits and properties of lettuce
Lettuce provides freshness to dishes that include it. Although it can also be enjoyed alone, or you can add a dressing or sauce if we want to enhance its flavor. Even, as is the case in Mexico, sometimes lemon and chili are added to be enjoyed as a snack.
Because it is a vegetable with multiple vitamins, lettuce is a food with properties and benefits that must be known.. No doubt after knowing them no one will hesitate to include lettuce in their daily diet.
1. High in fiber
Lettuce is a vegetable with a high amount of dietary fiber.. For this reason, consuming lettuce is recommended during episodes of constipation. In addition, it helps to eliminate fluid retention and inflammation.
This is one of the reasons why lettuce is included in salads and in almost any diet that aims to help eliminate weight. Its high fiber content helps the intestines work properly and keep our intestines completely healthy.
- Recommended article: “10 foods rich in fiber (to fight constipation)”.
2. Helps to relax
Another property of lettuce is that it helps to fall asleep.. Because it contains lactucarium, which is a substance that acts directly on the nervous system by reducing stress, lettuce helps people relax and sleep better.
Whether it is consumed directly or prepared as an infusion to drink before going to sleep, it is equally effective. It is also said that taking a bath with lettuce leaves has the same effect to help you fall asleep much better.
3. Helps in the control of high cholesterol
Among the properties and benefits of lettuce is to maintain cholesterol levels.. This vegetable has a high content of antioxidants. This allows its continuous consumption to keep cholesterol levels in an optimal range.
Combined with other ingredients such as blueberries, the antioxidant effect can be enhanced, helping the body’s cells to prevent aging. This, as a consequence, helps to maintain good cardiovascular health.
4. Low in sodium
Lettuce is a very low sodium vegetable.. In addition to this, its high water and potassium content make it an ideal food to prevent or help with diseases such as hypertension.
In addition, it helps to alleviate fluid retention, so it can also prevent kidney stones and gout. This is one of the many benefits of lettuce in the body, so its regular consumption is recommended.
5. Regulates sugar levels
One of the most surprising properties of lettuce is that it regulates blood sugar levels.. It is considered a hypoglycemic food, making it an ideal ingredient for diabetic patients.
In fact, this is one of the main reasons why lettuce appears in all salads. It is a vegetable that provides zero calories and also reduces sugar, so it is always part of diets used to lose weight.
6. Highly nutritious
Lettuce is one of the vegetables with the most vitamins.. It contains vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2 and B3, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, potassium, fiber, folates, antioxidants, beta-carotene, trace elements and lactucarium. Not bad, right?
It is said that the highest concentration of vitamins is found in the outer leaves. Lettuce also contains a lot of water and provides 18 grams of calories per 100 grams consumed. In addition, it also contains folic acid.
7. Combats anemia
Due to all its properties, lettuce can be used to combat anemia.. As we have already explained, lettuce has a high content of vitamins and nutrients, in addition to a high amount of water.
Thanks to this, it has been used in cases of anemia to help reduce it. Its daily consumption provides a large part of the body’s nutritional requirements, and since it is light to digest, it does not cause adverse reactions such as nausea or stomach pain in those who consume it.
8, Helping during colds
An infusion of lettuce can help to fight colds.. In addition to all the benefits that lettuce has, it helps to strengthen the respiratory tract, which is why it is recommended to drink lettuce tea during cold symptoms.
In addition to this benefit, it is also relaxing. Because it contains lactucarium, which provides relaxation and calm, during a flu can be of great help to soothe the discomfort and pain from the cut body.
9. Helps to lose weight
Perhaps the best known property of lettuce is that it helps to lose weight.. For this reason, lettuce is included in many dishes related to low-calorie diets, mainly salads.
Thanks to its high amount of fiber and water, its satiating property and the multiple vitamins it contains, it is one of the ideal foods for a healthy, complete, low-calorie and satiating diet.
10. Prevents certain types of cancer
Lettuce contains beta-carotene, which helps prevent some types of cancer.. In addition, it helps stimulate the production of immune cells. This property, together with its beta-carotene content, helps prevent certain types of cancer, especially colon cancer.
Although it has also been shown that by strengthening the immune system and the ability to strengthen the respiratory system could help prevent lung cancer as well. Studies are currently underway to see if lettuce could also prevent prostate cancer.