One of the most famous salad ingredient, lettuce belongs to the Asteraceae family of flowering plants that also includes artichokes. Native to ancient Egypt, Lettuce consumption quickly spread to Greece, Rome and then further onto North America and other parts of Europe. The easy to grow green Lettuce is a low-calorie food rich in many minerals and nutrients. Have it to enrich your body with the benefits of Vitamin A, B6, C, E, K, folate, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, riboflavin, and many others. Intake of these soothing-green leaves helps in preventing anemia, osteoporosis, certain types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and even Alzheimer's. A powerful antioxidant, eating lettuce fights free radical attacks and neutralizes them effectively. It also possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and sleep-inducing properties. This in turn helps tackle anxiety issues and lowers bad cholesterol or LDL levels, while also normalizing blood sugar and blood pressure. Lettuce can be had raw in salads, sandwiches, burgers, and other healthy alternatives of your favorite fast food preparations. It can also be steamed, sauteed and stir-fried. It is also commonly seen as a fresh green leafy bed in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian sizzlers.