Sheet lettuce - an annual plant, in the form of small heads with foliage of different shapes and all shades of green. The surface of the leaves can be wavy, smooth, corrugated, curly. The color and appearance of the foliage is completely dependent on the weather. On hot days, they turn pale, in a cool time, on the contrary, they become more saturated, juicy and elastic. Stem strongly branched, forms a large number of inflorescences. The roots are weak, rod-shaped, located on the very surface of the soil.
Table of contents
The composition and nutritional value of leaf lettuce
Growing leaf lettuce in unprotected beds is quite simple. The plant contains all the vitamin groups necessary for the body and a huge amount of mineral components:
- potassium;
- calcium;
- manganese;
- iron;
- iodine;
- copper;
- boron;
- molybdenum;
- organic acids.
Vegetable helps to digest food, accelerates and stabilizes the material exchange. Lettuce foliage can not be subjected to heat treatment, it is used only fresh.
Types of leaf lettuce
In terms of aging the plant is divided into several types:
- spring - the most precocious, can be grown in the garden or in greenhouse conditions (Asterix, Kritset, Lakomka and others);
- summer - perfectly tolerates hot weather (Azarius, America, Dionysus, Dubrava, and others);
- Autumn - grows in cool climatic conditions, does not suffer from a lack of light, practically does not get sick (Ballet).
Each of the varieties resistant to the emergence of flowering stemsYou can grow them both in greenhouse conditions and on unprotected soil.
-
- Purple salad
-
- Red salad
-
- Green salad
In addition, the vegetable can be a different color:
- green;
- red;
- Violet.
Beneficial features
Salad has a lot of useful properties. It protects brain cells from chemicals that can cause cancer. At the same time, it stimulates neurons, improves memory, speeds up the process of information processing, and prevents Alzheimer's disease.
Low calorie levels help lower cholesterol. This contributes to the relief of heart disease, protects against heart attacks and strokes.
The antioxidants contained in the leaves protect the liver from toxins and cleanse the body. The constituents absorb free radicals and promptly remove them. Eating a vegetable in the offseason can strengthen the immune system and speed up the metabolic process.
Potassium present in vegetables increases blood circulation, fills tissues with oxygen, and prevents early aging of the body. Leaf lettuce is often recommended by doctors to people prone to obesity. With it, you can eliminate constipation, improve the work of the gastrointestinal tract.
The low value of the glycemic index allows even diabetics to eat salad. The plant controls the level of sugar, prevents glucose spikes. The nutritional components of the plant are excellent for the hair and skin of the face, normalizing the production of fat.
The presence of a large amount of fiber in the leaves helps to lose weight. This product can increase the volume of any dish, while maintaining a feeling of satiety for a long time.
The juice prepared from this plant helps to purify the blood and saturate it with useful components. It’s easy to make a drink - you need carrots, lettuce and beets in the same proportions.
For women
Salad reduces pain during menstrual cycles, replenishes the body with nutrients and vitamins, stabilizes hemoglobin.
He is also able to reduce the number of hot flashes during menopause, facilitating the overall condition.
The plant can be introduced into the diet of pregnant women to help the proper formation of the nervous system and the musculoskeletal system of the fetus. Salad greens can improve the quality of breast milk, eliminate its bitterness.
This culture is also used in cosmetology for making masks. It is enough just to grind and impose on the surface of the skin. Disappears rash and purulent pimples. Squeezed from the salad juice helps to restore damaged hair, enhances their growth;
For men
Improves libido, quality sperm state. Doctors recommend that the plant be consumed by families who are having difficulty conceiving. The content of zinc in the plant prevents the development of impotence.
Cosmetology
The plant extract is used in the preparation of certain medications. As a rule, they are designed to strengthen the nails, heal the skin. Quite often foliage is used for external use.
Harm from use
The plant contains a large amount of oxalic acid, which is especially harmful to people suffering from kidney and bladder diseases.
The consumption of leaf lettuce is resolved by those suffering from asthma and tuberculosis after visiting the attending physician. You should not use the product if you have allergenic reactions to one or another element. Standards for eating leaf lettuce for food:
- a healthy adult needs one hundred grams of product per day, which is about two cups of crushed leaves;
- for children no older than twelve, this rate is halved.
Salad, although it is considered spring - autumn plant, but to grow it in a hot summer is rather complicated. But with the arrival of spring, it is he who is able to save from avitominoza and depression. It is recommended to grow this plant in places illuminated by the sun, the soil should be fertile, well loosened with moderate acidity. In the process of growing culture requires fertilizing fertilizer compositions containing a lot of nitrogen and potassium.