A certain type of plant that makes its own poison to protect itself from tiny predators may be irritating to humans as well.
These plants, called nightshades, are grouped together because they contain chemical compounds called alkaloids including solanine, a natural insecticide. Some nightshades, such as belladonna, are toxic to animals and humans, but others—such as tomatoes, white potatoes, eggplant, and peppers—serve as nutritious foods common in diets around the world.
Large-scale evidence of harm from eating common edible nightshades is scant—it’s largely believed that the levels of alkaloids keeping small critters out of the garden aren’t substantial enough to do damage to humans.
However, for some, eliminating nightshades from their diets improves symptoms of digestive issues as well as joint pain, body aches, and brain fog. Some experts don’t deny there could be an association but say the reason may have less to do with the plants and more due to the inflammatory state of our bodies—and particularly our gastrointestinal tracts.
A Problem of Missing Microbes
That imbalance isn’t a genetic flaw that suddenly cropped up in our population. Rather, it’s a sign that our soil, diets, and bodies lack the microbes that help protect our immune system from all kinds of assaults, explained Will Cole, a certified functional medicine practitioner, bestselling author, and host of the podcast, “The Art of Being Well.”Mr. Cole told The Epoch Times that chronic stress, ultra-processed foods, and other toxins can also kill off good bugs in our microbiome. That’s the community of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms that help us digest food, produce metabolites and neurotransmitters, and create the mucosal barriers in our bodies that keep pathogens out.
When we lack a hardy microbial community, it’s like having a fence up for protection but leaving the gate wide open. Our gut bugs work synergistically to promote good health, but if commensal levels get too low, pathogenic microbe populations can easily take over and create problems like chronic inflammation that sends out alarms unnecessarily and/or for too long.
The Value of Nightshades
Ancestrally speaking, these plants haven’t been complete trouble-makers. Nightshades belong to the Solanaceae family of plants with more than 2,000 types including some that have relevance not only in our kitchens but in our medicine cabinets.Many of these plants are also filled with nutrients. One bell pepper provides more than the recommended daily requirement of vitamin C. Tomatoes give us lycopene, which is an antioxidant associated with decreasing certain cancers, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Brain and Body Symptoms
Digestive issues aren’t the only problem associated with nightshade consumption. Mr. Cole said astute dietary observations or trial elimination of nightshades often help people resolve the root cause of inflammation afflicting musculoskeletal and cognitive health.“Many people are divorced from their gut health. They don’t make that correlation, but when they take those foods out they notice improvement,” he said. It’s his mission to help educate patients that they “don’t necessarily have to have overt, extreme digestive symptoms” for the gut to be involved in physiological symptoms throughout the body.
Jennifer Scribner, functional nutritional therapy practitioner, explained that our gut microbiome is like a sorting system deciding what will ultimately go into our blood and lymphatic system and what will go out as waste. For those whose gut mucosa is compromised, some food can leak out into the bloodstream where it might set off an immune reaction like an allergy.
The Science and Art of Eating Nightshades
That’s why she counsels anyone experiencing gut symptoms or signs of inflammation elsewhere, to eliminate nightshades for 30 days. Mr. Cole does the same. Both have the goal of bringing reintroducing them into their clients’ diets—if they want to eat them again.Mr. Cole noted that the timing of reintroducing foods can be a strange blend of science and art. Tolerance may fully return rapidly or may be delayed—or come back only for certain nightshades or to lesser servings.
“It’s not like anybody needs nightshades. It’s not like we’re having a nightshade deficiency where we’re going to be harmed if we don’t have it,” he said. “But eating them again might make their life easier because they don’t have to read labels so carefully or have to be too restrictive either.”
Finding an Eating Rhythm
On the other hand, finding the right balance might mean ignoring common advice to eat more fruit and vegetables like the popular Mediterranean diet, which is rich in nightshades like tomatoes and eggplants. While the diet is found in many studies to promote good gut and mental health, Ms. Scribner said it makes little ancestral sense for most Americans.A more logical approach, she said, is to be mindful about eating foods when they are in season, rather than relying on the same menu year-round. In most regions of the country, fruits and vegetables were traditionally eaten only when they were ripe or fermented. Few garden plants have long-term storage potential, besides grains. Industrialization offered unnatural, easy year-round access to foods.
“Nightshades are very seasonal, and we do not eat them that way anymore,” Ms. Scribner said. “If you were to grow them in your yard, there’s just a small window to eat them, and then you’re able to detoxify them for months.”
- White potatoes—Use sweet potatoes prepared the same way as your white potato: baked, mashed, roasted, or as chips or fries.
- Tomatoes—Fruit can be added to salads and serve as a base for salsas to replace the refreshing flavor of tomatoes. For tomato sauce, butternut squash can be pureed into a marinara-like consistency.
- Peppers—Use crunchy raw vegetables like cucumber, radishes, and carrots instead.
- Eggplant—Portobello mushrooms and zucchini have similar textures.
- Paprika and cayenne—Bring in a spicy flavor using white or black pepper, ginger, turmeric, mustard powder, horseradish, garlic, and onion.
