Allergies to nightshade: What you need to know
Most of us know that the tobacco plant is not good for us because it contains a little chemical that we all know by the name of "nicotine". However, what most people do not know is that other nightshade plants such as eggplant, and tomato also contain this same chemical. The nightshade family of plants has a distinct protective defense mechanism to keep insects from consuming them, they produce alkaloids, a nitrogen containing structure designed to poison the offending insect. When you consume the nightshade plant you also consume this very same chemical that is meant to act as a poison to those who eat it.
Nightshade plants are so common place in our lives, that you may not suspect that these vegetables are the reason for your ill health, that is until an allergy test comes back proving that they are indeed the culprit. The nightshade family of plants includes the white potato, tomato, eggplant, green, yellow or red bell pepper, hot pepper, tobacco, mandrake, belladonna and morning glory. Nightshade food plants may also be disguised as pimentos, paprika, cayenne pepper, and Tabasco sauce.
There are four types of alkaloids distinct to the nightshade family of plants; steroid alkaloids, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, indole alkaloids, and tropane alkaloids. Health effects from the consumption of these can result in joint or nervous system disorders, digestive problems, loss of calcium in bone or increase of calcium in soft tissue, as well as other health related problems.
What many people may not realize is that food allergies, or an intolerance to a specific food, are often triggered by the very foods that you are raised on and consider to be safe for consumption. Foods so common that you would never suspect them of being harmful to your health, unfortunately often are, and nightshade plants are one of these groups of food.
Approximately seventy five percent of all people suffer from an allergy, sensitivity or intolerance to one or more foods that they consume. Symptoms of an intolerance to a specific food may include difficulty breathing, cough, fatigue, headache, migraine, flushing, rashes, swelling, gastrointestinal difficulties such as gas, diarrhea, bloating, nausea or abdominal pain.
Food sensitivities can display themselves as a simple mild case of gastrointestinal discomfort, or they may be severe enough to cause the development of an immune system response resulting in the formation of a chronic illness. The most severe allergic reactions can even result in death. Food sensitivities should always be taken very seriously. They are a warning from your body that it is not able to tolerate what you are feeding it.
To decrease the possible risk of side effects from nightshade plants:
Never consume raw nightshade plants. Always cook the herbs or vegetables of the nightshade family first before consuming them. Cooking these plants can reduce the strength of their alkaloids by a large degree, in fact by approximately forty, or fifty percent.
Do not store potatoes in a lighted area as this will increase their alkaloid content.
Do not consume green or sprouted potatoes as they contain higher amounts of alkaloids.
If you suspect your health problems are a direct result of a food intolerance, you can participate in an elimination diet plan to discover whether, or not this is the cause of your illness. To test for a nightshade intolerance simply eliminate all nightshade plants from your diet plan for about four weeks. If they are the cause of your ill health than you should begin to notice some improvements to your health.
Note: It is recommended that individuals who suffer from Rheumatoid arthritis, Gout, Osteoarthritis, or other forms of Arthritis should not consume nightshade plants.
Sources:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62
http://nutrition.about.com/od/dietsformedicaldisorde rs/a/antiinflamfood.htm