# is lettuce bad for your stomach?



## UnknownSoldier (Dec 5, 2000)

Okay, if I'm really guillable (sp?) just tell me....my friend told me lettuce is bad for your stomach, that it is hard to digest. She said her boss ate a salad for lunch every day for like 10 years, and she got so constipated she had to have an operation or something....Another friend who had IBS before also told me lettuce was hard on the stomach. Anyone ever heard this, or know if it is true? I really like salads...they don't seem to make my ibs symptoms flare up. Thanks------------------Jocelynjocelyn_t99###yahoo.com"The Whos that lived in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch who lived just north of Whoville did not..."


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## JenS (Dec 18, 2000)

I think it depends on the person. For example, I can eat a small salad, but if I eat too much lettuce, I get diarrhea.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I've heard various things about salads. Some people say it is just iceberg lettuce that is bad for you, but Romaine and the other darker lettuces are OK. I don't buy it, but given that some people have problems with raw veggies in general, it makes sense that some people might find lettuce salads problematic. If anything they should help constipated people as lettuces (other than iceberg) tend to have some fiber in them. I think it really depends on the person. Also some of the problem with salads can be the dressings, and in commercially prepared salads (or from salad bars) the preservatives they sometimes spray on the lettuce to keep it from wilting. Some people are very sensitive to the preservatives (there was a big flack abou this back in the 80's, and for awhile alot of places were labeling the salads but I haven't seen that for awhile).K.


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## me3 (Jul 21, 2000)

kmottus, I am one of those who can eat Romaine but not iceberg. It took ages to figure that out cause I often put both kinds in a salad. But it's true! I have no problem eat raw veggies as long as I stay away from iceberg lettuce which is a trigger for my IBS. Iceberg lettuce makes me bloat like a balloon and I get cramps and D.I don't buy the part about surgery though, the lettuce wouldn't cause constipation anyway would it?


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## lindsay* (Jul 23, 2000)

i love lettuce, it's very high in fiber so it can constipate. my doctor told me that the reason i was having flare ups from lettuce was because of the powdery stuff they put on it to preserve it. try organic leaf lettuce and wash it well. don't eat salads at restaurants, they are notorious for using the preservatives. lettuce doesn't bother me at all anymore. good luck!


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## AnneMarie (Dec 4, 2000)

Oh, how I wish I could eat salads. I used to live on them, but now I find that they really aggravate my IBS-D. Actually, while on Lotronex, I tolerated them pretty well, but without it, I'm afraid to even attempt to eat one. Although, maybe I should try the Romaine lettuce. I hadn't heard that before.I love this bb.


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## Ashwoman (Jun 18, 2000)

I don't think that lettuce is particularly bad for you but different types contain more nutrients than others. I think that the same fiber qualities that lettuce possesses can very well pertain to other vegetables. Ashley


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## Homebound (Jan 27, 2000)

Lettuce is a killer for me. Salad does me in, and gives me some of the worst attacks. So I try to stay away from it. I can put a piece of it on a sandwhich and be okay. But anymore then that I've got D city!! Sad because I LOVE salad! Most "healthy" things tend to make me sick.







Others have also told me that lettuce is very hard to digest.Jennifer


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## AD (Jan 23, 2000)

NO FOOD DIRECTLY CAUSES CONSTIPATION! It is rather the LACK of certain foods that causes it. Eating low-fiber foods may cause constipation indirectly by filling you up too much to eat high fiber foods. Constipation is NOT caused by what you DO eat; it may be caused by what you DON'T.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

me3I don't doubt that some people might have problems with only a particular variety of lettuce, but there is some in the alt med community who claim that iceberg lettuce is a great evil and will do terrible things to everyone who eats it. (in which case I don't understand why most of the population hasn't dropped dead by now given the amount of iceberg eaten vs other lettuces







)IBS intolerances can be very specific and make no logical sense. The biggest concern with iceberg is the same one with most of the modern diet (at least in USA). It is the variety with the lowest amount of nutrients, so that is the one everyone eats. For some reason modern humans seem to need to avoid nutrients in food while spending large amounts of money to buy them in pill form.


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## Blair (Dec 15, 1998)

I never used to eat lettuce before I got IBS.Now I eat it all the time, and cut way back on starches. It seems to help.


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## me3 (Jul 21, 2000)

kmottus, thanks for clarifying. You're right of course about iceberg being mostly commonly used and of little value.Hey guys, if you can't eat lettuce salads, what about spinach? And you can make great salads without any lettuce at all. Just chop up peppers, cukes, celery, carrots, cauliflower, tommatoes, brocolli, etc. (whatever you can tolerate) and add the dressing.Next time I won't type before I am fully awake![This message has been edited by me3 (edited 12-19-2000).][This message has been edited by me3 (edited 12-19-2000).]


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Just FYI:Iceberg lettuce is high in fiber.Try eating a salad after your meal as its better for digestion. Sometimes, eating high fiber on an empty stomach can bug you. Of course there is also what you put on your salad, as a lot of dressings are high in fat content.I personally don't have to much problems with a small salad made with leaf lettuce and romaine.------------------ http://www.ibshealth.com/ www.ibsaudioprogram.com


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## Fuzzz (Jun 14, 2000)

UnknowSoldierI was told to eat only boston salad..apparently it is the only one *good * for the stomach,haven t tried it yet..I just eat less( don t really eat a lot of food,anyway







).By the way..Thank you for you r support,and your kind words.I apreciated it.------------------Fuzzz (confused,and want to get rid of IBS)


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## missbonnie (Feb 12, 2000)

Lettuce flares mine up. I avoid it, and substitute other raw veggies in salads. But I think with this nasty IBS, everyone's system is different.------------------All the best to everyone,Bonnie


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## me3 (Jul 21, 2000)

What Eric siad was interesting cause I always eat my salad at the end of the meal instead of dessert. Maybe that's why most raw veggies don't bother me.


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## Reege (Dec 20, 2000)

Personally, i cannot eat any lettuce at all. I also have a hard time digesting any raw veggies, and fruits.It gets to the point wher you ask urself...What can I eat?


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## Guest (Dec 21, 2000)

I can't eat lettuce either. We all respond to things differently. Sometimes I just crave salad or I see some a great salad bar in restaurant or something, and every single time, about 24 hours later, I regret it. Bloating, 2-3 hours of cramping, then the awful D (not to be gross, but I can SEE the lettuce too!).


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## Cat the Cat (May 7, 2017)

Lettuce isnt supposed to be bad for your stomach since it has so much fiber that it just passes through the digestive system without being digested. But I guess that if your body did try to digest it, it would probably give you a stomach ache but nothing really bad unless you already had stomach problems or something.


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