Substituting part or all of the iceberg lettuce in your salad or sandwich with spinach can add up to real nutritional gains. Although the two greens are similar in terms of the calorie-contributing macronutrients -- carbohydrate, protein and fat -- the micronutrient profile of each varies dramatically.
Macronutrients
Each cup of spinach contains 7 calories, 1.09 g of carbohydrate, 0.86 g of protein and 0.12 g of fat. Each cup of iceberg lettuce contains 8 calories, 1.69 g of carbohydrate, 0.51 g of protein and 0.08 g of fat.
Minerals
Spinach contains more than three times the amount of iron that is in iceberg lettuce -- 0.81 mg compared to 0.23 mg. In addition to iron, spinach has 24 mg of magnesium, 15 mg of phosphorus, 167 mg of potassium, 24 mg of sodium and 0.16 mg of zinc. By comparison, iceberg lettuce comes up short with only 4 mg of magnesium, 11 mg of phosphorus, 80 mg of potassium, 6 mg of sodium and 0.09 mg of zinc.
Vitamins
Iceberg lettuce has a mere 1.6 mg of vitamin C per cup compared to 8.4 mg in each cup of spinach -- more than five times the amount in iceberg lettuce. The 0.217 mg of niacin, 0.059 mg of vitamin B-6 and 58 mg of folate in spinach also beat the 0.07 mg of niacin, 0.02 mg of vitamin B-6 and 17 mg of folate in iceberg lettuce.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins and Antioxidants
The fat-soluble vitamins A and E as well as beta-carotene and lutein are antioxidants linked to anti-aging benefits, improved eye health and reduced risk of cancer. Each cup of spinach contains 2,813 international units of vitamin A, 1,688 mcg of beta-carotene, 3,659 mcg of lutein and 0.61 mg of vitamin E. Iceberg lettuce has only a fraction of those amounts with 286 international units of vitamin A, 170 mcg of beta-carotene, 158 mcg of lutein and 0.1 mg of vitamin E.
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