HELP! Salads are making me sick!

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rockerbaby2003
rockerbaby2003 Posts: 42 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It is upsetting to me, but I have been getting very sick from salad lately. It doesn't matter which brand, type, or where it comes from. I've checked the dressings to make sure they are not expired and they are good. I'm at a loss and its upsetting because I hate feeling like this. I'm good on days when I don't eat salad though. Anyone got any ideas?

Replies

  • finchest
    finchest Posts: 245 Member
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    that sucks you're getting sick from them! perhaps you have an allergy to something... have you considered getting allergy-tested? or by having very limited salads to try to narrow down exactly what's making you sick? (ie, have lettuce with oil and vinegar and see if you get sick from that, then add ingredients in one by one if you do ok with just that?)

    a lot of people are allergic to sulfites which could be in any prepackaged dressing...try making your own with natural ingredients?
    i hope you feel better! i can't imagine life without salad!
  • rockerbaby2003
    rockerbaby2003 Posts: 42 Member
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    I didn't think of that, but yes I have developed a lot of food allergies over the last few years. Guess I'll try making dressing and see if that is the problem.
  • Cajun_momma
    Cajun_momma Posts: 16
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    sandwiches do that to me, i think its the mayo in it, what kind of dressings are you using? also a lot of salad can cause bloating and diarrea,
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Oh, that's annoying. I'd agree that it is worth experimenting to see is there is something there that you are allergic to.
    Or, are you always buying the same brand of greens? I know there have been instances of food poisoning related to prepack salad leaves, or you could have an allergy to something they are spraying/washing them with.
    Try eating the individual ingredients - ie. just baby spinach leaves one day, then tomatoes, then whatever else is in your salad - then you will be able to make your own salad with the things that agree with you.
  • Kattarra
    Kattarra Posts: 190 Member
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    Any and all raw vegetables made me sick when I was pregnant. Any chance of that?
  • rockerbaby2003
    rockerbaby2003 Posts: 42 Member
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    0 chance of being preggo.
    I've tried iceburg lettuce at school, watched them rinsing it in water and chopping it up. I bought a bag of mixed greens, and I have a head of romaine lettuce I got and washed myself.
    I've been eating kraft fat free ceasar and switching it with italian, last week I tried ranch but I'm not a big fan of ranch. This weekend I had thousand island. I had a bit of cheese but I also took a lactose enzyme pill so that shouldn't be a problem.
    I have been eating tomatoes almost every day, and I know my aunt, uncle and brother are all allergic to raw tomatoes, I love them though! :( I guess I'll have to toss em and quit for awhile and see if that is the problem? Oh how I hate that my body hates foods!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    If you have a family history of allergies to tomatoes, I would stop eating those first and see if it helps. Process of elimination is how I would do it vs giving up all of it.


    Good Luck! I have all kinds of allergies (food and otherwise) and it sucks.
  • mjoekidd
    mjoekidd Posts: 45
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    Hi, maybe I can help. Are you strictly eating greens with no meat or proteins in your salads? How many calories are you bringing in total per day? If you have had a recent substantial drop in calories that might be the reason why you are having issues or if you have really changed up your diet to incorporate more leafy foods and cut out other types of food especially fats that could be a cause as well. How long have you been on your current eating regimen?
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    As others have suggested, utilize process of elimination to identify the culprit(s)
  • jennyredfern
    jennyredfern Posts: 94 Member
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    Maybe try some steamed veggies while you are figuring out why the salads are bothering you. That way you can still get some healthy veggies in your diet. In my local supermarket there are bags in the frozen food section that you can put right into the microwave and have yummy steamed veggies in a matter of minutes! :)
  • rockerbaby2003
    rockerbaby2003 Posts: 42 Member
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    Hi, maybe I can help. Are you strictly eating greens with no meat or proteins in your salads? How many calories are you bringing in total per day? If you have had a recent substantial drop in calories that might be the reason why you are having issues or if you have really changed up your diet to incorporate more leafy foods and cut out other types of food especially fats that could be a cause as well. How long have you been on your current eating regimen?

