Lately I’ve had a lot of romaine lettuce stocked up that I have been putting to use in creative ways. I love to juice it, toss it with other greens in a salad, use it for lettuce wraps, or blend it in a green smoothie. When you think of romaine you may automatically assume it doesn’t have much nutrition to offer because it doesn’t have the deep green coloring of other super greens like kale. Do not be deceived, romaine lettuce actually does have some great nutritional benefits! Not only does romaine consist of 17% protein, it is a complete protein and contains all 8 essential amino acids! It also has 21% of your recommended daily allowance of calcium. Add it to a green smoothie with papaya, another calcium rich fruit and you’ll have a smoothie with way more calcium than in a glass of milk. Romaine also has 167% the daily recommended value of vitamin C. My favorite nutritional benefit of romaine that I never knew until now is that it has around 44% the daily allowance of omega-3 fatty acids which are crucial to our balancing our diets that tend to be high in omega-6’s, minimizing stress, and preventing inflammation related diseases. In addition to all this, throw in super servings of vitamin A & K, and minerals like magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, and zinc. Every veggie has its place, and romaine is definitely not a green vegetable to discard as useless. If you’ve relegated your romaine to wimpy salads or ignored it all together, I challenge you to give it another chance. It’s high water content also makes it a nice hydrating addition to juices and smoothies as a base. Below is a recipe for the juice I had this morning, you’ll find a few more juices I’ve put together in the past with romaine as a main ingredient in the blog archives. Happy Juicing!
Romaine Cucumber Mint Lime Twist
Ingredients: 1 head of Romaine Lettuce, 1 large cucumber, 2 limes, handful of mint, 1 apple.
Juice all ingredients, strain and pour into blender. Blend juice with mint leaves, and serve. Enjoy! 🙂
Callers & Email Questions Needed for Radio Show ASAP!
Dearest Veggie Lovers, I am back on the air. My radio show Healthy Living in a Toxic World will begin airing all over Northern Virginia in September via WKCW 1420 AM. You can learn more in the new tab on the sidebar of the blog. Right now I am looking for people willing to call in and ask health questions (you will be on-air) or email questions that I can use for the shows. Many of you have emailed me questions, and I may contact you directly to get your permission to feature the questions and answer in the show. If you are interested in being a caller or want to email a question for the radio show please email rawgirltoxicworld@gmail.com by this Friday latest! So appreciate your contribution to the show, can’t wait to share it with you. -XoXo Raw Girl