Avoiding Nightshades (or the day my Italian soul died a little)

I feel like I go through phases every now and then where I've hit a wall in this whole healing journey. Things seem to go well for a while and then - screech - my body slams on the brakes and just parks itself in a state of "what in the heck" for several weeks. This is where I have currently found myself, particularly with painful inflammation and swelling in my hands. I have been dealing with a finger that has been the size of a plump grape and absolutely refuses to straighten on its own. Whenever I force it to straighten....hell hath seen no fury as the nerve pain that shoots throughout my hand. 

I have tried wrapping it in an ice pack, placing it directly in a bowl of ice water, PEMF treatments, lathering it in both Blue Spruce and Copaiba essential oils, massaging it to the point of tears and have gotten a little relief from each of these (more so from the Copaiba and PEMF treatments), but this finger is still a plump blueberry and I'd like for it to look normal again. (Am I asking too much here? Sheesh.)

One day, while I was scrolling through Instagram, I stopped on a post from someone talking about how she had been having joint pain between two (2) of her fingers and, after removing all Nightshades from her diet to help deal with Psoriasis on her scalp, she noticed that the pain in her fingers was gone. 

Interesting.

I've dabbled a little in removing Nightshades from my diet before. I've actually given up Eggplant entirely because I noticed a serious change in the way I felt every time I would eat it. Not surprisingly, it turns out that Eggplant - and all Nightshades - contain solanine, a glycoalkaloid poison (read: chemical) found in species of the nightshade family that can trigger inflammation. Thinking back, a few days after my finger started to hurt and swell, I ate a stir fry that had bell pepper in it. The next day, I woke up to be greeted by my angry, grape-size finger. Do I think the two are connected? I wouldn't doubt it. It was that day when I decided, "To heck with this, I'm cutting Nightshades out!"

Most signs of a nightshade intolerance are joint pain, digestive issues, reddening of skin, gas, bloating, nausea, headaches, and possibly depression (the brain + gut connection is fascinating). Everyone reacts differently though, and some people may not even be affected by nightshades (you lucky duckies), but it's worth looking into if you haven't been able to pinpoint why you're still hurting every. single. day. Which is why I did it. 

But I didn't realize how much my little Italian heart would hurt until I realized that cutting out Nightshades meant cutting out Tomatoes. I'm past the point of really caring much about adding another food group to my "blacklist" because, let's be honest, the list is rather long. But tomatoes.....tomatoes are my life, y'all. Tomatoes are at the root of what makes my Italian heart sing. They are the peanut butter to my jelly (can I actually say the word peanut on here?!), the macaroni to my cheese, the chocolate chip to my cookie. Okay, this is just getting depressing... You get what I mean. BUT. If cutting them out makes me feel better, so be it.

So, what are Nightshades?

Nightshades are members of the Solanaceae family containing cholinesterase inhibiting glycoalkaloids and steroid alkaloids. (Read:  glycoalkaloids and steroid alkaloids are "natural toxins." in that they act as pesticides and fungicides naturally produced by plants (in this case, nightshades) as a natural defence against animals, insects and fungi that might attack them.) These natural toxins come in several forms, namely Solanine in potato and eggplant, Tomatine in tomato, Nicotine in tobacco, and Capsaicin in bell/hot peppers. 

Solanine and Tomatine can irritate your gastrointestinal system and act as "acetylcholinesterase inhibitors" (read: a chemical that, when consumed or activated, inhibits enzyme functions which, in turn, inhibits the function of neurotransmitters (i.e. brain and body function)). 

Capsaicin kind of threw me for a loop. I've always heard that capsaicin is a good thing because it has loads of anti-inflammatory properties. The problem with Capsaicin in nightshades, though, is the high concentration found in, let's say hot peppers. Have you ever noticed while eating salsa that the first bite most times takes you by surprise, shocking your system, and burning your mouth somewhat, but by the time you hit your third or fourth bite, it's not anywhere near as shocking? This is what happens when Capsaicin releases "Substance P" (the transmission of pain information into the central nervous system). After the initial contact with Capsaicin and the release of Substance P, there is a period of "deadened sensation." While this can be useful in treating pain by way of topical creams and the like, the copious amounts of Capsaicin found in peppers actually do more harm than good, causing your internal organs to stay in a state of inflammation due to consumption (think acid reflux and heartburn). 

We all know what Nicotine is. It's an addictive chemical that is found in tobacco. What most people don't know is that a percentage of Nicotine is also found all nightshades. There's a higher percentage found in white potatoes which begs the question.....is this why we're so addicted to French Fries??

Let me sidestep on an important issue for a moment: white potatoes vs. sweet potatoes. When I saw that white potatoes are on the nightshade list, I immediately thought, "But what about sweet potatoes?" You can rest easy, sweet potatoes (and yams - which are completely different from sweet potatoes, thank you very much) are in a completely different family than white potatoes, so they are nightshade free. Hallelujah. 🙌🏼 And here's why according to precisionnutrition.com:

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) are in the Solanaceae family, related to tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant along with deadly nightshade. Plants in this family produce solanine, which is poisonous. So don’t eat the leaves or stems of any plant in this group, or potatoes that have gone green. Solanum phureja is a rarer, more wild-type species of potato cultivated in South America. 

