Getting your kids excited about salads is easy, especially since there are so many kinds to choose from. Four main varieties — iceberg, romaine, loose leaf and butter head — are widely available all year round, but there are also more exotic kinds to choose from, like spring mixes, radicchio and arugula.

Americans love our lettuce — we eat about 30 pounds a year per capita — and we grow almost a quarter of the entire globe's crops.

Iceberg is the most popular, but there are over 80 varieties grown in the states alone.

Experiment with several and let your kids do the picking — either in the store or in the garden. (Getting them to interact with their veggies is half the battle.)

The Nutritional Skinny

All lettuce is low in calories and fat, but it also has much more to offer. Romaine is the highest in nutritional value, giving you healthy amounts of vitamins A and K and moderate amounts of vitamins C and B9. Remember: the greener the lettuce, the more nutritious! Even better, loose leaf is also ideal to grow at home.

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