Do I need to vary my greens or can I eat lettuce exclusively? Is this harmful in the long run?

Lettuce dosn't have many calories and Iceberg lettuce dosn't have many nutrients. Adding some simple carbs like fruit could add some clean burning calories for fuel.

I think Rufio probably means just lettuce as aposed to mixing up different greens.
I'm sure fruit is already part of the diet. There are so many different types of lettuce - do you include rocket, watercress etc? I would have thought it was fine so long as you eat plenty and vary the lettuces, red leaved, oriental, dark green etc.

As EZ Rider says iceberg is good for water but not much else!!

i don't know what rufio is talking about

rufio

what are you trying to say?

what kind of lettuce are we talking about here? it makes a big difference

Right. As the others pointed out: there are many different kinds of lettuce. Your standard American Iceberg is not very healthy....while darker Romaine, Bibb, Red & Green lettuces are much more healthy.....as are darker greens like Chard, Spinach, Dandelion greens, Kale, etc. It's probably better to eat some or a little of many kinds of greens...rather than just one....but that's common sense I think.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I ditto David.

Vinny

OK. Sorry for not being more specific.

What I mean is, for the leafy greens I do eat, is eating lettuce (exclusively) okay? Right now I enjoy romaine and green leaf (that seems to be what's most accessible). I have read from people like the Boutenkos to diversify your greens (kale, chard, spinach, etc) but I do not like eating the darker greens as they are, I find them bitter and just blech. I love lettuces, I can snack on them, and also blend them in smoothies. I resonate with what Dr. Graham says about eating foods as they are and if you do not like them, then do no eat them. I'm wondering though if I eat just romaine lettuce for several months, will I develop a deficiency or toxicity?

Hmmm...
I am pondering this,and its my gut belief that the elements in romaine are the same ones in kale,or spinach.etc... Its just there are different "carriers" of the same elements.?
The main thing is to get as dark a green color as possible.
But no,I dont think you will have any problems at all just eating romaine.
I love it myself. THE best lettuce IMO.
Vinny



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2009 01:18AM by eaglefly.

I'm no expert, but: if you already blend greens in smoothies, and you don't like the taste of kale or other darker greens, I've found that 1-2 bananas mixed into the smoothie really cover up the taste of the greens, to the extent that if it weren't for the color, you might not even know the greens were in there.

I think it is well adjusted taste buds to not know that dark greens such as kale are in the smoothie. I can really detect the change in flavour with only a few leaves of spinach. That's not to say that I don't like it but it does taste different.

Rufio can you get hold of any other types of lettuce to snack on or perhaps grow a variety of different salad leaves?

rufio

i don't know what will happen to you if you just eat romaine lettuce for 3 months but geez i'd imagine you'd get a little tired of it

i mean, romaine is alright and all but i have a higher respect for the darker greenz cuz they have a richer mineral content and higher chlorophyll content as well...

i enjoy the cruciferous vegetables the most and since i don't have any thyroid problems to speak of.... they suit me fine.. great sulphur content

but the best way to find out is to simply just do it

report back after 3 months and tell us how the romaine fest went

i think the results are predicated on:

1) what you believe : if you think you will be flying high on romaine... i think that will affect your outcome

2) your previous constitution: you ask if toxicity will occur.. I don't know.. i doubt that romaine is toxic.. but if you eat that exclusively.. the probably will probably just react as if it is on a low cal diet and start going on a mini fast and detoxify stuff OUT of your body

3) just curious how you eat the romaine? do you put lemon juice on it or what?
just eat it plain straight from the garden?

i wish you luck

In 80/10/10, Dr Graham mentions that lettuce is fine - he advocates eating the 'milder greens' rather than the intensely tasting dark ones, if it will get you to eat greens!

He mentioned in the workshop I attended that all lettuces have vitamins and minerals, though you have to eat twice as much iceberg to get the same amount, is all.

Eat the greens you like. After awhile, maybe try something different, to see if your tastes have changed (they generally do).

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
We are all in this together!
Namasté

eat what u like. you will go through phases. you will like something different later.

hey raevynn

what's up with dr. dougmeister advocating lighter greens as opposed to darker greens? is it cuz he thinks the darker greens are more fibrous?

rufio Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> OK. Sorry for not being more specific.
>
> What I mean is, for the leafy greens I do eat, is
> eating lettuce (exclusively) okay? Right now I
> enjoy romaine and green leaf (that seems to be
> what's most accessible). I have read from people
> like the Boutenkos to diversify your greens (kale,
> chard, spinach, etc) but I do not like eating the
> darker greens as they are, I find them bitter and
> just blech. I love lettuces, I can snack on them,
> and also blend them in smoothies. I resonate with
> what Dr. Graham says about eating foods as they
> are and if you do not like them, then do no eat
> them. I'm wondering though if I eat just romaine
> lettuce for several months, will I develop a
> deficiency or toxicity?


I would not worry to much about it as long as you are getting a variety of other vegies and sprouts in your diet. You can easily check what is in Kale and then see what other vegies the elements are in and eat those. If you use suppliments or wheat-grass then surely you are ok. I agree eat what you like and the freshier the better. If you want that boost from the bitters then make a sweet dressing, i have tasted a kale salad with a raw dressing and it was awesome. I don't use kale myself because i can't stand it.

daaaaang i practically worship the lowly kale that sits so forlornly on salad bar ice mounds only to be thrown away totally unused after it gets wilted

ima Kale lover and my name is Jodi

HI JODI ! (group shouts)

yep im not gonna be anonymous

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

la_veronique Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hey raevynn
>
> what's up with dr. dougmeister advocating lighter
> greens as opposed to darker greens? is it cuz he
> thinks the darker greens are more fibrous?


I don't know why. I do know that he talked alot about endive, leafy green and red lettuce, and spinach in his workshops, and in 80/10/10 he uses celery, endive, and some spinach. Not enough kale!

I think it's more an issue of getting people to eat it.

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
We are all in this together!
Namasté

Boy, I would think there are other greens out there that you'd like. Have you ever even seen Mallow? It's delicious. It's a relative of Okra. It's also mucilaginous. Easy to just eat and eat and eat just on it's own.

How about Lambsquarters? Or Purslane? These are "weeds". Some raw fooders eat them. I do. For me, I can just eat and eat and eat them both without any dressing or without hiding the taste in a green smoothie.

All three of these that I mentioned are hardly available in markets. Maybe at farmer's markets. A friend and I once stopped by the side of the road to buy some vegetables in front of someone's house. This was in Ohio. I don't remember why but we went inside the person's yard, where their garden is. We saw Purslane and asked if we could have some. The lady said to take it all because she considered it a weed. So, there you go. You could maybe find Lambsquarters this way too.

Yeah, Graham says that eating a narrow range of foods is okay, for the short term. He also says that it's good to eat foods in season, right? These both seem like sensible things to me.

And, yeah, like someone else said, give it a try. Just be aware of signs that you're doing okay or that you're not doing okay. Who knows how long though you could go eating a narrow variety of foods before problems MIGHT arise.

Realize that some people say that if you don't LIKE a food, then you SHOULDN'T eat it. There are so many theories out there. Seems most sensible to me to take two things into account: thoughts and feelings (regarding anything, really, IMHO). Left and right sides of the brain, right?

Troy.



This way is not compatible with Zen practice. This way IS Zen practice. - Dr. Doug Graham

Nothing whatsoever should be attached to. - Buddha