Nightshade Vegetables: Should People With Arthritis Avoid Nightshade Foods?

I feel there is a great deal of truth to the idea that potatoes and other nightshade plants are harmful. I am finding that since I cut potatoes and tomatoes almost completely out of my diet, I can no longer tolerate either. They cause excruciating pain in my legs and hips the following day. I do not believe this to be a coincidence. I also do not believe this to be true for all people. If arthritis is a problem it could prove a worthwhile experiment to go without nightshade foods and see if there is any improvement. I have found to be a very beneficial and easy remedy…

I was eating the excess of neighbors’ end of summer gardens – whole tomatoes, green peppers. My fingers became swollen, hot and itchy,painful, and stiff. I am an organist, this was serious. A friend suggested nightshades as the cause. I eliminated them from my diet, the symptoms went away. I eat cooked tomato sauces w/o problems, but potatoes (a favorite food) always cause pain somewhere, not serious, also peppers, so popular in today’s cuisine. So, I say, if you have a problem with pain and stiffness, try eliminating these foods as an easy first thing to do. Hope this helps someone.

My 23 year old son has been dignosed w/ rheumatoid arthritis. He has to give himself a shot that is very costly to him to relieve the pain and alow him to work. I am concerned w/ my son already taking medication at his young age that he will need for the rest of his life. I am looking for some guidence on some alternative suggestions for him. I have herd some about night shade vegetables. If anyone out there has any other info that could help me in my research that would be great.
Thank,
Dawn Case

Try reading “Pain Free in Six Weeks” by Dr. Sherry Rogers, M.D. I am reading it because I am in pain with gout and arthirits, and the things she has said in this book, my orthopedic surgeon has told me also. Do away with the nightshade vegetables. She herself has gone through a lot of pain and used herself as the testee.

Hello my fellow pain relive seekers!
Since I read about nightshade vegees, I stop eating them and I also learned that the artificial sweetener in sodas and other drinks
cause the pain. Name is ASPARTAME. This sweetener is everywhere. And after drinking Crystal Light – sugar free iced tea mix, I was in pain, so I can’r almost walk. Please if you have any pain do not drink any sodas or other drinks with this harmfull sweetener.
For pain free bodies! Regards Dagmar

My mother suffers from excrutiating pain at times from arthritis. After hearing from a store clerk and her step sister about nightshade vegetables and their possible link to the flare-ups, she decided to cut them out of her diet. Now, after 2 weeks, of cutting tomatoes, peppers and potatoes out of her diet entirely the excrutiating pain is completely gone, and she has regained most of her movement back in her trouble spots. She swears by this change in diet, and after all the people we know that have experienced the same results, it’s hard to believe that it’s sheer coincidence. She had tried everything there was out there up until then, even trying prescription pain killers. Nothing worked until this.

After 2 years of many visits to Dr’s and spending thousands of dollars in bills, it all came down to the simplest changes. Removing the nightshades, dairy, cabbage family veggies and sugar sweetner’s it’s eliminated all pain. It really does work and sad to think that the Doctor’s who are paid thousand’s of dollars didn’t figure this out….I did and thanks to the information from the internet.

my husband has been suffering terribly recently with arthritis in his hips. he does not like to take pain killers unless absolutely necessary. he will be visiting an accupuncturist next week. In the mean time, I will remove tomatoes, potatoes and gr/rd peppers from his diet. I sure hopes it helps him and we realize that removal of night shade plants from diet does not help ALL.

Yes, eliminating nightshades has worked for me. Also, eliminating aspartame, splenda and all forms of sugar from my diet relieves all my pain and swelling in 2-3 days. Since I pretty much have kept nightshades out of my diet for years now, it’s the sugar thing that is difficult to control. Stevia is my sweetner of choice and I keep fruit at a bare minimum. Anytime I begin to swell and experience pain I’ve over indulged in sweets, so it’s back to the elimination diet again to get relief. I’m currently not on any medication for my RA other than diet related restrictions.

