Romaine Lettuce: Nutritional Benefits & Health Advantages

Romaine lettuce is one of the darker green lettuces, and it contains more nutrients than iceberg lettuce. Romaine lettuce is often used in salads, especially the Caesar salad. A 1-cup serving size of romaine lettuce contains 8 calories, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database.

Fat and Cholesterol

• One cup of shredded romaine lettuce contains less than 1 gram of fat and no cholesterol; both of these values are negligible related to the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of both.

Minerals

• A serving of romaine lettuce contains 16 mg of calcium (2 percent of RDA), 7 mg of magnesium (2 percent), 14 mg of phosphorus (1 percent) and 0.46 mg of iron (3 percent).

Total Carbohydrates

• A cup of romaine contains approximately 1.5 grams of carbohydrate, which is divided into 1 gram of dietary fiber (4 percent of RDA) and 0.5 grams of sugar.

Protein

• A serving of romaine lettuce contains 0.58 g of protein; this is approximately 1 percent of the recommended daily allowance of protein.

Vitamins

• Romaine lettuce contains significant amounts of vitamin C (11.3 mg, or approximately 20 percent of RDA), vitamin A (4,094 IU, or 29 percent of RDA), vitamin K (48.2 mcg, or 71 percent of RDA) and folate (64 mcg, or approximately 20 percent of RDA).