New publications
Green salad has been shown to be more dangerous to your health than a hamburger
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Nowadays, only the lazy ones are not concerned with a healthy lifestyle and, in particular, healthy eating. Doctors advise all patients to pay attention to their diet, lifestyle and, of course, food products. Fresh fruits, vegetables and greens are the products that are the key to healthy eating and can provide the body with the necessary vitamins and nutrients. Despite the fact that fresh greens are considered one of the healthiest products, it turned out that it is the leaves of green salad that can be dangerous to human health. Some doctors even equate fresh salad with fast food products.
Recent studies by epidemiologists have shown that leafy green salad, which can be found on the shelves of any large supermarket all year round, can be quite dangerous to human health. Doctors advise paying attention to the label on the packaging: if a package of salad or fresh vegetables has the label "ready to eat", then you should refrain from buying the products, it may be unsafe.
Green salad leaves contain a large number of useful substances. For example, carotenoids are useful for vision, provide a healthy skin color and, according to some experts, can be considered a preventive measure against Alzheimer's disease. Green salad contains iodine, iron, potassium, and also a large amount of vitamin C, which the body needs during the period of spring vitamin deficiency. Folic acid has a beneficial effect on the reproductive function of adult men and is considered necessary for the normal development of speech in young children. The beneficial properties of salad are difficult to dispute, but despite this, doctors consider it a dangerous product for health.
Recent studies have shown that the leaves of fresh green lettuce, which are on display in modern stores, may contain the bacterium cryptosporidia, which can cause complex diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and cause cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidia are intracellular parasites that infect the mucous membrane of not only the digestive organs, but also the respiratory tract. In people with normal immunity, the disease begins with acute diarrhea and lasts from two days to two weeks. Otherwise, patients may develop complications, and the disease drags on for a long time. For example, in AIDS patients, the disease occurs in the form of acute diarrhea, which does not stop for several months, which leads to inevitable dehydration of the body and, often, to irreparable consequences.
Britain's Health Protection Agency said cryptoscoridium bacteria had been found on ready-to-eat lettuce leaves. The investigation into local supermarket produce was prompted by the fact that more than 300 people with cryptosporidiosis were admitted to hospitals in England and Scotland in a short period of time.
Experts who analyzed the product believe that the reason is that many products are brought to Europe from countries with insufficiently strict sanitary standards. Because of this, exotic and out-of-season products are potentially dangerous for humans. Doctors strongly advise not to trust the labels "ready to eat" and to be sure to heat-treat the products. If heat treatment is not possible, fresh herbs and vegetables should be thoroughly washed under running water.