Nightshade is a family of plants that contain alkaloids, a group of compounds that can induce inflammation. The nightshade plants most commonly consumed in the standard American diet are potatoes, tomatoes, peppers of all kinds and eggplants. Paprika and cayenne also belong to the nightshade family. Because all types of arthritis is caused by inflammation of your joints, eliminating foods that trigger inflammation could help you alleviate and even get rid of your symptoms. Further studies are required to assess what types of arthritis could benefit from eliminating nightshades.
Nightshades and Arthritis
The relationship between nightshade plants and arthritis was recognized many decades ago, according to the 1993 issue of the "Journal of Neurological and Orthopedic Medical Surgery." Unfortunately, very little research is done in this field and very few health care providers mention that nightshade vegetables could worsen arthritic symptoms. However, all nightshades have the characteristic of containing compounds belonging to the alkaloid family, which may be responsible for triggering inflammation in some sensitive people. If you want to manage your arthritis without the use of drugs, eliminating nightshades from your diet may help you relieve inflammation, whether partly or completely.
Do Your Own Experiment
Because there is not enough data to clearly establish the importance of nightshades in joint inflammation and arthritis, your best bet is to do your own experiment. Doing your own nightshade-free diet for a certain period of time is the best way to determine whether these foods have an impact over your overall health and arthritis symptoms. Eliminate all nightshades from your diet for a period of at least four weeks. Carefully read ingredient lists to avoid any foods containing tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants, paprika, cayenne pepper or tabasco sauce. Write down everything you eat on your calendar and track your arthritic symptoms at the same time to monitor progress. If you arthritis improve during your nightshade-free diet, you will know that you are best to eliminate them. However, if you do not see any improvements despite cutting out nightshades, you will be able to reintroduce them, knowing that they do not have an effect for you.
Cooking Without Nightshades
Many of the nightshade vegetables are used in foods you eat on a daily basis. Skip the mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, french fries and potato chips as well as the tomato sauce in a pizza, lasagna or spaghetti sauce. Avoid eggplant and peppers. If you want to eat pasta, try a cream-based sauce instead. You can make a pizza with a bechamel sauce and garnish with onions, broccoli, salmon or chicken and cheese. Instead of serving your dinner with potatoes, serve rice, quinoa, barley, bread or pasta. If you like spicy foods, try giving flavor to your foods with freshly ground black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, basil, thyme, red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
Dairy and Gluten
If your nightshade-free diet does not improve or does not completely resolve your arthritic pain and symptoms, other foods may be responsible for triggering inflammation in your body. Some people with arthritis may have problems not only with nightshades, but also with dairy products and gluten, according to NaturalNews.com. You may respond to only one of these problematic foods or all of them. Because everybody responds differently, doing another elimination trial is the only way to help you figure out if these foods are problematic for you. Consult a registered dietitian for help doing it properly.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Arthritis-Related Statistics
- Pubmed Health: Arthritis
- PrescriptionDesk.com: Nightshades Relationship to Arthritis and Inflammation
- Arthritis Nightshade Research Foundation: An Apparent Relation of Nightshades (Solanaceae) to Arthritis
- NaturalNews.com; Revealed: which Fruit and Vegetable Juices Alleviate Arthritis Pain Without Drugs or Surgery; June 2005
