What is iceberg lettuce, today, perhaps, everyone knows. This is a kind of lettuce that looks (even when cut) strongly resembles white cabbage forks. The leaves are juicy and crispy (for a long time the salad was called “crisp”). Used mainly for basics in the preparation of salads, as well as a vitamin supplement to other snacks and main dishes.
Iceberg lettuce: calories, nutritional value, vitamins and minerals
Iceberg lettuce calorie minimum - a total of 14 kcal, energy value - proteins / fats / carbohydrates - 0.9 / 0.14 / 1.77. More than 95% of the salad consists of water (the more water in the leaves, the more they crunch), the rest of the leaves are mono- and disaccharides, dietary fiber, ash and saturated fatty acids.
Like any other salad, iceberg is incredibly rich in vitamins. In addition to ascorbic acid, the leaves include almost the entire “B-vitamin group” (except B12), vitamin E, vitamin A and its predecessor, beta-carotene. In addition, phylloquinone (vitamin K) is present in the salad, which stabilizes the work of almost all organs and systems.
The composition of micro and macronutrients in iceberg salad is also striking. There are a lot of potassium, copper, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, magnesium necessary for the human body, and iron, zinc, manganese and selenium are also present, albeit in smaller quantities.
The salad is also rich in fiber, and its juice contains lactucin alkaloid, which has a lot of medicinal properties. 
What is useful iceberg lettuce for the body?
The useful properties of iceberg lettuce are obvious, because each of its elements and vitamins performs an important function in the human body, and their balanced composition multiplies this effect many times over.
Dietary fiber contained in iceberg, put in order the metabolic processes in the body, normalize the digestive system and intestines, help the absorption of minerals and vitamins, remove bad cholesterol from the body.
The use of green leaves improves vision and blood, and, according to some, suppresses the development of malignant cells.
The positive effect that this product has on the central nervous system is noted. Salad use seriously helps to cope with strong nerve loads, stress conditions, emotional instability, depression, insomnia and other nervous disorders.
It positively affects lettuce and the cardiovascular system, is a good prevention of strokes and heart attacks, increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
The benefits of calcium in the iceberg for our teeth and bones are well known.
Separately, it should be said that iceberg lettuce is hypoallergenic and low-calorie. It can be consumed at almost any age and in any condition (including diabetes and pregnancy). By the way, iceberg lettuce is highly recommended to eat regularly to a nursing mother, because it not only enriches milk with necessary nutrients and vitamins for the baby, but also contributes to its development.
Important! Vitamin B9 present in the composition of the salad is more than many other vitamins; it is necessary to take it during pregnancy, as it is directly involved in the formation of the child’s mind and mental abilities, as well as his skeleton.
If you add up, iceberg lettuce benefits for the body - this:- Preservation of the figure: the low calorie content of the salad and its rich vitamin and mineral composition make it an excellent ingredient for healthy and dietary nutrition.
- Improving the work of the heart and blood vessels: lettuce reduces the likelihood of atherosclerosis and heart disease.
- Strengthened immunity: antioxidants contained in the salad, counteract free radicals, which, in turn, are the main cause of damage to body cells
- Prevention of anemia: the main cause of this disease is iron deficiency, which can be replenished by regularly using iceberg lettuce.
- Stabilization of the gastrointestinal tract: the salad acts on the digestive organs universally - it is indicated both for constipation and diarrhea. Helps to get rid of heartburn.
- Stimulates the work of the brain and has a beneficial effect on the nervous system: a huge number of nervous disorders are directly related to magnesium deficiency, and the need for this element increases the greater the greater the emotional stress a person experiences. And vitamin B9, which is a part of iceberg lettuce, is sometimes sometimes called the "hormone of female happiness."
How to choose iceberg salad when buying
Like any heading lettuce, the "correct" iceberg should be symmetrical, "knocked down" and not fall apart on separate leaves. The ideal weight for a salad is a little less than 0.5 kg. The leaves should look fresh and juicy, the color should be light green. Sluggish, dry, damaged, and the more rotten leaves - the reason to put the head back on the store shelf. In addition, you should pay attention to the color of the stalk on the cut: if it has darkened, the salad is stale.
Important! The density of the head of an iceberg lettuce indicates its maturity, but a measure is important here: if the salad is so “wooden” that it cannot be distinguished from winter cabbage, it means that the harvest was removed too late, this salad has already lost its taste.
Iceberg lettuce, like other salads, is often sold sliced and vacuum-packed. Of course, this option is very convenient for those who experience a constant shortage of free time, and such a product is stored a little longer. And yet, acquiring the "cutting", you can not be sure of the original quality of the product, in particular that the fresh-looking leaves were not cut from a half-rotted head, and to consider each piece through the packaging is completely unrealistic. The risk of buying a stale product is thus greatly increased, so this option is possible only if you know the brand well and completely trust it.
Storage rules
The shelf life of an iceberg lettuce is slightly longer than that of leafy salads, and is directly dependent on temperature.
Did you know? With its current name, this salad is obliged just to preserve its qualities at low temperatures - before it was kept in ice, which is why ice arose (ice is ice) and a little later - iceberg. Another name for the salad - ice mountain.
