Ashley’s Better Bites: Organic Lettuce

By Ashley Koff, RD

When I say lettuce, you say…??? Delicious? Boring? Nutritious? Not Really?

When it comes to lettuces, there’s a lot of confusion about what is better, so let me debunk that right now. Any organic lettuce is better. Even better? A variety of organic lettuces. Why? Let’s look at what organic lettuce can do for you:

• When you want to eat more, add more organic lettuce! That’s right, instead of extra beans or another burger or slices of cheese or whatever else you would be having more of, when you add lettuce you get nutrients – including fiber, vitamin A, K, some B vitamins, trace minerals, and water – but you also add bulk. And let’s be honest, sometimes we just want/need to chew on more!
• When you want antioxidants, you can afford, add more organic lettuce! I love all the great antioxidants you can get from deep colored fruits and vegetables, but these days it can often feel like you must take on a second or third job to afford many of them – especially all the “super foods” from places like Bali and Brazil. Better news alert: organic lettuce like Romaine and red leaf lettuces pack an antioxidant load that will help your body take on the free radicals running around as well as help build strong bones, healthy skin and support healthy vision.
• When you have a picky eater who “won’t eat vegetables,” add some organic lettuce! Start with lettuce and top with some of their favorite foods – like a nachos bowl (salsa, lettuce, chips, beans and guacamole) or toss cheese into the lettuce with some olive oil or make a sweet lettuce bowl with some banana, berries, nuts, and coconut shreds. You can also teach them to wrap their burger in lettuce or make lettuce their tortilla when they want a second taco.
• When you don’t know what to serve that everyone will like, add some organic lettuce! Your job is not to be a short order cook, but instead to have and provide better options. So, make a salad bar, a taco bar, a burger bar, a pizza topping bar… and make sure your bars include organic lettuce. That’s right, you put out all the different options, and your gluten-free vegan, omnivore paleo, weight-watching calorie counter, and picky eater will all be able to have it their way, better!

For more ideas on how to enjoy organic produce as well as more better nutrition tools, head on over to my website and consider joining the Better Nutrition Membership so you can get weekly better nutrition lessons and recipes, as well as unlimited access to better nutrition tools like Better Menus (anti-inflammatory, Fiber for adults & kids, calcium, no added sugar and more). www.AshleyKoffApproved.com

Interested in having me work with you and your team to develop better strategies for selling more organic produce, more often? Send me an email at AKA@AshleyKoffApproved.com