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are in the Convolvulaceae family with flowering morning glory vines. Unlike potatoes, you can also eat the leaves of sweet potatoes, which are very nutritious. 

Also note: sweet potatoes aren’t yams. True yams are another type of tuber (genus Dioscorea).

Now that that's settled, back to nightshades.

On top of the alkaloids found in nightshades, there is also an issue with lectins. What are lectins? Lectins are a large class of carbohydrate-binding proteins found in all life forms. Not all lectins are bad, but some are gut irritants and can be found in large concentrations in the seeds of grasses (read: grains) and the legume family (read: beans and peanuts), and they do have some properties that can make them very problematic for our health because they are 1) hard to digest, and 2) can interact with the gut barrier and actually damage the cells that form the gut barrier or open up the junctions between those cells (read: Leaky Gut Syndrome). Now, is there hard evidence that lectins damage our bodies? While there are studies still underway, there was one study conducted on mice with inflammatory bowel disease. They were fed potato skins (where most of the alkaloids/lectins are found)  and the study showed that gut inflammation was significantly increased after consumption of the potato skins. The higher the alkaloid content of the potatoes, the worse the inflammation.

I don't know about you, but that's enough for me to cut nightshades to see if it helps!

In an attempt to make this easier for you, I've tried to compile a list of the top nightshades that are consumed by the general population (including some odd things that I have never even considered):

• ­tomatoes (including tomatillos)
• ­potatoes 
• ­eggplant 
• ­okra                                                      
• ­peppers (all varieties such as bell pepper, wax pepper, green & red peppers, chili peppers, cayenne, paprika, etc.)
• ­goji berries
• ­tomarillos (a plum-like fruit from Peru)
• ­sorrel
• ­garden huckleberry & blueberries (contain the alkaloids that induce inflammation)
• ­gooseberries
• ­ground cherries
• ­pepino Melon
• ­the homeopathic "Belladonna" 

• ­tobacco
• ­paprika
• ­cayenne pepper
• soy sauce (the soy sauce made in America is generally made with genetically modified soy beans, which are cut with the nightshade plant, Petunia)

• Prescription and over-the-counter medications containing potato starch as a filler (especially prevalent in sleeping and muscle relaxing medications)
• ­edible flowers: petunia, chalice vine, day jasmine, angel and devil's trumpets
• ­Atropine and Scopolamine, used in sleeping pills
• ­topical medications for pain and inflammation containing capsicum (in cayenne pepper)
• baking powders containing potato starch
• ­Vodka (potatoes used in production)
• Licking envelopes (because they contain potato starch. Have. Mercy.)

Basically, if you are trying to heal from a chronic inflammatory disease or a jacked up gut, you should probably consider ( read: do it right now) cutting nightshade consumption completely for at least 3-6 months, then rotate adding each vegetable back to see how your body handles each one. I've cut them all and, while I won't try adding bell pepper or eggplant (actually, I probably won't touch eggplant with a 10-foot pole), I'm going to see how my body reacts when I try adding cayenne, paprika, okra, blueberries, goji berries, and my beloved tomatoes back. (Fingers crossed!) Now, I'm off to figure out how to make a spaghetti sauce without tomatoes....stay tuned. 😋

XOXO,

Heather

P.S. This recipe may sound a bit daunting, but it is crazy simple. And c-r-a-z-y good!

Creamy Spiced Apple Pecan Chicken
Serves: 4-6 
Recipe Courtesy of: www.wholesomelicious.com 

Ingredients:

3-4 large chicken breasts

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cardamom

½ tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 large apples, peeled and diced into ½ inch chunks

1 cup chopped pecans

1.5 cups full fat coconut milk

1 tbsp arrowroot starch

1 tbsp water

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Directions:

Begin by heating a large skillet to medium high heat. Prepare your chicken breasts by pounding them to be thinner (I skipped this step, but you do you, boo) and possibly cutting them in half (if they're rather large).

In a small bowl stir together the cumin, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Coat or rub the chicken with spices. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to your pan once hot, and begin to cook the chicken. Sear on each side for 2-3 minutes (the chicken does not need to be fully cooked, but almost cooked.); set aside and cover with foil.

Place remaining olive oil in the skillet and add garlic, apples, and pecans. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until apples soften and pecans are fragrant. Continue to scrape the bottom of the pan to collect spices from the chicken. Pour in coconut milk, and scrape the bottom of the pan to flavor the sauce. Add chicken back to the skillet.

In a small bowl, mix together arrowroot starch and water. Pour into the pan.

Cover with a lid and let the mixture cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture is thickened and chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately. I made some amazing mashed cauliflower that went so well with this recipe. Serve with a side of steamed green beans and a slice of paleo bread and your night will be made.