Self-respecting manufacturers guarantee preservation of the qualities of the salad for five days if stored at a temperature of from two to five degrees, and two days at a temperature of from five to eight.
In fact, many housewives manage to keep the leaves of this salad fresh for a month, if it is well dried and loosely packed in plastic wrap or bag. Sometimes you can meet the recommendation to wrap the salad with a damp cloth and only then put it in a bag, but this method is fundamentally incorrect, because any greens are best preserved only when it is perfectly dry.
You can store the salad in a glass container, pre-cut into 2-4 pieces, but this way the product will retain freshness for exactly one week.
Salad - not the product that is recommended to freeze for the winter. Of course, if you have gathered an incredibly large crop of lettuce in the country and cannot eat it in a few days, you can try freezing, while the salad will retain its beneficial properties, but it will completely lose its visual appeal and crisp taste. Therefore, you need to eat fresh salad fresh, good, in stores it can be purchased throughout the year.
Iceberg lettuce in cooking: with what is combined
Iceberg is almost tasteless, which nevertheless does not prevent the widely used leaves of this salad in cooking. Most often they are the "green part" of vegetable, meat or fish salads, but there are also more exotic options.
For example, you can put a cooked snack in a whole iceberg lettuce sheet, using the leaf as a dish (thanks to its heavier structure compared to other salads, the iceberg copes with such a role). As a "packaging" material, lettuce leaves are also used to make original rolls, diet pancakes (a great way out for those who watch the figure), and even cabbage rolls, in which an iceberg replaces cabbage leaves.
In the main dishes, an iceberg usually plays the role of decoration when serving and at the same time is a light touch.
The advantages of using iceberg in salads:
- an iceberg makes a portion visually larger, filling the dish not with calories, but with vitamins;
- iceberg denser than the usual leaf lettuce, so it can replace the cabbage, while maintaining a neutral taste and not clogging the main ingredients;
- Iceberg is suitable for appetizers with mayonnaise or sour cream dressings, while most other salads are too light for such a sauce.
Did you know? The basis of the famous Caesar salad in the original recipe is the leaves of the Roman salad (romano). Recently, however, more and more cooks are beginning to replace this seemingly indispensable ingredient with iceberg lettuce leaves. Motivated by this decision, they say, is not a desire to save, but the fact that iceberg leaves, soaked with dressing, retain a crisp taste, while the Roman salad fades and "floats", as a result, the dish loses its taste and visual appeal, which is not desirable allow no restaurateur.
Due to its neutral taste iceberg lettuce in terms of combination with other products is absolutely universal. It is equally well suited to vegetables, boiled eggs and cheese (especially parmesan and cheddar), mushrooms, any kind of meat and poultry (including smoked), as well as fish (raw, salted, smoked, boiled, canned) and seafood.
For satiety with iceberg, you can add boiled rice, crispy crackers or mushrooms, for originality - fruits (pear, apple, canned or fresh pineapple, citrus fruits). Pine nuts will give salads to salads, cherry tomatoes will brighten. In short, for fantasy there are no restrictions, and it is almost impossible to make a mistake.
As for refueling, then, as already mentioned, an iceberg can easily “endure” mayonnaise, but if we care about our health and waist, it’s better to use something lighter instead - yogurt or olive oil (which you can beat by adding lemon juice, soy sauce, French mustard, wine, balsamic, crushed garlic, spicy herbs and other goodies).
Important! In order to avoid oxidation and to make the dish more authentic, cooks recommend to carelessly tear the lettuce leaves into small pieces, instead of cutting with a knife.
Application in medicine and cosmetology
On the many beneficial properties of the salad above has already been said enough. It is not surprising that the product has found application in medicine, not only folk, but also traditional.
Doctors are happy to recommend using salad for emotional disorders, problems with the intestines and blood vessels, blood pressure jumps, gastritis and ulcers, as well as during pregnancy (in addition to a source of vitamins, iceberg salad removes excess fluid from the body, and therefore helps to combat swelling, which very often accompanies pregnancy and can severely damage the health of the expectant mother, triggering the development of heart, kidney, etc.).
Also, the salad is indicated for anemia, problems with excess weight.
The use of iceberg lettuce in cosmetology is due to its chemical composition. For example, magnesium in the product contributes to the production of collagen, and therefore improves the color and overall condition of the skin, prevents premature wrinkles, has a positive effect on the quality of nails and hair.
Iceberg masks and applications of lettuce leaves nourish our skin with useful elements, heals and nourishes it. To strengthen the hair and reduce their fat content, it is recommended to rinse them with juice squeezed from this salad. 
Contraindications
There are practically no contraindications to eating iceberg lettuce. Theoretically, it is possible to admit the possibility of individual intolerance of the body to any component that is part of the salad (for example, an allergy to ascorbic acid), but in general it is so rare that you can ignore such a probability.
Another (conditional) contraindication is excessive enthusiasm for the idea of losing weight and eating fresh leaves for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our body needs good nutrition, and no product, no matter how useful its properties, can satisfy all our needs.
Eat salad in combination with other healthy products, and your body will be full of strength, energy and beauty!
