Upset stomach, could it be down to Spinach?

JAT74

Help, I rarely get an upset stomach from food but last Friday I had a medium hot curry and as a side dish I had Sag Paneer (spinach and cheese dish). I was fine all evening but had a pretty upset stomach the next morning. Most times I go for a curry now this happens and I almost always have the same dishes ie. a meat dish which is medium hot and the Spinach dish.

This morning for lunch I had a Salmon fillet with vegetables - Spinach, Asparagus and Carrots and on the Salmon I marinaded it in ground Paprika, Cumin and Coriander with honey, lemon and olive oil.

I've now got a really upset stomach since lunchtime and haven't had anything else to eat today except some cereal and yogurt with Bluberries for breakfast (which I seemed fine after).

What do you think is the cause of this, I know the Salmon is a possibility (was brought fresh then it was frozen but is only a couple of weeks old and was well cooked). Could it be the spinach?

keithwp99

I've been having tummy probs off and on for the past couple months. One of the things I did was to keep a food diary to see if there was any cause and effect. Spinach was one I cut out briefly as it did seem to cause some tummy probs within 2-3 hrs of eating. For me, I was eating ~ 3 cups. I stopped the spinach for a while but am now eating it again in ~ 1 cup portions and only once per day.

Like I said, keep a food diary. You may have other factors too. Stress that can cause tummy upset. Chronic stress especially.

Seems like sometimes I eat too much or too frequent of a food and seems to be an issue.

HeidiCooksSupper

The first time raw spinach got me, I contacted Dole and told them the bag number assuming it was some bug that got in the spinach. The next time I ate raw spinach, it got me again and I let Dole know it was me, not them.

This didn't used to be true. Food sensitivities seem to come and go or their severity does and everybody's list of culprits is different.

I can get away with 1 bag a week of spinach that has been cooked and wrung out before I put it in anything. More than 1 bag a week is iffy. ANY raw spinach whatsoever goes through me with such rapidity I may as well get up from the table and head directly to the loo. Hubby has the same reaction to barley. Go figure.

JAT74

Sounds like it could be. I haven't eaten raw spinach at all but I've had cooked spinach about 3 times in the last 7 days and a few tummy issues. I thought maybe I was becoming intollerant to chili but I had Chilli con carne yesterday and was ok, though I felt very bloated (probably because of the beans). It's frustrating when you don't normally have problems with any foods but I suppose as you get older things can change. I'll keep an eye on it I think. Thanks for your help.

MilesAddie

I have about three cups of spinach in my morning smoothie, every day. But.....

Spinach is notorious for harboring bacteria, including E.Coli. Combination of the how it grows in soil (very dense leaf structure that makes it difficult to wash) and how it is usually combined from multiple farms before packaging (large scale cross contamination). Thats often why you see bags labeled "Triple Washed". So, it very well could be the spinach.

There is an interesting article in The Atlantic about it, a periodical that definitely does not have a dog in the 'food wars' fight....

Edit: added parentheses

tabletop_joe

My theory: Spicy or acidic foods may have irritated your stomach, causing acute pain during following meal--even if they are unseasoned or reasonably acid neutral.

I find as I get older that I can't handle spice as well as I used to or wish I could.

ladyhusker39

It absolutely could be the spinach. If I eat too much especially cooked, I'll get an upset stomach every time. The problem for me is that I love cooked spinach soooooo much!

quiksylver296

Spinach gets me intermittently. Not bad enough to make me stop eating it, though.

JAT74

Haven't had it since and haven't had any stomach problems! Will have to try eating some again soon and see if I have a reaction.

mazdauk

Cumin always makes me sick - literally. Have you had cumin since?

sgt1372

FWIW, there have been a number of publicly reported cases of e. coli poisoning caused by improperly handled spinach and other leaf products resulting in major recalls.

Just wondering how many such cases go unreported which may cause gastrointestinal problems for people but don't rise to a level requiring a recall or an elevated level of concern.