I appreciate everyone’s input on this. My chiropractor just told me about the nightshades today. I stopped taking all my RA meds (I was on 3 different kinds) about 2.5 weeks ago. My trouble spots are elbows and wrists. It took over a week for the flare to come, but it did… and now with a vengence. I went to her for help. I am getting chiro as well as acupuncture treatment for it and will now cut these things out of my diet as well.

Thank you, again, for the info.

Hi, This is for Dawn Case who’s son is suffering from RA. I also have RA since 2004 and did so much research before starting on medication. My guidance into which direction to go for treatment came from a website called ” Roadback.org” read there for yourself or email them. They have the best information and support for RA patients.
Good Luck

I used to love potatoes and tomatoes so much that I ate them every day since I was a girl. In 2001 at age 45 I suddenly had a lot of pain and was diagnosed with severe RA. Of course the doctor wanted to put me on the latest expensive pharmaceuticals, but my insurance wouldn’t pay for the brand because they considered it experimental so they substituted a powerful form of ibuprofen.

One day I was in too much pain to go to work so I stayed home wondering how I was going to be able to stay in my home because I couldn’t navigate the steps anymore.

I picked up an old financial magazine and noticed a caption beckoning arthritis sufferers. They weren’t trying to sell anything, it was a warning to those with RA that they should avoid the nightshade foods and then listed them.

I immediately removed tomatoes, potatoes, and green pepper – never did eat eggplant. My symptoms improved overnight and then dramatically in the next few weeks. My swollen fingers were no longer in pain and the knees improved. Within 6 months I was in complete remission. That was 3 1/2 years ago.

I will eat a baked potato now and then and am prepared for the inevitable flare up. Don’t eat the skin. Nutritionists will say that’s where all the vitamins are, but it’s also where a lot of the poison is.

I got very angry at my RA “specialist” for constantly greeting me with his prescription pad in hand, yet never uttering a peep about dietary influences in the disease. He
scoffed at my story but he is no longer getting his kickbacks from the drug companies where this former patient is concerned. I am pain and drug free.

Hi all! I am a 31 year old who has had Lupus for 11 years. Everything you all have said has totally hit home for me too. Lupus, if you don’t know, is in the same family as RA and Sclaroderma (sp). For me, potatoes don’t really bother me and tomatoes & anything citris gives me canker sores within 15 mins, but green bell peppers are my biggest enemy! I love them but the next day I swell up like a sponge. Raw or cooked, it doesn’t matter. One isn’t worse than the other. I agree diet plays a huge roll in any life style, healthy or otherwise, having said that, it’s important that people do their research to find the best solution for pain management for them. If you are on meds, as I am, and don’t feel that’s the path for you, research other methods and don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about your treatment options. It’s YOUR body. I have a great specialist and she said right off the bat, “you know your body better than anyone”. Thanks for listening to part of my story. Take care everyone and I hope your days are pain-free!

Hello All,
My name is Lorena and I have Myastenia Gravis, and psoriatic Arthritis, I have had major trouble with all my joints and tendons in my body and Weakness. I have tried the drug approach with very little benefit. I do believe that diet is a major factor, now for me. I am trying to figure out what all is causing the major flares I have. I do know, I do not tolerate the sun light, molds, trees, common weeds etc.. I can’t take most drugs as they have Magnesium of some form in the coatings or in the liquid form they make me very weak. My SA started with me working for a major Drug company and then I got sick. In only 1 year I could barely stand up the pain was so great. I became allergic and tested positive. I was found to be allergic to over 50% of the drugs produced their, as such can no longer work. So, I have been looking for drug free ways to over come this, and Diet has been a major role in my recovery. I don’t eat Yeast products and generally use, low gluten to no gluten products. I will be trying to take out Night shade next, as I have just found out about it. I wanted to mention though that the biggest break through I had was eating Fish with High fish oil. I also now take Cod liver oil and have had a remarkable improvement in pain and movement. My brain stays nice and clear now right to the end of my day. I do have a business now and work as much as possible. Every day a little brighter then the last, thanks to the help of people sharing on the net! My doctor never mentioned diet nor did he tell me much of anything. The drugs he gave me of course I was allergic. HE never even checked. Information I was handed a brochure. It took 10 months to find out what I had. I Thank you all for the information you share and Hope the Fish oil tip helps!

