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.
So how warranted is iceberg’s lowly standing—if at all? Is iceberg lettuce good for you or not? Should you actively avoid it in favor of kale or romaine every single time a salad opportunity comes up? And have we reached a point where iceberg lettuce has gone from an acceptable base for healthy salad recipes to the “treat yourself” category?!
These are important questions that demand thoughtful and serious answers. So before you start steering your cart waaaay past the iceberg like the way the Titanic should have done, let’s do a little digging.
First of all: Iceberg doesn’t actually have anything wrong with it. (Unless you’re talking about lettuce that’s part of a salad recall, of course—but seriously, that happens with other greens too.) So let’s reframe that question to be a little less accusatory, shall we? Instead of asking what’s wrong with iceberg lettuce, let’s talk about why it’s always treated like the poor kid who gets picked last for dodgeball.
Reason one: Yes, it’s true that iceberg lettuce is less nutritionally dense than other lettuces. That’s largely due to iceberg’s water content, which is nearly 96%, according to nutrition data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “With the high water content, iceberg lettuce isn’t as rich in [nutrients] as other types of lettuce,” Feller explains. The sky-high levels of H20, mean there’s just not as much room for other good stuff, like vitamins, minerals, and fiber, making iceberg lettuce nutrition less impressive. In fact, the push for people to eat more fiber is another reason iceberg lettuce fell out of favor, Largeman-Roth says.
We’ll talk more about comparing iceberg lettuce nutrition to its rival greens in a minute. But first, another big reason for iceberg’s bad rap: the fact that it tends to get involved with foods and dishes that aren’t always seen as meeting our collective standard of good for you, notes Largeman-Roth. It’s typically thrown on top of things like nachos and burgers, or tossed with rich, creamy salad dressings, for instance. Of course, there’s nothing actually wrong with eating nachos or burgers, and all foods have their place in a varied, balanced diet. But because they usually don’t have the nutrition profile and glowing health halo of, say, a fiber-rich quinoa bowl, those foods tend to be looked down upon in the nutrition world—and by extension, iceberg lettuce does too. (The way we define “healthy eating” is pretty fraught anyway, given the influence of diet culture and discounting of important factors like joy and connection, food access, and culture.) Change the lettuce’s context by, say, sticking it in chicken and pepper fajitas or tucking it into a hummus and veggie wrap—foods that more people see as being healthier—and it starts to look a whole lot different.
Great question. By “regular” lettuce, let’s say we’re talking about things like romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, spinach, kale, or arugula, etc. Nutritionally speaking, all of these offerings are pretty similar in terms of not being a major source of macronutrients. As with other salad greens, there aren’t many carbs in iceberg lettuce (just two grams per shredded cup), as well as a negligible amount of protein (less than one gram) and virtually no fat, according to the USDA.
It’s in the micronutrient department that iceberg lettuce nutrition starts to diverge. “In general, it doesn’t pack a nutritional punch like darker greens do,” Largeman-Roth explains. “The dark leafy greens contain more nutrients, like iron, magnesium, folate and fiber.”
A quick look at the numbers confirms this. According to the USDA, a cup of shredded iceberg lettuce contains less than one gram of fiber, and only trace amounts of important vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin C, vitamin K, or iron. It’s also pretty low in antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin, which are present in higher concentrations in many other leafy greens and play an important role in eye health.1
Darker leafy greens just offer more of, well, all of those micronutrients. Take veritable nutritional powerhouse kale, for instance. It boasts over 3 times as much fiber, almost 10 times as much vitamin A, 14 times as much calcium, 16 times as much vitamin K, and almost 30 times as much vitamin C, per USDA nutrition data. The differences in micronutrient content aren’t always quite so dramatic, but they still tend to be pretty significant across the board. When you look at iceberg lettuce versus romaine, for example, romaine has about the same amount of fiber, but five times as much vitamin K and three times as much vitamin C, per USDA data. On the whole, pretty much any other green will have a greater concentration of micronutrients than iceberg.
All of this might make it sound like iceberg is losing the battle of the leafy greens. But it still has some good stuff going for it, and both Feller and Largeman-Roth agree that you should eat it if you enjoy it.
For starters? Iceberg lettuce’s high water content makes it super hydrating, Feller says. So it can be an especially good pick if you have a hard time drinking enough water throughout the day or just want an extra boost, especially when it’s hot out. A big iceberg salad might be especially refreshing and hydrating on a sweltering summer day. And while iceberg is a relatively scant source of fiber (with just under a gram in a cup of shredded lettuce) compared to some other lettuces and veggies, it still has some of the nutrient, which is important for everything from digestive health to maintaining healthy cholesterol levels, as SELF has reported. And when you’re aiming to get the recommended 25 to 30 grams daily, every little bit counts, right? (Plus, the lack of fiber might actually be a plus for people with certain conditions, like IBS, that can make it hard for their guts to handle too much fiber at once.)
Iceberg lettuce benefits extend beyond the nutritional value too. Namely, it has a mellow and mild taste, which makes it more appealing to some people. “Because it's not bitter, it’s a great starter green for kids or people who just don't love greens,” Largeman-Roth points out. Iceberg lettuce can also help add volume and texture to dishes, making them more satisfying overall. Also, it’s pretty affordable. At around $2 a head (depending on where you live and shop), iceberg lettuce is often a fraction of the cost of bagged salad mixes packed with greens like spinach, arugula, romaine, or kale, Largeman-Roth adds. (To make sure you don’t waste a leaf, read these tips on how to keep iceberg lettuce fresh, as well as other kinds of salad greens).
And let’s not forget that iceberg lettuce is a whole plant food, and everyone could use more plants in their diet. “We want to encourage people to include all plants into their pattern of eating and iceberg is a great choice,” Feller says.
So, we’ve covered the fact that all lettuce is good, iceberg included. But if you want to take your nutritional game to the next level—and make some seriously wholesome winter salad recipes, for instance—which leafy green should be your go-to?
There’s not necessarily one perfect pick. Different lettuce and greens (and veggies in general) offer different amounts of vitamins and minerals, and the best move from a health perspective is to eat a little bit of everything. “Variety in your diet is really the foundation for overall health,” Largeman-Roth says.
That said, again you can generally count on darker lettuces and leafy greens as having more nutrition than their lighter-colored counterparts like iceberg, per the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). Some of the most potent salad picks include spinach, watercress, kale, escarole, and radicchio. “They’re the richest in nutrients, boasting potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, and iron,” says Largeman-Roth. So if you’re an iceberg lettuce fan trying to get the best of both worlds, you might consider doing a mix of 50% mild iceberg and 50% peppery watercress, for example. (And no matter what kind of greens you go with, don’t skip the dressing. Not only does it make your leaves taste infinitely more delicious, the fat in the dressing can help your body better absorb some of the vitamins and minerals in the lettuce, according to AND.)
So the verdict on iceberg is in, and here’s the bottom line: No, iceberg lettuce nutrition facts aren’t the most eye-popping. But it’s an easy-to-like and affordable green offering modest nutritional benefits and no drawbacks—making it a clear net positive in your diet.
