Do nightshade vegetables affect you?

My friend Esther says her arthritis flares up whenever she eats a plant from the nightshade family. This eggplant sandwich has THREE night shades by itself.

Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, tomatillo’s, and tobacco are examples of nightshades.

Well, most of these fruits and vegetables have great health benefits but not for those with night shade allergies.

Nightshades have an alkaloid called Solanine which varies in toxicity depending on the degree of ripeness or whether the vegetable or fruit is raw vs. cooked. Under ripe can be as bad as over ripe.

Soli what???

A small amount of the population is very sensitive to Solanine.

Solanine can aggravate inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and cause joint stiffness. A higher amount may cause nausea, vomiting and gastric distress.

Did you know that Solanine gets stored in the body and will release during high stress situations! Could be why you ache more when you are stressed and tired.

So what are nightshades and how can we avoid high Solanine concentrations?

Potatoes

Discard if potatoes are green or sprouting as they have a high level of Solanine! All potatoes have a high degree of Solanine which dissipates when cooked.

I’ve seen sweet potatoes and yams listed as a night shade and not a night shade, so just pay attention to how you feel when you eat one.

Most of the Solanine is in the skin! The sprouts also have a high concentration of solanine as well as certain amount of natural arsenic. Potato vines are poisonous as are most nightshade plants!

So potatoes, if eaten too raw or too ripe (sprouting), can make you sick even if you have no allergy to solanine.

While potatoes are often considered a comfort food, they may not be for some.

Tomatoes

This fruit has Solanine whether they are raw or cooked but in very low amounts. Green tomatoes have the highest concentration (bad news for fried green tomato fans).

Tomatoes also contain Tomatine which might irritate the digestive tract if consumed in large amounts (a pound or more).

Peppers

All peppers including jalapeño, habanero, serrano, bell, pimentos, cayenne and hatch chilies have Solanine.

Pepper from peppercorns is NOT considered a night shade. Paprika is though.

Peppers also have capsaicin which is an anti-inflammatory. I would think it would offset such conditions as stiffness and joint pain from eating them.

However, if someone has a Solanine allergy, remember the Solanine itself is stored in the system.

I suspect the biggest problem with peppers is the high concentration of insecticides in the skin. It is very difficult to find organic peppers in the USA unless they are home grown.

If you get a headache after eating peppers, it is probably the chemicals.

Eggplant

This fruit comes in many varieties. The Solanine content is very low in eggplant, but like the potato is more concentrated if the eggplant is too green or too ripe.

When over ripe, the eggplant is heavy with seeds and Solanine is the highest.

Consuming eggplant with a higher concentration of Solanine can cause nausea, mild headaches and an itchy skin or mouth. The skins and seeds have the highest amount of Solanine. The skins also have astaxanthin which is very beneficial

Frankly, I eat lots of eggplant! It has only made me sick once and it was likely too green. I knew immediately the eggplant was bad and fortunately has only one bite of the astringent, bitter taste.

Tomatillo

Although the tomatillo is a type of goose berry and not a tomato, it is very similar to the tomato when it comes to Solanine.

The concentration of Solanine in tomatillo may cause a wider variety of symptoms such as skin rashes, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, upset stomach and stomach cramps.

Kinda hard to tell if a tomatillo is too green. Perhaps the skins are not dry?  If it is too ripe, it will have black spots on the paper like skin.

Tamarillo

this is a fruit that is similar to a tomato, but it contains more seeds and tastes more like a tomato or apricot.

Like the tomato, it has both Solanine and Tomatine. The concentration is in the skin but also the seeds which are difficult to avoid. Best to avoid altogether if the is any question of a Solanine sensitivity.

Goji berries

This was a surprise to me, but goji berries are a nightshade that contains Lectin as well as solanine. Lectins are proteins that bind to carbohydrates. For people with Lectin allergies this could be a double whammy and worsen inflammation and arthritis. You can reduce the lectin content by soaking and cooking them, but this does little for the Solanine content.

I saw blueberries on some lists but missing from others. I think the health benefits of blueberries would far outweigh any sensitivities. Just pay attention to how you feel.

Once again, it could be the chemicals they spray on the berries.

Okra

I love okra and was surprised to find it was a night shade.

As far as I can tell, okra has never affected me. It does have solanine but I wondered what else. Okra is high in oxalates which may contribute to kidney stones.

It has a type of carbohydrate called fructan which has been shown to regulate blood sugar. This could be helpful but may interfere with some diabetes medications like Metformin. This fructan can also aggravate IBS and cause problems like bloating, diarrhea and cramping in people with existing bowel problems.

Okra has a high fiber content which may be the cause of the gut issues. Suddenly introducing a high fiber food to someone with gut sensitivity can be likened to a good helping of laxatives.

Tobacco is also a night shade plant. In addition to Solanine the tobacco has nicotine which is highly addictive. Makes me wonder if Solanine is addictive as well!

My suggestion is to eliminate them all for a week or two and gauge how you feel. Introduce them sparingly back into your diet one at a time.

If it is the solanine, then you would not be able to eat any of these foods except in moderation.

As you can see, it may not be the Solanine causing the issue but another property in them that is the culprit for your distress. Isn’t that nice?

I suppose I test my fate by making a sandwich that has tomatoes, eggplant and peppers with potatoes on the side!

All in all, happy eating!