It resembles romaine lettuce except in its tips, which have a red or purple tinge.
Aside from adding a burst of color to your favorite salad or sandwich, this vegetable offers numerous benefits.
Here are 9 health and nutrition benefits of red leaf lettuce.
1. High in nutrients but low in calories
2. Red leaf lettuce is nutrient-dense, meaning that it’s high in a variety of essential vitamins and minerals, yet very low in calories.
Three cups (85 grams) of shredded leaves provide the following nutrients (
- Calories: 11
- Protein: 1 gram
- Fat: 0.2 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Vitamin K: 149% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Vitamin A: 127% of the DV
- Magnesium: 3% of the DV
- Manganese: 9% of the DV
- Folate: 8% of the DV
- Iron: 6% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 5% of the DV
- Potassium: 5% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 4% of the DV
- Thiamine: 4% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 4% of the DV
Its nutrition profile is similar to other popular leafy vegetables, such as green leaf, romaine, and iceberg lettuce, although there are a few notable differences.
For example, when compared to romaine, red leaf lettuce provides more vitamin K, slightly more iron, and slightly fewer calories — while romaine offers more fiber and vitamins A and C