Comments for Michael Ruhlman

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by mantonat

mantonat — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:38:39 +0000

Portions are too big. They also tend to bump up all the tasty stuff – fat, salt, sugar – to un-balanced levels. OK occasionally, but too many people eat the majority of their meals from restaurants.

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Marie (Food Nouveau)

Marie (Food Nouveau) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:20:43 +0000

Awesome, just awesome post. I’m happy that someone with your influence writes what I’ve been thinking all along. Dieting is not the solution – eating well is. And eating well includes eating fat and sugar – in reasonable quantities! I wish people would stop waiting for the miracle food or diet to help them lose the extra weight and just realize the solution has been in their face (or fridge, or pantry) all along.

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Betty

Betty — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:56:25 +0000

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are only soluble in fat. Thanks for this post, because it pisses me off, too. However, I doubt the fat-free preachers are reading your column (or my comment). They’re going to miss out on some great fried chicken!

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Deepa

Deepa — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:51:28 +0000

You have lots of great support in these comments, but I just wanted to add thanks for giving me my morning laugh. Why is it so hard to figure a way to live live in moderation? But for just a moment there that dilemma became so tellingly amusing. Wonderful!

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Julie Anne Rhodes

Julie Anne Rhodes — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:50:29 +0000

Brilliantly put – don’t get off that soap box for anything!

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Corynne Escalante

Corynne Escalante — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:32:44 +0000

Thank you!

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by carrie

carrie — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:04:50 +0000

Amen, brother! Preach it!

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Kristen

Kristen — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:58:18 +0000

Fat in itself isn’t “bad” but one must not forget that refined oils, butter and lard do not contain any nutrients. So while small amounts in proportion to a healthy diet are fine, they do not directly contribute any sort of health value themselves. They do make for tasty food and an increase in satiety, plus fat is needed for certain vitamin absorption. However fat can be found in a nutrient positive setting by eating whole foods like avocados, nuts, seeds and eggs. And of course, most whole foods do have some fat naturally (even fruits and vegetables).

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Lana

Lana — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:39:07 +0000

I grew up in Serbia eating home-rendered lard from healthy, acorn-fed piggies our family friends raised and have always been firmly hitched to the lard wagon, even though I had to ward off many health-obsessed zealots since arriving to the US.
I have to confess that I used lard stealthily to elevate the flavor or braised chicken, chicken livers, and potatoes, only to reveal the big secret once everyone praised the meal.
While there were families who rendered lard in Cleveland (more than willing to get rid of with vast amounts that ended in my fridge), when we moved to SoCal a few years ago I had to do the job myself:)
Thanks, Michael, for lending your voice to emphasize something that really should be obvious to all.

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Christine@TheCupcakeBandits

Christine@TheCupcakeBandits — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:26:57 +0000

You go Freda Glosson…you go girl!

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Christine@TheCupcakeBandits

Christine@TheCupcakeBandits — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:24:08 +0000

If I wasn’t happily married already..I’d marry you just for this post. That’s the truth. God bless gooey butter cakes…..God bless us everyone.

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Sandra

Sandra — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:02:31 +0000

Yes, it’s balance! Usually the fat free stuff is so laden with chemicals that it is slowly killing the person eating the stuff. I personally never touch the stuff as the add so much stuff along with gluten. Really? Is it necessary? NO, just eat fat in moderation! Now about lettuce…..If you are celiac (and diagnosed much later, spending most of your life not well) lettuce, and dark leafy greens may not be great for you. Yes they do contain vitamin A – which is great for healing inflammation. But if you have “leaky gut” it has the opposite effect, slowing down healing! I love salads (with nice full fat dressings!) but had to slow down on the consumption to completely heal. Yes, it’s moderation. Eat a balanced diet!

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by allen

allen — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:56:42 +0000

…’N waffles… with real butter… n’ real maple syrup… n’ some booty kick’n beverages! Talk to me Goose!

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Emily

Emily — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:51:27 +0000

As I sit here eating my salad with half an avocado in it, I totally agree with you! I recently gave up all grains, legumes and processed foods and have never felt better. Added in a lot more protein and fat, now I’m actually full after a meal. Imagine that!

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Sarah Caron

Sarah Caron — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:46:47 +0000

Amen, and thank you! Natural, whole foods that you cook yourself aren’t bad. Moderation and smart choices are the important thing … and there is no such thing as too many fruits and veggies … Coming of age in the 90s, the message was fat-free is good, eating too many caloric fruits and veggies is bad. It’s no wonder that weight seemed like the biggest struggle for the longest time.

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Erica

Erica — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:40:40 +0000

This is so awesome, every night at dinner time I have to explain to my kids how some fat is good for you. Their school is teaching them the wrong way to be healthy saying they shouldnt eat any fat! Horrible, I know.

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Jim Hughes

Jim Hughes — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:39:19 +0000

A very good rant marred by a bit of speculative nonsense: “[Health is] about BALANCE! … and this is really really key, cooked by you or by some you know, preferably where you or they live.”

What evidence do yo have that home-cooked food is, in general, better than restaurant food? Is the sushi or steaks or pasta I prepare at home somehow more healthy than that I would get eating out? How so?

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Owen

Owen — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:27:03 +0000

Not to mention that lettuce is one of the very biggest offenders in carrying pathogens into the human body. All it takes is one slip up for e. coli or salmonella or whatever to not get properly rinsed in the factory, then distribute the pathogen via shredding or whatever into XX bags of premixed salad and hundreds of people are really sick.

This should really be about mass production and mass consumption. If I keep the grease from my really nice local bacon in the pan and use it to cook my eggs later it is a qualitative AND quantitative difference from MCGiantCorporation taking chemically cracked oils from genetically engineered corn and force injecting them into the surface of potatoes scrubbed with chemicals and then frying them en masse and handing me twice as many as I need for a buck or two.

And if I pick a few leaves off my red oak leaf lettuce from the CSA box and wash the dirt off and make my salad it is quantitatively and qualitatively different than buying the plastic wrapped mixed bag from any supermarket – even if it is organic.

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by Mike

Mike — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:21:44 +0000

Are you familiar with “The Man Who Ate Everything” by Jeffrey Steingarten? A friend told me about the chapter called “Salad, the Silent Killer.”

Comment on The Hidden Health Hazards of Lettuce by JoP in Omaha

JoP in Omaha — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Carbs get the same bad rap, and it makes me crazy to hear dieters say they’re eliminating carbs and eating only protein. We need carbs, just like we need fat.