Why we quit salads this week
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Hey Reader Quick heads up if you've bought bagged salad or pre-washed greens lately. There's a nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak going on right now — over 1,600 confirmed cases across 34 states since May, with nearly 7,000 more under investigation. Michigan's gotten hit hardest, with 3,000+ cases and climbing. Health officials are pointing at lettuce and salad greens as the likely source, though nothing's officially confirmed and nothing's been recalled yet. The illness itself is nasty — days to weeks of watery, exhausting diarrhea if it's not caught early. About 9% of cases have needed hospitalization. Nobody's died from it, but it's not a "walk it off" kind of sick. So here's what we decided. We're not waiting around for a recall notice. Raw veggies are off our plates until this thing is clearly out of the food system — no more bagged salad, no more raw spinach on the sandwich, none of it. Cooking kills the parasite, so cooked veggies are still fully in play.
Here's the problem: I (Stacey) eat a salad almost every single day, and it turns out that's the thing that keeps my digestion running like clockwork. Pull the daily salad, and you pull a real chunk of my fiber intake. We're not about to trade a parasite risk for a different kind of "explosive" problem. Metamucil Fiber Gummies, No Sugar Added Orange (affiliate link) are filling that gap for now. 5g of plant-based fiber, no sugar, actually tastes decent, and it's an easy habit to bolt onto whatever we're already doing. Not glamorous. Works. We're also kicking around something bigger: an indoor hydroponic setup so we can grow our own lettuce and greens year-round and just stop trusting the grocery store supply chain for this stuff. Still researching it, haven't pulled the trigger — but this is the one we've got our eye on: Growell 3-Tier Hydroponics Growing System, 81 Pods (affiliate link). LED grow light, independent water pump per tier, rolls around on casters.
Here's where you come in. If you already own one of these things, hit reply and tell us straight: can it actually keep up with a nearly-daily salad habit, or did we almost buy a very expensive houseplant stand? And if you're already eyeballing one for yourself, grab it through that link — doesn't cost you an extra penny, and it helps keep the lights on around here. None of this is medical advice. You're a grown-ass adult who can Google "cyclospora symptoms" just as well as I can. If you're already sick, go see a doctor — don't reply to this email, I'm not licensed for anything except a mean batch of guacamole. Stay bOlder and stay out of the salad bar for now. — Stacey & Angela P.S. This email contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it's part of how we keep this list running. Follow bOlder Nation |