Adam’s Journal
I’m a big salad person. But with the ongoing outbreak of stomach illness that’s been traced to eating raw lettuce, should I – at least temporarily – rethink that? And if I want to keep loading up on greens and the like, are there things I can do to protect myself?
Dr. Scofield Prescribes
As tempting as it may seem, the current outbreak should not serve as an excuse to adopt a diet consisting exclusively of fried foods and baked goods.
From a health perspective, fresh produce is a very good thing, adding an abundance of nutrients and dietary fiber to our diets. However, it can also carry microscopic pathogens that infect us when eaten.
Here, the pathogen in question is a parasite called cyclospora. It grows in the human gut and spreads when people consume food or water contaminated with the parasite.
This most often happens when tainted water is used to irrigate fruits or vegetables or when the people handling the produce have unwashed hands.
While this cyclospora outbreak has been linked to lettuce, past outbreaks have also involved salad mixes, basil, cilantro, sugar and snap peas, raspberries, and fruit mixes.
The illness is difficult to trace because it takes days or even weeks for people to develop symptoms after becoming infected. So, by the time someone becomes sick, the food or water that made them sick was consumed long before. Add in the complexities of dealing with a global food chain – where the produce we eat may have been grown and harvested in a different country – and you get some sense of why it’s been so hard to track down the origins of the current outbreak.
The surest way to avoid cyclospora is to cook produce before eating it. Heating to 158 degrees or higher kills cyclospora.
For produce that’s uncooked, there’s no perfect protection. Rinsing with water is best. Some cyclospora may still cling to contaminated produce, but rinsing will reduce their numbers – and, consequently, your risk of getting sick.
For any leafy greens, health experts recommend removing and discarding the outer two or three layers, then washing the inner leaves thoroughly under running water.
Using soap to rinse vegetables is not recommended. Soap isn’t meant to be eaten, and it doesn’t reliably make produce safer than rinsing with running water.
Detergents, bleach or commercial disinfectants should be avoided for similar reasons. And vinegar is no more effective than water for rinsing.
Cyclospora outbreaks are typical this time of year. This one is bigger than usual, but we can expect it to subside in the coming months.
In the meantime, don’t stop eating salads. Instead, pay attention to guidance from health officials, especially recalls of particular products. And practice good food safety. The benefits of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits still far outweigh the relatively small risk this outbreak poses.
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Dr. Hal Scofield is a physician-scientist at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and he also serves as Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. Adam Cohen is OMRF’s senior vice president and general counsel. Send your health questions to contact@omrf.org.
