Home › Forums › General Discussion › The "No Nightshades" Diet
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September 3, 2010 at 12:26 am #304600PhilCParticipant
I see frequent mentions of avoiding dairy products and/or gluten, but I rarely see the nightshade vegetables mentioned. Since avoiding nightshade vegetables and dairy products was a key part of my recovery from RA-like symptoms about twenty years ago, I thought I would dig up some information on this important topic so more people can helped by it.
An Apparent Relation of Nightshades (Solanaceae) to Arthritis
The arthritis and nightshades story
Phil
"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert EinsteinSeptember 4, 2010 at 5:24 pm #350597NikiG.ParticipantNightshade veggies are my sworn enemy!
If I eat a plate of pasta and tomato sauce, a joint somewhere in my body becomes EXTREMELY SWOLLEN AN PAINFUL IN 1/2 AN HOUR!!!
Eliminating nightshades years ago helped put my JRA into remission for many years.
Thanks for the links Phil! 🙂
Keep smiling and be well,
NikiSeptember 5, 2010 at 11:52 pm #350598Kim from New ZealandParticipantthank you.
I will follow up.
🙂
Kim from New Zealand
September 6, 2010 at 6:45 am #350599lynnie_sydneyParticipant[user=2287]NikiG.[/user] wrote:
If I eat a plate of pasta and tomato sauce, a joint somewhere in my body becomes EXTREMELY SWOLLEN AN PAINFUL IN 1/2 AN HOUR!!!
Niki – that could be the combination of gluten in the pasta and salicylates in the tomatoes.
I find I can eat potatoes – but they are cooked well and alkaloid content reduced by half. However, cannot eat tomatoes, peppers etc without a response, so think (for me) it's a combination of alkaloid content and salicylates.Lynnie
Be well! Lynnie
Palindromic RA 30 yrs (Chronic Lyme?)
Mino 2003-2008 100mg MWF - can no longer tolerate any tetracyclines
rotating abx protocol now. From Sep 2018 MWF - a.m. Augmentin Duo 440mg + 150mg Biaxsig (roxithromycin). p.m. Cefaclor (375mg) + Klacid 125mg + LDN 3mg + Annual Clindy IV's
Diet: no gluten, dairy, sulphites, low salicylates
Supps: 600mg N-AC BID, 1000mg Vit C, P5P 40mg, zinc picolinate 60mg, Lithium orotate 20mg, Magnesium Oil, Bio-identical hormones (DHEA + Prog + Estrog)September 6, 2010 at 9:01 pm #350600HealerParticipantGood point. I quit night shades the minute I was under attack by RA. My chiro cannot eat a french fry or mashed potatoes without his wrists turning to glass prohibiting adjusting his patients (he's RA). He is who has treated me.
😀September 7, 2010 at 6:28 am #350601maz.austParticipantI can 2nd & 3rd what's being said about nightshade vegies & me. Last night my daughter came over & cooked dinner for all of us ,, lovely thought !! however I didn't know it at the time but the sauce she made for the chicken had peppers in it, & lots of them; boy, oh boy did I know all about it, within the hour my wrist was so sore, pins & needles & shooting pains up into the palm of my hand which lasted most of the night .. no swelling, just pain. It wasn't until I was talking to her by phone this morning when she went really quiet then apologised & said she had forgotten I couldn't eat most of the nightshade vegies. It is ok, I can live with it when I know what happened, I have a problem when I can't account for the flare. Tomatoes on the other hand I can eat without any affect as long as they are cooked & strangely enough if I have durhum wheat pasta I get no affect if any other wheat is used I flare. there is no doubt about it, this is one crazy disease !!
Dec07: Diagnosed PRA, (CTD; Fibromyalgia; suspected Lyme):
Mar08: Diet to heal gut/bolster immune system (no gluten, dairy, sulphites or sugar)Jan 2018: ABX Mon/Wed/Fri (started AP 2008)
1/2 x 150mg Roxithromycin(Biasig), 1/2 x 150mg Clarithromycin (Klacid),
1/2 x Fungillin, 1 x 250mg Cephalexin (Keflex)All off days Probiotics
September 7, 2010 at 10:44 pm #350602Mumof3ParticipantI was just wondering how soon afterwards you would react to nightshades. Is it an immediate reaction? Or could you feel it a day later? I feel good most days but I still get stiffness. I wondered if it was related to what I was eating but can't put my finger on it yet.
September 7, 2010 at 11:31 pm #350603MazKeymaster[user=869]Mumof3[/user] wrote:
I was just wondering how soon afterwards you would react to nightshades. Is it an immediate reaction? Or could you feel it a day later?