Nightshade plants are a cause of joint troubles as well as many other problems including migraines and digestive issues. The source of most of the trouble is solanine in nightshades, solanine is in other plants as well such as huckleberries, and blueberries. To see real results you must eliminate them 100% percent. Most, folks will try to reduce them from their diet, and become discourage when results do not follow. All the way is the only way with nightshades!

I just stumbled onto this stuff about nightshade vegetables today and am a little bit concerned that some people may be scared off from eating them. Many of these vegetables do have excellent nutritional benefits. I love many dishes that are prepared with tomato based products and haven’t had any problems whatsoever with the ill effects being talked about here. It sounds like some people might have adverse reactions to nightshade vegetables, just like some are unable to eat peanuts without severe reactions. As with many foods, moderation is probably a good practice.

On May 10th, 2005 I woke up at 4 am and couldn’t move without severe pain. The doctors suggested many frightening diagnosis possiblilities. Finally, after several months, the diagnosis of polymyagia was confirmed. Sometimes I had to be lifted over a step only 8″ high. Both my shoulders froze. I was afraid of living in pain for the rest of my life. Fortunately, blessedly, I learned about nightshade vegetables. It was difficult to give up potatoes. They were a daily staple in my diet. Through research I learned that they are used in many of the toxic drugs I have administered to patients. Within a few months of giving up nighshades, my health improved dramatically and psoriasis (a disease I suffered with for 20 years) began to heal. I no longer have any polymyagia. My shoulders are flexible without having had any medical intervention. I never took steroids usually given for polymyagia, as I know of their tragic effects. I have also cut out most animal products. At age 55, I have never been healthier. I walk/jog 30 minutes 3 times per week. Thank heavens for this information!

I have been troubled all of my life with stomach problems . At the age of 43 I began having severe pain in my legs,swolen joints and a general I dont feel good condition. I had upper gi’s lower gi’s I have been tested for arthritis, IBS, Thyroid, muscles diseases ECT… the list goes on. Finally a diagnosis of Fibromyalga I was heartbroken. A friend told me about a doctor (Holistic in Nature) that I decided to try. I was two weeks away from having my gull bladder taken out even though they could not prove it to be diseased. They preformed what is known as Cellular Immunology blood testing, typing my blood to 93 different food groups. To my horror not only did my blood react to the nightshade foods I also had an RH factor of three.(three being the most severe). to chocolate,vegetable oil, vinegar, spices and coco. Imagine the dissapointment I felt that the foods that I love are making me ill. To anyone that is reading this believe me it was no easy task to remove these things from my diet. IT IS A HUGE LIFESTYLE CHANGE. It took about thirty days to get all of the nasty out of my system but once I stuck to a diet that was suited for me BINGO I felt great. NO MORE PAIN NO MORE DOCTORS NO MORE MEDS. In the begining I would slip eating things I shouldn’t because I did not want to make two meals one for myself and one for my family. Going out to dinner became a nightmare. I struggled emotionally. But I soon figured out that my well being is best for me and my family and they understand MOM FEELS BETTER! So what if I have to eat a salad with no dressing a steak with no potatos these are what I call the little things in life. I am not laying in bed anymore, waiting on some mystery illness to show itself, or waiting on some doctor to call with the results of a blood test. If you are suffering and feel that you have tried everything please give Cellular Immunology a try maybe it can work for you too.