    I've been eating salads on and off for years, but really tried in the last 3 weeks to eat them more often. No I don't really eat any protein with them typically. I'm not a big meat eater, sometimes I realize I went the whole day with too little protein and have to make a soy shake or eat a can of tuna. I wasn't eating fast food too often, the grease really upsets my stomach. I mostly ate a lot of chinese food or microwave dinners for the last few months until recently. I've mostly cut out a lot of the bad meats and the bad starches. I would eat ramen noodles almost once a day because it was quick and cheap! I've been eating more home cooked soups/foods and a lot more veggies.
  • mjoekidd
    mjoekidd Posts: 45
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    If you cut out your tomatoes and that does not help I would take a look at you fat and protein intake for the day and see if it has taken a substantial drop. You could also try adding a little tuna to your salads to see if that helps. If you would rather not incorporate the tuna try drinking a glass of milk with your salad.

    Joe
  • snaglpus
    snaglpus Posts: 4
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    I know this post was 2 years ago, but I am now going through the exact same thing. Before this issue came up, I was eating salad and tomatoes and all. On Sept 1st, I started an heerb cleanse and raw diet. For 21 days, I took dherbs throughout the day. I also drank a raw veggie/fruit drink for breakfast and dinner. For lunch I ate Dole Chopped salad with kale with natural salad dressing. I lost 20lbs in 21 days...went from 215 to 195. I looked forward to eating my salad every day. For snack I had only dried figs, dried dates and cantelope. I've been off the cleanse now 2 weeks and slowly adding a little more meat. Today, just the thought of eating my normal salad makes me nausous. Yesterday I did not eat salad, instead I had a chopped bbq sandwich with cole salaw. Afterwards, I felt sick. Today, I went back to eating salad for lunch and at first I felt nausous but after eating it, I was fine. But I still have that watery taste in my mouth like I can throw up any minute. MAN! What gives? What's going on? I want to continue eating the green drinks for breakfast and dinner and salad for lunch but I don't want to throwup! What is happening to my body? Any ideas?
  • airen123
    airen123 Posts: 149
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    Iceberg has little to no nutrition value. I used to eat those mixed in with romaine and it would literally come back out within an hour of consuming. I now eat a raw spinach and veggie (high fiber, low carb) wrap every day for lunch and have no issues anymore.
  • shexy16
    shexy16 Posts: 68
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    Don't eat them?
  • snaglpus
    snaglpus Posts: 4
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    ok.....I figured out my problem. It's the raw spinach. I just started adding it 2 days a go and that is it. DARN! Oh well! Nothing taste as good as being healthy!
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    My sister and mother both went through something similar at different points in their lives. Not sure what your symptoms are but theirs were horrible, uncontrollable diarrhea (TMI, I know) within a short time after eating. Chalked it up to the preservatives in the lettuce as it was more likely to happen after having bagged salads or after having eaten in restaurants.

    I would suggest working through your ingredients one by one to narrow down the culprit. If it is the lettuce then you might want to try varying the type of lettuce (romaine versus spring mix, etc.), the variety (pre-bagged versus loose or whole head), and the supplier (supermarket versus farmer's market).

    They both ended up having to have their gall bladders removed eventually--not sure if it's all related though.
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    0 chance of being preggo.
    I've tried iceburg lettuce at school, watched them rinsing it in water and chopping it up. I bought a bag of mixed greens, and I have a head of romaine lettuce I got and washed myself.
    I've been eating kraft fat free ceasar and switching it with italian, last week I tried ranch but I'm not a big fan of ranch. This weekend I had thousand island. I had a bit of cheese but I also took a lactose enzyme pill so that shouldn't be a problem.
    I have been eating tomatoes almost every day, and I know my aunt, uncle and brother are all allergic to raw tomatoes, I love them though! :( I guess I'll have to toss em and quit for awhile and see if that is the problem? Oh how I hate that my body hates foods!

    instead of bottled dressings try extra virgin olive oil and vinegar (apple cider, red wine, balsamic). olive oil is much healthier for you then bottled dressings.
  • jimmecrackcorn
    jimmecrackcorn Posts: 6
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    You will find your answer here; please watch this video and get your answer.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIEapnX9F3g

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