Do you use inferior lettuce in your salads?

During the hot summer months, I love a crisp, crunchy, and refreshing, Caesar salad made with Romaine Lettuce.

Funny enough, many years ago someone in the health and wellness arena (another health coach) attacked my choice of using Romaine lettuce in a salad.

She said, “How can you call yourself a health coach? You shouldn’t recommend romaine lettuce to anyone! Kale is by far a superior leafy green.”

I understood where she was coming from, but I disagreed with her.

It’s trendy in health and wellness to hop on the latest food fad and eat the thing that supposedly has the most nutrients and is the best thing since sliced sourdough bread.

But, the truth is, we need to rotate our foods as the seasons change, and NOT eat the same plants (like kale) over and over again.

Your body, especially your gut, needs diversity of plants and other foods to function at its best.

I covered that here: If you eat Kale all year, it could damage your body.

The lowly lettuces that have been kicked to the curb by most health zealots, are generally light, refreshing, and easy to digest. They are also hydrating (due to their high water content), low-calorie, and are packed with vitamins A, C, K, and folate.

That means, lettuces are not inferior, they’re just different.

And, I can guarantee that your body will enjoy a crisp and cool lettuce salad on a hot summer day better than a chewy, heavy, mouthful of nutrient-dense kale.

There are a wide variety of lettuces to choose from.

Below a list of some of the yummy lettuces I get from my local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

• Green Leaf
• Red Leaf
• Romaine
• Buttercrunch
• Escarole
• Oak Leaf
• Bibb
• Curly
• Arugula
• Lolla Rossa
• Iceberg
• Frisee
• Endive
• Watercress

And, if you need help finding delicious salad recipes to use your lovely lettuces in, here are a few of my favorites:

• Crisp Caesar Salad with Pan-Seared Shrimp
• Seasonal Salad with Fresh Berries
• Watercress Salad with Pomegranate

Enjoy!