Should you be avoiding the “nightshade family of vegetables”

The nightshade family of vegetables provide a number of health benefits due to the fact they are rich in vitamins and minerals.  However, for some people, the nightshade vegetables tend to aggravate certain conditions due to their solanine content. 

Some conditions associated with the nightshade family include arthritis, heartburn, rheumatoid arthritis, acne and gastroesophageal reflux disease.  If you suffer from any of these conditions, it could be worth eliminating these vegetables from your diet for at least 12 weeks, any less and you might not notice any improvement in your condition. 

The nightshade family comprises: 

• tomatoes

• potatoes (sweet potatoes can be eaten)

• eggplant

• sweet and hot peppers (this includes cayenne pepper, paprika and

  Tabasco sauce)

• tomatillos and tamarillos

• ground cherries

• pepinos and pimentos

• garden huckleberry and naranjillas

Guidelines suggest that we should avoid consuming flowers, leaves and stems of members of the nightshade family.  We should also eat fully ripened fruits. 

If you don’t want to give up potatoes then ensure you cut out any green parts and any eyes. 

This entry was posted on 14/10/2009 at 09:03 pm and is filed under Latest from Ann. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.