Member-only story

Salad Shock: Lettuce’s Surprising Connection to Foodborne Outbreaks

Kristie Leong M.D.
5 min readOct 26, 2023

--

Photo by Terry Jaskiw on Unsplash

Crisp, cool lettuce — it’s the backbone of salads and a refreshing addition to burgers and sandwiches. But did you know this innocent leafy green can turn traitor? 🥬

The Double Life of Lettuce

Lurking on those delicate leaves and in the nooks and crannies of lettuce heads are stealthy germs plotting your downfall.

That queasy feeling in your stomach hits you out of nowhere. You sprint to the bathroom as waves of nausea take hold. Congratulations — you’re the latest victim of a foodborne illness.

The culprit? A stealthy bacteria lurking in something you ate. Sorry to say, but you’ve joined over 96 million Americans who get sick from contaminated food each year.

The Tiny Terrorists: Meet E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria

The usual suspects are sneaky germs like E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria. They contaminate foods and quietly multiply, waiting to strike.

Once inside your body, these harmful bugs release toxins and wreak havoc on your digestive system. Not exactly how you wanted to spend your day, right?

Now, lettuce doesn’t try to be the bad guy. How it travels from sun-drenched fields to your…

--

--

Kristie Leong M.D.
Kristie Leong M.D.

Written by Kristie Leong M.D.

Ready to change your health trajectory? As a family physician, I'll help you build a path to lasting health—one meal at a time." https://www.histaminedoctor.com

Responses (2)