Lettuce leaf - 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 cold weather, 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.
ContentsThe 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.
Vitamins and minerals included in leaf lettuce Vegetable helps to digest food, accelerates and stabilizes the material metabolism. Salad leaves can not be subjected to heat treatment, it is used only fresh.
Types of lettuce
In terms of ripening, the plant is divided into several types:
- spring - the most precocious, can be grown on the bed or in greenhouse conditions( Asterix, Kritsset, 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 is resistant to the emergence of flowering stems , you can grow them both in greenhouse conditions and on unprotected soil.
Purple lettuce 
Red lettuce 
Green lettuce In addition, the vegetable may be of different colors:
- green;
- red;
- purple.
Useful properties
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 processing of information, and prevents Alzheimer's disease.
Low calorie helps to lower cholesterol. This contributes to the relief of heart disease, protects against heart attacks and strokes.
Salad juice is good for the liver 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 performance of the gastrointestinal tract.
The low value of the glycemic index allows even diabetics to use salad. The plant controls the level of sugar, prevents glucose spikes. The nutritional components of the plant have a great effect on 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 the feeling of fullness for a long time.
Juice prepared from this plant helps to clean 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 painful sensations during menstrual cycles, replenishes the body with nutrients and vitamins, and stabilizes hemoglobin.
Salad is useful for pregnant It is also able to reduce the number of hot flashes during menopause, alleviating the general condition.
The plant can be introduced into the diet of pregnant women to help the proper formation of the nervous system and 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 out of lettuce juice helps to restore damaged hair, enhances their growth;
For men
Increases the libido, the quality of sperm. Doctors recommend consuming the plant to families who are having difficulty conceiving. The content of zinc in the plant prevents the development of impotence.
In men, it helps to increase the libido. 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.
Harmful use of
The plant contains a large amount of oxalic acid, which is especially harmful to people suffering from kidney and bladder diseases.
Lettuce leaves can be harmful to the body. Consumption of lettuce is allowed for people suffering from asthma and tuberculosis after visiting a doctor. You should not use the product if you have allergenic reactions to one or another element. The norms of eating leaf lettuce for food:
- a healthy adult needs one hundred grams of product per day, which is about two glasses of crushed leaves;
- for children no older than twelve years, this rate is halved.
Although the salad is considered to be a spring - autumn plant, it is difficult to grow it in a hot summer. 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.
