Romaine Lettuce Nutrition Facts for a Low Carb Salad

A salad can look like one food while actually containing several separate ingredients. Starting with a measured lettuce base makes a low carb food log easier to understand. This nutrition card focuses on raw romaine alone, before dressing, cheese, nuts, croutons, or other toppings enter the bowl. Its purpose is to make the serving visible, not to prescribe how much salad anyone should eat. For 2 cups of shredded raw romaine, weighing 94 grams, the USDA reference works out to approximately 16 calories, 3.1 grams of total carbohydrate, and 2.0 grams of dietary fiber. These are rounded values. Total carbohydrate is the figure used on this card; the fiber number is presented separately and should not be added to the carbohydrate amount. The portion is an example for comparison, not a universal meal size. The source is USDA FoodData Central, food 169247, “Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw.” Its reference values per 100 grams are 17 calories, 3.29 grams of carbohydrate, and 2.1 grams of fiber. Multiplying each by 0.94 gives the illustrated serving. USDA lists 1 cup shredded as 47 grams. Two such cups therefore provide the 94-gram reference used here. Source: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169247/nutrients At home, cup measurements are useful starting points, but how finely the leaves are shredded and how firmly they are packed can change the weight. Place an empty bowl on a kitchen scale, reset it to zero, and add the edible leaves. Weigh after washing and draining so pooled water does not become part of the measured food. If your bowl contains a different weight, adjust the reference proportionally instead of treating every bowl as two cups. Romaine contributes volume and a crisp texture to a plate. A practical lunch might combine it with a separately measured protein food and other vegetables, with dressing served alongside. That is a meal-building suggestion, not a calculated recipe: the numbers on this image cover only the lettuce. Oil-based dressing, creamy sauces, seeds, and cheese each need their own serving information if you are recording the whole meal. When comparing salad options, keep the preparation consistent. A packaged salad kit with its toppings mixed in is not equivalent to this plain raw ingredient entry. Read the package serving size and ingredient list before using the kit's label. Likewise, switching from a cup of loose leaves to a tightly packed cup changes the amount even when the measuring tool is the same. Save this card as a reminder to identify the base, measure the amount, and account for additions separately. The related wellness product is a separate catalog recommendation; it is not an ingredient in this salad and does not determine its nutrition facts. #LowCarbDiet #RomaineLettuce #NutritionFacts #PortionControl #HealthyEating