Hi Mum,
Just my take, but my best guess is that it's different for everyone (maybe dependent on just how “leaky” one's gut is?). My MIL has PsA and AS (she takes conventional meds: methotrexate, pred and painkillers) and if she eats potatoes, peppers or tomatoes, within hours her fingers blow up like sausages right before our very eyes. It's bizarre how quickly she reacts…she's so careful about avoiding these foods, but as Maz_Aust mentioned above, accidents happen, especially when eating out and others are preparing foods who may not be aware of these sensitivities.
Peace, Maz
September 8, 2010 at 5:45 am #350604Rosemary Perth Aust.ParticipantNightshades have always been a problem with me. So sad not being able to eat potatoes & toms.
September 9, 2010 at 1:16 pm #350605ValsmumParticipantThank you for the info, I read all three links because nightshades = pain for me too.
September 16, 2010 at 6:04 pm #350606Carrie-RAParticipantWent to Dr. Z for first visit today and sat with her NP. Talked about my RA and said I had just started the Raw Diet. They are NOT in favor of being raw. Said it's too easy to pick up parasites from raw food, and also perhaps miss key nutrients in the overall diet.
Now I don't know what to eat They were, however, adamant about not having dairy (which is fine, as I gave that up already).
This other book I have—“Conquering Arthritis”, by Barbara Allen, discusses the elimination diet and detoxing as well. She claims it's helped many people, including herself, recover from RA (she was in a wheelchair and now runs/bikes, etc). Dr. Z is a fan of the detox, so maybe I can try to follow Allen's recommendations for eating. However, Dr. Z's nurse said I shouldn't be doing any major tweaking in my diet. I'm over three weeks raw, so where am I at now…dunno.
Frankly, eating raw is much easier than trying to figure out what's in all the food I eat and look for hidden stuff. I guess I can add back some cooked foods, but not anything that is processed or with complicated ingredients. Just plain, simple stuff I cook myself…organic stuff. Plus a lot of supplements have stuff in them that you don't know your ingesting. I'm taking a ton of supplements as of today.
My head is spinning.
-C
September 16, 2010 at 6:09 pm #350607Carrie-RAParticipantHi Phil, very interesting about nightshades. I've heard of this before, of course, but most docs say diet does not affect RA. Just today, I asked alt Dr. Z's nurse about them and she said it's ok to eat them.
Maybe I should go ahead and try to eliminate them and see what happens.
Here's a question, if I had a food tolerance test done and it said I had no reaction/sensitivity to tomatoes, does that make them OK for me to eat? …or is this problem with nighshades and RA a different pathway problem?
Thx.
September 16, 2010 at 7:06 pm #350608HealerParticipanthttp://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62
Here's a decent link about nightshades. Scan down to the part about these alkaloids (SP?) and arthritis.
Unclear, but seen to cause inflammation eroding joints. I do think you have to have a specific sensitivity, but I always wonder if it is relative and if eating them results in minimal sensitivity and a dramatic response is not experienced then is there still damage? I do not know. I seem to be able to eat these things on occasion and not “blow up” but I do experience slight changes. I mainly stay away from them.
This disease seems to be a day to day experience, so I never know among all the variables which thing got me in more discomfort.:headbang:
😉September 17, 2010 at 9:16 am #350609PhilCParticipant[user=2256]Carrie-RA[/user] wrote:
Hi Phil, very interesting about nightshades. I've heard of this before, of course, but most docs say diet does not affect RA.
Yes, I know. They can say it all they want, but that won't make it true.
[user=2256]Carrie-RA[/user] wrote:
Maybe I should go ahead and try to eliminate them and see what happens.
That's the only way you're going to find out if eliminating nightshades from your diet is helpful. Eliminate all nightshades from your diet for a minimum of six months and see if there is any improvement in your condition.
By the way, as I'm sure you know, tobacco is also a nightshade. If you smoke, that is another good reason to stop.
[user=2256]Carrie-RA[/user] wrote:
Here's a question, if I had a food tolerance test done and it said I had no reaction/sensitivity to tomatoes, does that make them OK for me to eat? …or is this problem with nighshades and RA a different pathway problem?
No, I don't think so. I'm not sure what kind of test you had done, but consider that many tests are not 100% reliable. The only way to know with any degree of certainty is to eliminate likely culprits from your diet and see whether it helps.
Phil
"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth."
- Albert EinsteinSeptember 17, 2010 at 5:35 pm #350610Carrie-RAParticipantThanks, Phil. That makes sense. I eat tomatoes in my dinner salads most every nite. I just went to the store and didn't buy them. We'll see how that salad tastes tonite.
PS – I don't smoke.
I also love eggplant dip which I WAS buying weekly. And red peppers are a fave cuz they taste like candy to me.
Not worth it. Six months, eh? Guess it's good that winter is coming and I won't really be tempted by farmer's market tomatoes and peppers.
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