Leafy Greens Can Kill You!

Periodically there are outbreaks of illness caused by eating contaminated leafy greens. The contaminants are usually bacteria such as E coli and Salmonella. The illness is typically diarrhea, sometimes with belly cramps, nausea, and vomiting. And rare deaths.

Cathe Friedrich published an interesting article about this phenomenon. Here are a few bullet points (I haven’t independently verified):

• Leafy greens such as lettuce are linked to 22% of food poisoning outbreaks over over the last 10 years
• The riskiest leafy green is bagged, ready-to-serve lettuce

A few ways to avoid foodborne illness:

• Avoid pre-packaged leafy greens
• Avoid sprouts
• Keep the produce refrigerated and dry
• Consume before the expiration date

Click for leafy green food safety tips from the Canadian government.

Click for a harrowing story at Consumer Reports about E coli poisoning from romaine lettuce.

Consumer Reports article on the safest ways to eat salad.

Steve Parker, M.D.

h/t Jan at The Low Carb Diabetic