Season 14 • Episode 1115

The Case For Not Eating Lettuce

Oct 7, 2026

14:31

Nutrition & Diet Public Health Health Policy Environmental Health

Episode Description

About this episode:

A leaf of iceberg on a sandwich or a serving of chopped romaine in a salad can add a satisfying crunch to your lunch—but does it offer much of anything else? In this episode: Washington Post food policy columnist Tamar Haspel unpacks the environmental implications of growing lettuce, the limited nutritional benefits offered by the crop, and why it's such a common culprit behind outbreaks of foodborne illnesses.

Guest:

Tamar Haspel is an author and columnist with the Washington Post, who covers food, health, and science.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

Why we should stop eating lettuce, cyclospora or not—The Washington Post
Why salad is so overrated—The Washington Post
The Explosive Diarrhea Episode—Public Health On Call (July 2026)

Transcript information:

Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. You can also email PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu to request a transcript.

AI disclosure (as of September 2026):

The conversations you hear on the podcast are happening between real humans, and real humans are developing and researching episodes behind the scenes. In addition to real human audio engineers, Public Health On Call uses AI production tools to assist with the removal of filler words and improve audio quality. If you have any questions about our use of AI, please reach out to PublicHealthQuestion@jhu.edu.

Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. You can also leave us a voicemail at ‪(667) 217-6214‬ for the chance to hear your voice on the podcast.