According to Cleveland Clinic, lettuce contains many antioxidants such as lutein, beta-carotene and anthocyanins, which help reduce oxidative stress - a cause related to aging, cardiovascular disease and chronic diseases.
Nutrition experts say that lettuce is also rich in vitamin K, folate and water, supporting strong bones, increasing satiety and helping to control weight.
Eating salad before main meals can help reduce calorie consumption throughout the meal, supporting maintaining a healthy weight. This is why lettuce often appears in the menu of dieters or blood sugar control.
However, nutritional benefits do not mean that lettuce is completely safe. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that fresh food, especially raw vegetables, can carry bacteria, parasites or disease-causing chemicals if not treated properly.
WHO emphasizes that food safety is a responsibility "from farm to table", in which consumers play an important role in preservation and processing.
According to Health Canada, lettuce can be contaminated with bacteria from soil, irrigation water, untreated fertilizers or during transportation and storage. Therefore, the first advice for people who often eat lettuce is to choose really fresh vegetables, with crispy leaves, not crushed or showing signs of slimyness or yellowing.
Lard should be stored in the refrigerator and used early after purchase. With chopped lettuce or pre-packaged salad, keeping it cold is even more important because bacteria can grow faster on the surface of cut leaves.
Some discussions of the food safety community on Reddit also noted that whole vegetables are often safer than pre-cut ones in terms of the risk of infection.
Consumers should also avoid soaking lettuce for too long in thick salt water or cleaning chemicals because it can lose vitamins and affect vegetable quality.
The best way is to wash each leaf under running water, drain it with a clean cloth or specialized vegetable rotor to limit excess moisture - a favorable environment for bacteria to grow.
