Red Leaf Lettuce Nutrition Vs. Romaine

Not all types of lettuce are created equally. Although adding any species of lettuce to your meal will provide you with a low-calorie serving, the actual nutritional benefit contained in those calories can differ significantly. Red leaf lettuce falls under the broader umbrella of loose-leaf lettuce because it does not form the same kind of thick, hard head as most lettuces. Romaine lettuce is marked by crisp leaves that a darker shade of green than most other types of lettuce.

Calories, Fat and Protein

A comparison of a 100-gram serving of red leaf lettuce and romaine lettuce at Healthaliciousness.com reveals markedly little difference in calories, fat and protein. Red leaf lettuce provides 16 calories per 100-gram serving with .022 grams of fat and 1.3 grams of protein. Romaine lettuce adds one more calorie than red leaf and provides 0.3 grams of fat and 1.2 grams of protein.

Vitamin K

When it comes to the recommended daily intake percentage, both types of lettuce are most useful for providing vitamin K. The 140 micrograms of this vitamin found in 100 grams of red leaf lettuce is enough to provide you with 75 percent more of the recommended daily intake than you need. The figures for romaine lettuce are slightly lower at 103 micrograms, but that still accounts for 128 percent of the daily value. The Linus Pauling Institute asserts that vitamin K’s primary benefit is helping to keep blood clots that could potentially lead to stroke, heart attack or pulmonary embolism from forming.

Vitamin C

One of the most striking examples of the nutritional imbalance between types of lettuce is in the vitamin C content of these two species. A 100-gram serving of red leaf lettuce adds just 3.7 milligrams to your diet whereas the same amount of romaine lettuce adds 24 milligrams of vitamin C to your meal. The difference between the two is even stronger when you realize that those numbers equate to just 6 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C from red leaf lettuce compared with 40 percent of your daily vitamin C needs from the serving of romaine lettuce. The Linus Pauling Institute recognizes vitamin C to be beneficial in neurotransmitter synthesis that affects mood and for its antioxidant properties that protect cells from damage caused by free radical molecules that can result in diseases such as cancer.

Iron

Romaine and red leaf lettuce are both rich sources of iron. According to “The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements and Herbs,” iron in the body functions to facilitate the transport of oxygen in the blood and muscles, aids in metabolizing fatty acids and is vital for maintaining high levels of energy. A menu that regularly includes romaine lettuce would ensure 5 percent of the daily recommended intake due to the 0.97 milligrams of iron in the vegetable. Iron is one of the few nutrients where red leaf lettuce is the better choice, thanks to 1.2 milligrams representing 7 percent of your daily need for this mineral.