Nightshades

[Cat-a-Tonic]

So, nightshades (which include tomatoes, potatoes but not yams, eggplant, peppers including all types -bell peppers, hot peppers, etc). They apparently contain something called glycoalkaloids which can cause issues for some people. I'm wondering, has anyone gone nightshade-free with success? I'm wondering if I might have an issue with nightshades. The past few times that I've had unexpected d, it's happened right after eating nightshades (tomato sauce, potatoes). I'm thinking I'm going to do a trial of being nightshade-free for a bit and see if it makes a difference. I can't digest tomatoes at all (even with the skin & seeds removed, I still can't digest them) so I already know they're an issue for me.

I'm a bit skeptical though because when I google nightshade intolerance, I get a bunch of very iffy looking results. Like, it's mainly personal blogs that claim that nightshade intolerance can cause everything from headaches to RA, and they use the terms "intolerance" and "allergy" interchangeably. This makes me wonder if nightshade intolerance is really a thing because I honestly can't find much in the way of legitimate information on it! Does anyone have solid information on nightshades, or have you gone nightshade-free and felt better for it?

 

[nogutsnoglory]

I think you are right that it's largely an anecdotal thing and natural approach that doctors probably wouldn't give much credence too. I've tried it without success but maybe I didn't give it long enough. It certainly wouldn't hurt to trial it.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

NGNG, out of curiosity, how long did you trial going nightshade-free for? I'm ideally thinking of trying it for a couple months if I can last that long.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

Maybe 2 or 3 months while trying paleo. I got so weak due to lack of carbs on paleo that I had to bring back potatoes before I dropped. Please let us know how it works for you. It certainly seems worth a go if you find ways to make up the nutrients like potassium and licopene etc.

 

[Basmah]

It might be a carb thing. I know I am not sensitive to nightshades, but with my new diet (meats, veggie and fruits - all cooked with the hope of eventually adding more foods in), I am really struggling with losing weight that I can't afford to lose. So I added a potato to me soups to help me maintain it, and I'm fine. Carbs like potatoes are frowned upon because starches tend to be more difficult to digest. I am currently reading "Breaking The Vicious Cycle" so I am still trying to understand the science behind it (I doubt I will so full on SCD). Anyway, Try it for a couple of months, and add just one night shade at a time. If you notice a difference, then you will know

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Well, I lasted zero days. Had an episode of gastritis last night & today due to eating chocolate yesterday - it riled up my acid reflux to the point that it caused a gastritis episode. When I feel really icky like that, as I start to recover and begin to eat again I tend to gravitate towards the same "safe" snacks every time, so without even thinking about it I got and ate some of a bag of my favorite potato chips. Oops. I'm thinking I'm going to have to do this in stages. I'm going to cut out tomatoes first and work my way towards replacing potatoes with sweet potatoes. I'll have to find some sweet potato chips that will work as a substitute for regular potato chips. Or maybe my issue is just tomatoes - I think I might be in potato denial! First things first, I need to get myself feeling better and then I'll start fresh with examining my diet and what to cut out.

 

[Crohn2357]

I've suspected about nightshades in the past. I too have problems with tomatoes but I definitely don't have any problems with potatoes, eggplants and peppers. I eat all of these every day every meal- only don't eat tomatoes because it causes gi problems and migraine if I eat it moderately. Instead of excluding all nightshades from your diet, eating some of them(but not tomatoes) every meal every day for a while with your 'safe' foods will give you a more accurate answer I think.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

That's sort of what I'm thinking now, too - that tomatoes are definitely an issue but potatoes seem safe to me. Peppers can be an issue for me - I can juice bell peppers and have no trouble with that, but eating them gives me pepper burps and I don't digest the skins. And spicy peppers like jalapenos are not my friend. So I'll probably cut out nightshades except for potatoes for now, and I'll substitute in sweet potatoes when I can.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

They usually say 2 weeks is a good time period to test things. I wouldnt be too hard on yourself mandating it be months if you don't see an improvement quickly.

 

[vonfunk]

I've never seen any compelling evidence that nightshades as a classification of veg are bad to eat. The reason you can't find any legitimate info on nightshade intolerance is because, it does not exist While solanine is present in some quantities in parts of most of the vegetables (leaves, stalks, the fruit of potatoes & tobacco).
This has its roots in a few different places, mostly because of deadly nightshade/belladonna, which is not directly related (if tomatoes & peppers are siblings, belladonna would be a cousin). Also because the leaves and fruit of the potato are toxic. When first brought back from the new world, people did not know how to use them as such they used the fruit and leaves (in addition to the root portion), which made people sick.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Thanks Vonfunk! I'm still going to avoid tomatoes and tomato products as they do cause me trouble (due to the high acidity and the fact that I can't seem to digest tomato). That makes sense about why I wasn't able to find legit info on nightshades.

 

[Nancye50]

Nightshades are excluded on the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol. I have such a hard time imagining someone having that much trouble with potatoes that they should be completely excluded. But reading up on things like this keeps us thinking and if cutting tomatoes completely as a result of reading about nightshades helps you, you win.

 

[Basmah]

Potatoes were introduced into the Whole30 program a couple of months ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if more Paleo "gurus" get on board soon. I definitely know it's one of the few things I'm not sensitive to.

 

[Crohn2357]

I have alkaloid sensitivity. I'm going to eliminate nightshades to see if it helps.

Shedding Light on Nightshades and the Alkaloids they Contain
http://www.glutenfreegigi.com/shedding-light-on-nightshades-and-the-alkaloids-they-contain/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycoalkaloid