Select leafy greens and other vegetables and fruits that aren't bruised or damaged. Make sure pre-cut produce, such as bagged salad or cut fruits and vegetables, is refrigerated or on ice at the store.
Best: Spinach or Kale Salad
They have the most nutrients. Case in point: Kale and spinach have over 10 times more immune-boosting vitamins A and C than iceberg lettuce. Not a fan of those? Turn over a new leaf: Boston, bibb, and romaine lettuces have a mild flavor, while arugula and watercress have a peppery bite.
There's still iceberg lettuce, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce and butterhead lettuce, which are still safe to eat, according to the CDC.
Packaged salads should be safe for consumption because their production must follow food safety practices. 2. Sometimes, packaged salads could be contaminated with harmful microorganisms. But that DOES NOT mean all of them are contaminated.
The bottom line is — if you eat fresh lettuce, you're taking a small risk. An additional washing won't change the risk much, one way or the other.
Even when they're labeled "ready to eat," pre-washed salad greens can contain harmful chemicals—and probably aren't even totally clean.
Romaine lettuce and spinach are grown in the soil, which can be exposed to animal feces or contaminated water. The produce is at risk of contamination from irrigation water especially if it's grown near animal production facilities where the animals may be infected with E. coli.
If you have any of these products in your fridge, you need to throw them out ASAP. Lettuce and salad kits from two brands, Revolution Farms and Fresh Express, have been recalled due to possible contamination with listeria, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Some of the most nutritious greens include spinach, kale, romaine, watercress, and arugula (see "Salad greens by the numbers"). They are rich in a combination of vitamins A, C, and K; several B vitamins (including folate); and potassium.
Ideally, a meal-sized salad should have one-third or more of the Daily Value for fiber and no more than one-third of the Daily Value for saturated fat and sodium. Nutrient values for individual salad ingredients are estimates derived from ESHA The Food Processor, a nutritional analysis database.
Eating leafy greens is generally good for the health. However, some greens, such as collards, spinach, and chard, contain large amounts of vitamin K that may interact with blood thinners and lessen their effect. According to a 2016 review , people who take blood thinners should not try to avoid vitamin K.
Wash the produce under a stream of cool water or using the spray nozzle of your faucet. Rub the produce with your hands, or scrub with a vegetable brush, to remove potential bacteria in all the grooves and crevices. No soap or special solutions are necessary; plain, cool water is the best agent.
Washing lettuce in water (or water combined with baking soda) may help remove pesticide residue, surface dirt and debris from produce, but Rogers cautions that washing has not been proven an effective way to remove E. coli and related bacteria.
Romaine lettuce seems to be one of the most dangerous lettuces you can eat. Some have theorized that it's because romaine has delicate leaves that bruise or break easily, allowing tainted water to penetrate.
While romaine lettuce has been associated with several E. coli O157: H7 outbreaks, iceberg lettuce has been less frequently associated with outbreaks caused by shigatoxigenic E. coli.
Do I Need to Wash Lettuce? Yes, it's important to wash all fresh produce, but especially leafy greens and lettuce. Harmful bacteria from the soil can contaminate fruits and vegetables and lead to a foodborne illness if consumed.
Like all lettuces, Iceberg is absolutely a good-for-you choice. It's low in calories, cholesterol-free and extremely low in sodium—it provides important vitamins and minerals that support our overall health.
Swish Greens in Cool Water
Fill a large bowl or a clean sink with plenty of cool water. Add the lettuce or greens and swish them around to loosen and remove any dirt. Dirt and debris will sink to the bottom while the greens will magically float above all that mess.
Do I have to wash pre-washed lettuce? The quick answer is: yes, you probably should wash pre-washed lettuce. No matter what the bag claims, pre-washed lettuce might not be as clean as you think. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) encourages lettuce to be washed with a bleach solution to kill harmful bacteria.
Many of the big producers (like Dole), explains Farber, use water along with disinfectants such as chlorine, to clean their bagged and packaged (as long as it's labelled pre-washed!)
Per Still Tasty, if you are trying to determine if your unopened bag of pre-washed salad is no longer edible, the first thing to look at is whether or not the color has changed and if the leaves of lettuce have become "slimy" and "mushy." If they have, then don't eat them. You may also want to do the smell test.