Exploring the Health Benefits of Lettuce

Let’s face it. If someone were to tell us that there’s a magical food that really requires no cooking (unless you wanted to do so), is deliciously versatile, and comes with wonderful health benefits, we’d want to learn more. Well . . . you know where we’re going with this. It’s lettuce.

Deep Dive on Luscious Lettuce

We’ve recently provided tons of info on farm-fresh lettuce on The Chef’s Garden site, including health benefits of lettuce. WebMD.com shares how its vitamin K helps to build up bone strength while the vitamin A can assist in vision. Eating lettuce is an excellent way to become hydrated via food, rather than drink, and it may help in better sleep.

Flavorful romaine lettuce provides 82% of the daily requirements of vitamin A while also contributing the daily needs of calcium, iron, and vitamin C.

A Neurology study shows how eating one serving of leafy greens daily can help to slow down cognitive decline and we go into more detail about brain healthy foods here. Meanwhile, the Alzheimer Association’s International Conference in 2017 discussed how leafy green vegetables in the diet could reduce “future cognitive impairment by up to 35 percent.”

Lettuce Recipes

Here are several to enjoy:

• Lettuce Wraps
• Fried Kalettes with Pickled Carrots, Romaine Lettuce, and Mayo
• Carrot Romesco, Green Salad, and Sweet Potato Chips
• Wedge Salad Recipe Reloaded

Plus, here are incredibly delicious and versatile salad mixes you can easily put together; we make it especially with our seasonal salad boxes.

Arugula and Fig Salad

• Arugula
• Add from home: fresh figs, parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts
• Serve with a honey balsamic dressing

Fall Beet Salad

• Lettuce
• Beets
• Salad Sensation
• Add from home: walnuts and goat cheese 
• Serve with an orange vinaigrette

Chef Jamie Simpson's Spinach Salad with Cranberries

• Spinach
• Add from home: slivered almonds, cranberries, sesame seeds, sliced onions and choice or protein
• Serve with a poppy seed dressing 

Kale, Broccoli and Garlic Salad

• Kale 
• Broccoli
• Cucumber
• Add from home: avocado and choice of protein
• Serve with a garlic dressing

 Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
• 3 tbsp honey

Orange Vinaigrette

• 1/4 c frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Poppy Seed Dressing

• 4 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1/4 white sugar
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 c white wine vinegar 
• 1/4 c cider vinegar
• 1/2 c vegetable oil

Garlic Dressing

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 juiced lime
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Best of the Day’s Farm-Fresh Lettuce

Independent labs have verified how our regeneratively farmed produce have up to 500% more mineral content than the USDA average. When you order mixed lettuce, you can count on the peak of freshness and flavor. At The Chef’s Garden, we’ve experimented with more than one hundred lettuce varieties, narrowing them down to people’s favorites—and you’ll receive a delicious blend of them each and every time you order our mixed lettuce.