Does Iceberg Lettuce Really Have No Nutritional Value?
Iceberg lettuce is classic, sure. It’s a must for those satisfyingly crispy-creamy wedge salads drizzled with blue cheese at pretty much every fancy steakhouse in America. You absolutely need it for standard cookout burgers or old-school tacos (especially ones with the crunchy shell). And you can’t have a solid sub or hoagie sandwich without it.
But it’s not, well, cool in the wellness world. Iceberg probably isn’t going into a $12 lunch salad, or a fancy grain bowl, or a green smoothie. And chances are you’re not going to find it on an artisanal grilled cheese or as a topper for a beet-and-hemp-seed veggie burger. Above all, iceberg lettuce likely won’t be the kind you pick when your goal is to go for a green that’s actually good for you. Right?
Probably not, because iceberg has gotten a pretty bad rap. “Iceberg lettuce has developed a reputation for being unhealthy and is often said to have little to no nutritional value,” Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN, nutrition expert and author of The Southern Comfort Food Diabetes Cookbook, tells SELF. Even though people have been eating good old iceberg lettuce for pretty much ever, somewhere along the line those humble, pale green heads ended up on the bottom of the pile—while other, more hype-generating greens rose in popularity. “Iceberg lettuce used to be popular before dark leafy greens like spinach, arugula, and kale came into favor,” Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, nutrition expert and author of The Smoothie Plan, tells SELF.
