No Nightshades November

[Pegleg84]

Hi guys,

I've made a difficult decision: I'm going to try to give up nightshades.

More specifically, I'm going to try cutting them all out for a month and then introduce them back individually to see which give me grief.

I've noticed problems with nightshades over the past couple years. A little seems to be ok, but it's a low threshhold before I have GI and neurological issues (muscle aches, headache, bad digestion). I've mostly cut out tomato, went really easy on the eggplant and peppers this summer, and have noticed problems with potatoes. I want to figure out if I have problems with them in general, or if it depends on how much, how they are cooked, etc.

I'm on day 3. I have a wedding at the end of Nov, so can get in 4 weeks before then. Hardest part is giving up potato chips (a staple in my snacking diet) and, especially, chili in various forms, which ends up in a lot of my food.

Do you have problems with nightshades? What are your symptoms? Did you have to cut them all out, or just some, to see an improvement? Any advice on coping?

Will report back!
(honestly, I give myself 2 weeks max before I cave. I've tried this before)

[GFinDC]

Cave, what's cave?  We don't cave around here!

I have problems with all nightshades.  Tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplant are all trouble makers.  They cause D, some pain, and bloating at times.  Otherwise they are really fun!   I sometimes eat a little of them, but only if they are in a another food that for some reason I eat.  More than a little is no fun though.

You can look for sweet potato chips, or corn chips, or other veggies chips.  I tried plaintain chips a few times but they didn't sit well for me.

I think the effect of nightshades gets worse if you continue to consume them.  They have a chemical class called alkaloids in them that are hard for our livers to process.  I think that can cause them to kind of build up in our bodies and cause symptoms.

You can make chili without tomatoes right?  Maybe try something else?

Be strong, just say NO to nightshades! 

[DrMommy09]

I am doing the same thing for November. I am not sure what still triggers some symptoms for me, but I am starting to think tomatoes are a big culprit. Let's encourage each other.

[Pegleg84]

I bought 2 big bags of corn chips and some olive tampenade and coconut "soy" sauce and am putting extra garlic and cinnamon in everything. I CAN DO THIS!

(I will not eat potato chips I will not eat potato chips I will not....)

Hopefully this will amount to finding out that a little is ok (ie: chili spices, a few potato chips, a bit of tomato in something) but eating a full serving of it probably not a good idea. I'm already basically not eating tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants, etc (they're all out of season now anyway), but potatoes are hard to give up.

Let's do this together! Any spicy recipe ideas sans chili?

[Rowan13]

Hi Pegleg,

I wanted to share this with you. I tried a Japanese sweet potato for the first time the other night. Maybe you already know (I seem to be behind everything) but they are a deep red on the outside and white on the inside. They are definitely sweet potatoes, and do have that sweet potato taste but it's much milder (in my opinion) and what's interesting is the texture is much more like an Idaho/Jacket potato. It's more crumbly/dry (not really dry, but more like a big regular brown potato.) I'm not having dairy but I imagine with butter on it it would be kind of reminiscent of an Idaho.  Anyway, I actually remembered this post and just wanted to share that.  I guess there are some with purple flesh but these are white inside. I think there are 2 different kinds of Japanese ones.

 I did try to find a chili recipe without tomatoes but didn't really find any.  I'm not having nightshades at all either so I will still be on the lookout.  Best wishes.

[GFinDC]

You can make sweet potato chips in the oven.  Slice them thin with a mandolin.

Open Original Shared Link

[Rowan13]

Open Original Shared Link

This is gluten free and further down in the comments are some ideas for adding chicken or other ingredients that sound kind of nice.

[Pegleg84]

on week 4 and sticking to it!
I've had japanese sweet potato before. Yes, they're more red/purple on the outside and lighter on the inside.
Also, if you slice beets thin and roast them, they also make great chips.

This weekend I'm going away for a wedding, and will try to avoid nightshades but definitely defaulting to "if it's gluten-free, I'm eating it".
Next week, I'll start the "challenge" part, and reintroduce chili peppers/powder/sauce and OMG I CANNOT WAIT! Hardest part has been not reaching for the jar of chili garlic sauce that I use on many many things. fingers crossed i'll be ok on that front.

Then comes potatoes, which might result in me crawling around with body aches. We shall see.

Let's keep this thread going until the end of the month, at least!
 

[Pegleg84]

I have reached Nightshade Challenge December (really doesn't have the same ring to it).

Last weekend, I was away for a wedding, and while I didn't deliberately seek out nightshades, I definitely ended up eating some potatoes (some really good ones!) and a bit of tomato/pepper in salads and seasoning. This past week I've eaten potatoes a few times (roasted and some chips), and last night I broke down and had some chili pepper (hot sauce).

I haven't had any distinct symptoms. Did have a really weak/anxious/bad day on Sunday, but was PMS-y, tired, recovering from a party the night before, so that wasn't a big surprise. Any gut pain this week I blame on my lady time doing it's thing. I have been feeling a bit weaker this week though. Not achy, but my muscles just not working at full capacity. (also, pretty  sure I didn't get glutened. Everywhere I ate was super careful and there was nothing suspicious. I would have been hit by usual symptoms by now. Possible I got into a bit of dairy, though)

This morning though, things are happening! My right arm is twitching like crazy (not painful, but driving me nuts), hands are very cold, a bit tingly. Nothing horrible but definitely a symptom I haven't had in a while. I think I'll stop the nightshades for a few days and see if it gets better/worse, and try again.

Have to say, the challenge might be the hardest part of this. Always difficult to tell exactly what causes what.

Any advice for testing all this properly?

Thanks

[GFinDC]

Hi Pegleg,

I'd say you did a fairly good job of testing your intolerances.  Eliminating foods for a period and them re-introducing them slowly, and one at a time is better.  So you could re-introduce white potatoes for a 2 couple weeks and see what happens.  But no other nightshades.  When you re-introduce a food, try to eat it in as plain / basic a condition as possible.  Not as an ingredient in another food.  You don't want to confuse things with multiple ingredients.  If you don't have a negative reaction after a couple weeks, then re-introduce another food.  If you have a reaction, eliminate the re-introduced food and try a different food after a period of recovery.  It's a pretty simple process, but does require some patience.  They generally call that an elimination diet.  There are several ways to do them.