When Lettuce Isn't Good For You

A few weeks ago, I posted a letter that I received from a client who used regular intake of lettuce and cherries to strengthen her teeth.

In learning about this, a reader in Toronto, Ontario decided to try eating blended lettuce salads daily to address chronic sensitivity that she had in a back molar. She wrote to let me know that within two days of eating blended lettuce salads, her GI tract became highly uncomfortable, as though she had non-stop inflammation in her stomach.

With some back and forth, I discovered that this person had a previous history of gastritis and peptic ulcers, which she was only recently able to get under control with various dietary measures and prescription medication (a proton pump inhibitor called pantoprazole, commonly known as tecta).

In learning of her history of GI tract ulcerations, I suggested that she try pure lettuce juice without any fiber.

She was careful to juice her lettuce and strain to ensure minimal ingestion of fiber, and a week later, she was quite happy to let me know that not only did her abdomen feel comfortable, the sensitivity in her back molar disappeared and she was back to being able to properly chew her foods.

Her case is a good example of what I have long found:

Where there is existing inflammation in the mucosal lining of the GI tract, it's best to avoid regular intake of large quantities of raw vegetable fibers.

When the GI tract is need of healing, raw plant fibers seem to be too abrasive in most cases.

But as this recent case illustrates, you can still nourish your body with freshly pressed vegetable juice, but please note that I have found that too much raw vegetable juice can also be over-stimulating. If you have an injured digestive system and you want to nourish your body with freshly pressed juices, I suggest keeping intake below 16 ounces daily.

I touched on this topic, and more specifically, on using blended potato-based soups to help soothe an inflamed GI tract in the following post:

How To Soothe An Inflamed Stomach

Please feel free to share this material with those who may not be aware of these issues.