“Should You Eat Nightshade Veggies?”
I have a feeling, you may be asking, what actually is a nightshade vegetable? Next you may be wondering why I would ask if you should be eating veggies in the first place. Aren’t they all healthy? My answer is for the most part, absolutely – they are healthy. Although, many people have a sensitivity to this specific family of vegetables.
Nightshade vegetables are a member of a specific flowering plant species called Solanaceae. Most nightshade plants are not edible – such as tobacco. While most are not edible, there are some out there that are common staples in many people’s diets. The issue with nightshades is that they contain solanine (the alkaloid compound found within – a natural pesticide if you will) which can be toxic in large amounts. And unfortunately, can also cause inflammatory symptoms. This would include, aches, joint pain, itching, hives, swelling of face/tongue/throat, GI distress, etc.
Food sensitivities are certainly on the rise, and we do not want to have a constant flux of inflammation occurring in our bodies. Constant inflammation over time can build up and cause chronic health conditions. Trying to eliminate foods causing any of the above symptoms is the most effective method/approach. But first you need to determine if that is absolutely necessary or not.
Here is a list of common night shades:
- tomatoes
- peppers
- paprika
- eggplant
- white potatoes
- ashwagandha
- cayenne
- chili powder
Dr. Will Cole says it best. Dr. Will Cole “While nightshades contain alkaloids which can trigger inflammation in some people, it’s not so much the foods fault as much as it is the person’s gut and immune system that are compromised and imbalanced. For these people, I would recommend focusing on other healing foods and functional medicine protocols to heal the gut and balance the immune system so they can tolerate these nightshades, and benefit from their healthy properties.”
I am a firm believer in testing out foods naturally by removing them and then gradually reintroducing them back into one’s diet. Once reintroduced back into the body, journaling the body’s response to that food will help determine if it should be permanently removed or not. This goes for all foods that one may suspect causing inflammation in their body.
For me personally, I have not found any inflammatory effects from the above nightshades. I did at one point remove them from my diet. I am happy to report, they did not cause any type of inflammation or distress. I have read and have been told since having an autoimmune disease, that I should avoid them. The common reason stated is because the saponin can increase intestinal permeability and inflammation. Although, the biggest consensus is, if you test them and they do not cause distress, it is perfectly fine to keep them in your diet. We also remove them in my Whole Foods Reset Challenge and are a great item to test out when reintroducing back foods that may potentially cause inflammation.
Bottomline, moral of the story – If you suspect they are causing issue, test them out by temporarily removing them and then gradually add back into your diet to see how you respond. From there you can decide how to move forward with them. Now go enjoy those veggies!
Sources:
Nightshade Vegetables and Inflammation: (healthline.com)
What Are Nightshades & Do They Cause Inflammation? (mindbodygreen.com)
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