Group · Vegetables
Lettuce (green salad)
Lettuce is the most widely grown salad in the world, available as batavia, oak leaf, cos, iceberg or little gem. At 95.4% water, it is above all a bulk food: it fills the plate and the stomach for almost nothing.
In terms of nutrition facts: 14.7 kcal per 100 g, with 1.35 g of protein, 1.22 g of carbohydrate and 1.1 g of fibre. Its real asset lies elsewhere: 123 µg of vitamin K1 per 100 g, or 164% of the reference intake, and 3,640 µg of beta-carotene.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 15 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 62 kJ |
| Protein | 1,4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 1,3 g |
| Fat | 0,2 g |
| Fibre | 1,1 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Vitamin K1123 µg164 %
- Vitamin A303 µg38 %
- Manganese0,4 mg20 %
- Potassium206 mg10 %
- Calcium64,6 mg8 %
- Iron1,1 mg8 %
- Vitamin C5,53 mg7 %
- Vitamin B60,09 mg7 %
- Vitamin B9dietary folate equivalents49 µg
See the other 13 nutrients
- Vitamin B10,06 mg6 %
- Vitamin B20,07 mg5 %
- Phosphorus30 mg4 %
- Selenium2,33 µg4 %
- Magnesium14,9 mg4 %
- Copper0,04 mg4 %
- Omega-3 ALA0,06 g3 %
- Vitamin B50,14 mg2 %
- Vitamin B30,35 mg2 %
- Zinc0,2 mg2 %
- Vitamin E0,18 mg2 %
- Iodine1,22 µg1 %
- Omega-6 LA0,03 g0 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
The salad is never what is high in calories. 14.7 kcal per 100 g, against about 90 kcal for a single tablespoon of oil. A generous vinaigrette can multiply the total of the plate by ten. That is where, and nowhere else, the balance of a salad is decided.
The vinaigrette that holds with half the oil. A dab of mustard emulsifies the mixture and lets you go down to one spoonful of oil for two of vinegar. A little plain yoghurt or water stretches it further without diluting the flavour.
The green leaves are better than the white heart. The outer leaves hold most of the beta-carotene and vitamin K1: it is the part most often thrown away. A dark lettuce provides clearly more than a very pale iceberg.
Vitamin K and anticoagulants. People on vitamin K antagonists do not need to cut out salad, but to keep their intake regular: it is sudden changes that unbalance the treatment. Check with the doctor who monitors your INR.
Washing and storage. Wash it just before serving and spin it dry well, as residual water dilutes the vinaigrette and speeds up wilting. Whole and unwashed, it keeps five days in the vegetable drawer; washed, two days.
Sources
Average nutritional values per 100 g, provided for guidance only (may vary by brand, cut and preparation).
