"There's no official ban in place," said Carrie Kurlander, vice president of public relations at Chick-fil-A. "What you will find is our premium salads and 'Superfood Side' introduced this year include ingredients like kale and romaine lettuce, and we've opted for these because of the nutrients and flavor they pack in every bite." 
 
 Business Insider first revealed Chick-fil-A's move away from iceberg lettuce in a Monday report that had foodies buzzing. 
 
 "It's at the bottom of the salad food chain," David Farmer, Chick-fil-A vice president of menu strategy and development, said in an interview from Chick-fil-A's test kitchen, reported Business Insider. "There is no nutritional value in iceberg lettuce." 
 
 Chick-fil-A has been gradually shifting away from iceberg in favor of romaine and baby greens since 2013, the company said. It's part of a menu shake up for the fast food joint that seeks to pursue healthier menu options. 
 
 Chick-fil-A's Superfood Side, introduced in January, was the first to offer a kale-based product nationwide. Customers are able to order a Superfood Side — which features hand-chopped kale, broccolini, dried sour cherries and roasted nuts with a maple vinaigrette dressing — as an alternative to french fries, according to Business Insider. 

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 Iceberg lettuce is unwelcome at Chick-fil-A. William Wei, Business Insider Chick-fil-A continually tweaks its menu to come up with new dishes and cycle out old ones. 
 
 The company employs six chefs, who work out of its test kitchen in Atlanta, to experiment with new ingredients for potential menu items. 
 
 Lately the chefs have been focusing on coming up with new salads and healthy sides, such as the recently launched superfood side with kale and broccolini. 
 
 Chick-fil-A's chefs are free to experiment with all kinds of ingredients, except for one: iceberg lettuce. 
 
 "We have a mandate: Never use iceberg lettuce," David Farmer, Chick-fil-A vice president of menu strategy and development, said in an interview from Chick-fil-A's test kitchen. 
 
 Farmer has banned iceberg lettuce, which he calls tasteless and nutritionless. 
 
 "It's at the bottom of the salad food chain," he says. "There is no nutritional value in iceberg lettuce." 
 
 Iceberg lettuce does have some nutrients — specifically vitamins A and K — just a lower amount than most other leafy greens, according to a post by molecular bioligist Sylvie Tremblay on LiveStrong. 
 
 Farmer said he's more supportive of nutrient-dense greens like kale. 
 
 Chick-fil-A's test kitchen. Hayley Peterson "Our focus over the last couple years has been around health," he says. "We're seeing purchase behavior shift toward healthier items, so we're fully committed to providing more nutritional options for customers." 
 
 Farmer says he gets some inspiration for new menu items from frequent trips to New York. 
 
 "I travel to New York to check out new concepts and walk around trying food all day long until I can't stand to put anything else in my mouth," he said. 
 
 Chick-fil-A also keeps an eye on its competition, which includes traditional fast-food restaurants like McDonald's and Wendy's, as well as fast-casual chains like Panera Bread and Chipotle. 

 For years, iceberg lettuce has been left out of the salad bowl having been deemed of having no nutritional value. Iceberg gets passed by for other more power-packed greens such as Romaine lettuce, spinach, red leaf lettuce and the like. Many people, however, prefer the crispness of iceberg, which until the 1930s was called crisphead lettuce, to other lettuce choices. The crispness of iceberg is unique. No other lettuce has the same cool, enjoyable crunch. Iceberg is the lettuce that my generation grew up with — it wasn’t a salad if it didn’t start with iceberg. 
 
 So where does iceberg fit as far as nutritional benefit? 
 
 One cup of iceberg lettuce contains: 10 calories, 0 grams of fat, 1 gram protein, 2 grams carbs (1 of dietary fiber), 7 percent of vitamin A, 3 percent of vitamin C, 1 percent of calcium and 2 percent of iron. It also contains trace amounts of potassium, folate, vitamin K, magnesium and phosphorus. Iceberg is cholesterol free and low in sodium. Granted, it isn’t the most nutrient packed vegetable but if it is the only lettuce your child will eat, serve it up. 
 
