When you think of a healthy diet, you probably imagine lots of lush, leafy greens and a colorful cornucopia of fruits and vegetables. While, yes, some have achieved "superfood" status and offer a bounty of vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, and the like, others are a little lackluster. They might not be unhealthy, but they're definitely not as healthy as you might've assumed.
To learn more, we spoke with three experts in the field: Lena Bakovic, registered dietitian nutritionist with ; Deloris Gibson, registered dietitian and diabetes educator at ; and Danielle Michael, nutrition services director at . Here are their thoughts on the vegetables that might not be as healthy as you think, and how you can get the most benefits from every crunchy bite of veg you consume. Iceberg lettuce Oh, iceberg lettuce.
You're the basis of so many restaurant and fast-food salads. You appear atop tacos and burgers. You're cheap and available at every grocery store.
You offer a slight crunch when fresh, but quickly turn slimy and sad when left in the crisper drawer past your prime. That's great if you're looking for a high water-content food, but bad if you want a vegetable high in vitamins and minerals. "It is low in calories, but also low in vitamins and minerals when compared to other leafy green vegetables," says Deloris Gibson, registered dietitian and diabetes educator.
"It does contain some calcium, potassium, and vitamin A." That said, if your diet is pretty low in vegetables overall, yo.