Why would lettuce make you sick?

Question

I gave up eating lettuce because I got sick so many times after it with bad stomach cramps. It took me a long time to identify the source of the problem. Could I be allergic to lettuce, or could there be something like traces o finsecticide or preservative that I'm highly sensitive to?

It's hard to avoid lettuce as they seem to give it to you with everything in restaurants. I always have to tell them not to when I'm ordering. Sometimes I get sick even eating something that has been in contact with lettuce.

I'm otherwise healthy and can tolerate almost any other food. Thanks!

As a follow-up to this I should say that I've often eaten lettuce in the past and had no bad effects from it. That makes me think it might be something added rather than the lettuce itself. (BTW I had a similar bad result from eating salad stuff called "rocket".)

Answer 1

It is possible that you may be allergic to lettuce, but nobody on Yahoo! can make that diagnosis. See an allergist. I'm more inclined to believe that you had some lettuce that wasn't properly washed and you had a reaction to a pesticide or some other stuff that was on the lettuce itself. If you prepared the lettuce yourself it would be easier to track down than if the lettuce were served from a restaurant, fast food joint or buffet style. Getting sick from eating something that has been in contact with lettuce does not make any sense at all unless the contaminant is highly mobile and then you should see it crawling off the lettuce onto whatever else is next to the lettuce. I strongly suspect that you have conditioned yourself over time to dislike lettuce, probably because of a few bad reactions, and your reactions are largely psychosomatic. That can be treated also, if you really want to like lettuce.

Answer 2

Buy the organic lettuce. What you are eating most likely does have remnants of pesticides and other things that have grown into the leaves. The organic doesn't have any of that and may well be your solution. Worth a try :) I have a friend who can't eat lettuce unless it's organic so she won't get salads in the restaurants and removes it from her sandwiches ~ or just tell them you don't want it. When there is something I can't have, like pickles, I tell them not to put it on the plate and send it back if they do. I have reactions to vinegar if I get too much in my system so I order my food the way I know I can eat it and most places will comply.

Answer 3

I read several years ago that they put something on the lettuce in the restaurants to help it stay fresh. I forgot what it is called. I also read that some salad bars had to put up a sign when they did that.

Answer 4

My first response to this question was that maybe you don't wash your lettuce well enough before eating it. Not too many people do this, as they should. You could be allergic to the pesticides/preservatives.

Answer 5

Becasue lettuce is very Evil, yes yes,. very evil indeed.

or

You are intolerant to "green" stuff, like you'd get the same effect eating grass. You arnt a cow, cows can break down the stuf in grass / lettuce, some ppl cant and they get sick.
Dogs and cats cant digest grass,so they eat it when they want to get sick and throw up.

Answer 6

It could be that it wasn't washed properly, or washed at all.
-Yes, you could be alergic to it.
Many green vegetables an leafy legumes, have that effect on peoples stomachs. Just like beans.
Now that you know the source of your cramps, life should be much easier for you. Just say no to lettuce.
Good Luck!!!

Answer 7

maybe the lettuce you ate is infested