Want To Eat Healthy? Try Growing Lettuce On Your Kitchen Counter
BY SHEAH RARBACK
SPECIAL TO THE MIAMI HERALD
NOVEMBER 20, 2020
After years of trying to grow vegetables in my shady backyard, I have finally given up. Feeling the need once again to grow veggies, I invested in a small hydroponic system for my kitchen.
The results are rewarding. It is small but there are edibles there. In addition to herbs, I have a robust little lettuce garden. People often think of lettuce as a low-nutrient food. And that would be wrong.
I am growing Parris Island lettuce, which is in the same family as romaine lettuce. One ounce of this lettuce provides 11% daily requirement of immunity-boosting vitamin C. Romaine also has 10% of the daily requirement of folate, which can help heart health and allergic responses to name just two benefits.
And that one ounce of romaine has 5 calories and 49% of vitamin A requirement. Romaine is for more than just a Caesar salad.
I am also growing Marvel of Four Seasons Lettuce. This is from the family of butter lettuce, also called Boston or Bibb lettuce. The flavor is soft and sweet. Vitamin A is the most abundant nutrient in this type of lettuce. In addition to vitamins and minerals, all varieties of lettuce have phytonutrients.
As a general rule, the darker the color of the lettuce, the greater the nutrition. So romaine contains more nutrients than iceberg. I have had so many clients tell me they don’t eat vegetables but when I would ask if they eat salad, they said yes.
For many people, salads might be the easiest way to reach the goal of 5 cups of vegetables and fruits each day. A spring mix blend provides a variety of greens and nutrients and the ability to easily make an interesting salad. Salad is a terrific base for nutritious add-ons. Throw on pumpkin seeds for fiber and magnesium, quinoa for added protein, or sunflower seeds for a hit of vitamin E.
Lead photo: Sheah Rarback’s small hydroponic system in her kitchen grows beautiful lettuce and herbs. SHEAH RARBACK
Sheah Rarback MS, RDN is a registered dietitian nutritionist in private practice in Miami.