Now, let’s compare romaine lettuce with iceberg lettuce, so we can
get an even better feel for the amazing way in which the World’s
Healthiest Foods provide optimal nutrient benefits without wreck-
ingyour calorie budget. Iceberg lettuce—while definitely a whole, nat-
uralfood—is not as nutrient-rich as many of the World’s Healthiest
Foods, including romaine lettuce. That’s the reason you won’t find
iceberg lettuce listed on our food chart. While iceberg lettuce is very
low in calories (20 calories per two cups of shredded lettuce), it
contains far less nutrients than a best-choice nutrient-rich World’s
Healthiest Food like romaine lettuce.
For example, two cups of iceberg lettuce provide 723 IU of pro-
vitaminA—only about one-quarter the amount provided by two
cups of romaine lettuce. Therefore, to get the same amount of pro-
vitamin A contained in two cups of romaine lettuce, you’d need to
eat about eight cups of iceberg lettuce (an amount you would probably
not be willing to consume) and which would end up costing you
about 64 additional calories. These 64 added calories may not seem
like a lot, but they are when you are trying to lose weight and make
every calorie count. If you had to allocate those 64 added calories
every day of your weight loss, you would directly slow your weight
loss down by about 450 calories per week, or one-eighth of a pound
per week. In one month, you’d be slowing your weight loss down by
about one-half pound and in six months, three full pounds.
Just think: if each day you ate four cups of nutrient-rich salads that
included romaine lettuce, you’d probably spend under 100 calories
while meeting (or exceeding) your goals for dozens of health-
promoting nutrients. Now, that’s what I call a great formula for
health, and healthy weight loss.
Blueberries
Fruits are another incredibly concentrated source of nutrients. Plus,
they offer another terrific benefit: as a natural source of sugar, they
can satisfy a sweet tooth. So when you eat fruit for a snack or
dessert, you will not only be benefiting from their range of vitamins,
Why Nutrient-Richness Can Help You Lose Weight