Butter lettuce does not actually contain any butter but is a type of lettuce with a sweet, buttery flavor. It is a type of lettuce with a large, loose head and thick leaves with an even green color. If you are trying to watch your calorie intake, butter lettuce is a good alternative to traditional lettuce and is packed with vitamins and minerals.
Basic Nutrition
Based on a 1-cup serving, the USDA Nutrient Database lists butter lettuce as containing only seven calories, 0.74 g of protein, 1.23 g of carbohydrates, 0.6 g of dietary fiber and no cholesterol. This makes it a great option if you are trying to reduce your caloric intake as a large salad, greater than 1 cup of lettuce, will not include a lot of calories.
Minerals
While butter lettuce may be low in calories, it is not low in nutrients. A 1-cup serving provides 19 mg of calcium, 0.68 mg of iron, 18 mg of phosphorus, 131 mg of potassium and only 3 mg of sodium. If you are trying to keep your level of sodium below the 1,500 mg recommended by the Mayo Clinic for those at risk of high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, then butter lettuce is a good choice. According to the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board, an adult should be consuming 4.7 g a day of potassium, and butter lettuce provides a good source.
Vitamins
Butter lettuce provides a wide variety of vitamins in a 1-cup serving. It contains 2 mg of vitamin C, 40 mcg of folate, 1,093 mcg of beta-carotene, 1,822 international units of vitamin A, or 91 mcg, and 56.3 mcg of vitamin K. According to the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board, an adult male should consume 900 mcg of vitamin A a day and a woman should consume 700 mcg. Butter lettuce provides a good source for meeting that requirement. For vitamin K, it is recommended that an adult consume 90 mcg per day, so one serving of butter lettuce provides more than 50 percent of your daily requirements.
Considerations
Because butter lettuce is so high in vitamin K, it must be consumed with caution by patients who are taking a blood-thinning medication such as Coumadin. Coumadin works to reduce the clotting properties in your blood. In contrast, vitamin K promotes blood clotting. Eating foods high in vitamin K can affect the effectiveness of your Coumadin medication. Talk to your physician if butter lettuce is a regular part of your diet. He may need to adjust your medication levels or recommend you eat it in moderation.
References
- The Cook’s Thesaurus; Salad Greens
- Produce Oasis; Butter Lettuce
- Mayo Clinic; Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Nutrition Guidelines; Feb. 22, 2011
- USDA Nutrient Database; Lettuce, Butterhead (includes Boston and Bibb Types), Raw
- Medline Plus; Potassium in Diet; May 26, 2010
- Medline Plus; Vitamin A; Feb. 8, 2011
- Medline Plus; Vitamin K; Feb. 8, 2011
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