 It is true that darker greens contain more nutrients. Iceberg can be an acceptable choice combined with a variety of other greens to make a delicious salad. Mixing greens is a great way to keep crispiness and nutritional value. Leaf lettuce can be somewhat bitter if it is left too long growing in the ground, and sometimes when it is harvested in a timely manner it can still retain some of its bitterness. By combining leaf lettuce with iceberg, the bitterness can be reduced while maintaining other beneficial nutrients. 
 
 If nothing else, iceberg lettuce is 96 percent water so to those of you that don’t drink enough fluids each day, munch on a chunk of iceberg! 
 
 From Fine Cooking, here is a recipe that highlights iceberg lettuce. 
 
 Vietnamese-Style Rice Noodle Salad 
 
 Packed with bright lime flavor, a touch of spicy heat, and just the right amount of crunch, this noodle salad is great for lunch or dinner. 
 
 Serves 6-8 
 
 ½ cup fresh lime juice (from about 2 large limes) 
 
 ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 
 
 2 Tbs. fish sauce* 
 
 2 Tbs. granulated sugar 
 
 1 Tbs. minced ginger 
 
 3 large cloves garlic, minced 
 
 1 Thai bird chile, seeded and minced 
 
 8 oz. dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch thick) 
 
 8 cups thinly sliced iceberg lettuce (from 1 large head) 
 
 1 large carrot, shaved into ribbons (use a vegetable peeler) 
 
 1 large cucumber, peeled if you like, cut into ½ inch dice 
 
 5 medium radishes, thinly sliced 
 
 1 cup fresh mint leaves 
 
 ½ cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped 
 
 Directions: 
 
 Dressing: In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, cilantro, fish sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and chile and let sit for at least 10 minutes. 
 
 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the rice noodles and stir immediately. Cook the noodles, stirring frequently, until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water until cool to the touch. 
 
 In a large salad bowl, combine the noodles with the lettuce, carrot, cucumber, radishes, and mint leaves. Toss the salad with the dressing and garnish with the peanuts. 
 
 Nutrition information: 
 
 Per serving: 200 calories, 5 grams fat, 5 grams protein, 36 grams carbs, 3 grams dietary fiber. 
 
 Note: Fish sauce is a very potent Asian condiment made from the liquid from salted, fermented fish — thus the smell. Fish sauce has a very concentrated flavor and, like anchovy paste, when used in small amounts, gives foods a salty flavor that is difficult to copy. 
 
 Georgia Clark-Albert is a registered dietitian and adjunct nutrition instructor at Eastern Maine Community College who lives in Athens. Read more of her columns and post questions at bangordailynews.com or email her at GeorgiaMaineMSRDCDE@gmail.com.
– Chick-fil-A has shunned a not-so-nutritious food item. No, it's not the classic Chick-fil-A Sauce, which boasts 140 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 120 milligrams of sodium per serving. Instead, it's … iceberg lettuce. "We have a mandate: Never use iceberg lettuce," David Farmer, the restaurant's vice president of menu strategy and development, tells Business Insider. The site explains the chain has six chefs toiling away on new recipes in an Atlanta test kitchen, but they don't touch the "bottom of the salad food chain" ingredient, which Farmer describes as lacking all nutritional value. That's not actually true: A Bangor Daily News article notes iceberg contains small amounts of vitamins A and C, and if nothing else, helps with hydration thanks to its 96%-water makeup. While "there's no official ban in place," Chick-fil-A favors kale and romaine lettuce "because of the nutrients and flavor they pack in every bite," a rep tells CNBC, which notes the move away from iceberg started in 2013. On the kale front, the chain recently introduced a "superfood" salad of broccolini, kale, sour cherries, nuts, and a maple vinaigrette. Writing for Food & Wine, self-proclaimed "iceberg defender" Mike Pomranz points to the irony "in a fast food chain dismissing a lettuce over nutritional value." He acknowledges it isn't the superman of greens, "but do you really want me to put it head-to-head nutritionally against a Chick-fil-A Frosted Lemonade?" (Chick-fil-A locations are offering free ice cream—with a catch.)