Okay, we have always been told to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to be healthy, but are all vegetables good for us? Here is a term that many of us have not heard of before: “NIGHTSHADE VEGETABLES”.
First, let’s define what is a “Nightshade Vegetable”: Vegetables of the Nightshade vegetable family are a group of plants belonging to the Solanaceae family, known for containing alkaloids that can be harmful to certain individuals.
So, what vegetables that we commonly eat that are considered in this category:
Here goes:
- All potatoes (excluding sweet potatoes)
- All tomatoes.
- Tomatillos.
- Tamarillos.
- Eggplant.
- All bell peppers.
- Jalapenos.
- Habaneros.
The issue with alkaloids: Although studies are not definitive, there are a number of people that claim that alkaloid containing foods, including vegetables that contain this ingredient, may exacerbate autoimmune disorders such as joint impacting and bowel impacting diseases. Avoidance of alkaloid containing vegetables will be beneficial to those people that have these autoimmune issues.
Once again, studies are not very compelling in proving this association so my recommendation is that these “Nightshade vegetables” can be eaten by everyone, but certainly if an individual notices a worsening of their autoimmune symptoms, then these vegetables should, in fact, be avoided. With nightshade vegetables containing plenty of vitamins and nutrients, their ingestion will be “healthy” for most people.
No songs about “Nightshade Vegetables” but there was a great oldie about the “Night Shift”. Enjoy The Commodores.
