Nightshades are foods that contain a substance called solanine. Solanine creates problems in some people. When someone reacts to solanine, they commonly get pain and inflammation.
Not every person has a bad response to solanine. However, if you have chronic joint pain, body aches, stomach problems, and headaches, it is worth testing. Do this by stopping foods with it for a while. If you get better, you will know this was the problem. You may need to avoid these for at least a month to tell.
You might also notice if you have worse symptoms after any meal. If so, check whether or not the meal might have included nightshades. These exist in many foods, so you’ll need to become a good label reader to be sure if you’re getting them or not.
Foods in the nightshade family include:
- Tomatoes (all varieties including Tomatillos) – salsa, ketchup, pasta sauce, etc.
- Potatoes (all varieties except sweet potatoes and yams) – French fries, baked potatoes, hash browns, etc. Also be alert for potato starch used in seasonings and to thicken sauces.
- Peppers (red, green, yellow, orange, jalapeno, chili, cayenne, pimento) - salsa, stuffed peppers, spicy chili, etc.
- Paprika.
- Eggplant.
There are other foods with solanine that are not nightshades. These may cause the problem as well:
- Blueberries & Huckleberries
- Okra
- Artichokes
Even very small amounts of these can cause problems with a sensitive person, so the best test requires stopping even traces of these in your diet for a period of time.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I knew about this problem with tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant, but I didn’t realize paprika, blueberries, huckleberries, okra and artichokes were also culprits. Very interesting. Thank you.
Hi Karen,
Funny how these things can sneak into our diet, isn’t it?
Dr. Bruce
Why are they called nightshades thought? Does it pertain to the time of day that it normally reacts or just because it sneaks up on you?
To answer your question Lauren, the term nightshade comes from the European black nightshade (or “Solanum nigrum”) berries. In which Solanine was first discovered in the early 1800s. Subsequently most plants containing high amounts of Solanine were eventually coined as nightshades (presumably).