I too love the nightshade veggies but can’t consume them. We grow our own organic veggies so I thought that would be ok but not so much. I eat these only when I do not need to walk the next day. I am very food allergic so am very concious about that but one has to be careful..these are in lots of things..always have trouble with vitamins…can’t have soy or corn (dextrose) or nighshades or seafood…really scary. Just learn to know your body..it will tell you what you need and what you don’t.

Hello all!
I thought I’d never be caught dead reading these articles, less learning from RA or OA. To my surprise, after years of pain which I thought were realated to ther things, I finally got diagnosed with RA and OA,and my RA is pretty severe, at my tender age of 45.Needless to say I hit the interenet. These forums had helped immensely. I started trying to eliminate Nightshade Veggies, since mostly my diet is mediterranean,really hard to do. Then I noticed tomatoes were the worst! I can’t believe I’m accepting this, but such is life! Little by little I’m eliminating all of them, and when I do have them, I have to deal with the consecuences. But from all of them, tomatoes [not cooked] were the worst. It might work on everyone differently, but this is my case.

Thanks all for all your very helpful imput! Peace!

After being treated for Rheumatoid arthritis for 16 years and was on the last drug that had not been used before, I was told that by 2000 I would have my first hip replacement, then the second as soon as possible. It was then I found about Glucosamen and Chondroitin sulfates and MSM. In the next six months, I was able to drop out one pill a day about every third month. Then I found an article about the nighshade plants being a couse for some people. I got off the night shades totally. By the end of one year I was totally off the medication, and at the end of two years, ppain free. My biggest problem is being able to communicate to resturants and stores who seen to have no clue, so I have to give them a list of nightshades. But the food industry insists on putting potato starch in everything. It is almost impossible to find canned soup of any kind without a hidden nightshade in it. The last I read, as many as 85% of us with RA are allergice to nightshades. That was from Dr. Sherry Rogers’ Total Wellness, well worth the price of her monthly newsletter.

After talking with an 85 yr old woman about arthritis she told me she had no signs of it because she used fish oil ! She uses 1 Tablespoon in the morning and another in the evening. I started since the doctors wanted to repair both my knees. I was having extreme pain in both. I begin using 3,000 mg of fish oil in the morning and evening. After 4 days, no pain. The doctors wanted to know what I was doing. I told them, their nurses wrote this info down to share with their relatives who were having pain. My cardiologist informed me it is OK to take fish oil but not cod liver oil because of the HDH it contains. Judy Mc

Judy McInerney,
Cod Liver Oil does interact with certain drugs – notably the commonly used blood thinner warfarin or coumadin, but perhaps others. Check with your pharmacist to see if the CLO will interact with the drugs you are taking.
That said, what if you improved your health naturally, and didn’t need blood thinners anymore? Nobody can make that decision but you and your doctor but the longer I live, the less faith I have in MDs, and the more faith I have in the power of food (avoidance or use) to heal our bodies.
I have PCOS, Chronic Mono, Vit. D deficiency, and probably Fibromyalgia, and recently started avoiding nightshades, along with gluten. I miss tomatoes the most. Ahh salsa. Where I used to tolerate them very well, now the slightest amount gives me…unpleasant GI problems.
I am taking 1 t of Green Pastures’ Blue Ice Raw Fermented CLO each day, and feel better than I have in years. GP CLO is expensive ($44 per 8 oz bottle), but is more concentrated (= swallow less) and ends up running about the same as other, cheaper, falsely manufactured CLO.
JC

I never have had joint pain even with fibromyalgia. All of a sudden I have had terrible pain in my hands and feet and could not figure out why. Then it dawn on me that I have been eating lots of tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers from my garden. I would grab a handful of cherry tomatoes every time I went outside. It has been about two days since I have eaten any of these and the pain is less severe. I will be staying away from these for a while and see if the pain completely goes away.

A few years ago, I developed severe pain in both hands, thought it was carpal tunnel – did not have the right symptoms – was wearing heavy duty braces on both hands due to severe pain from movement. Stopped eating the nightshade vegetables (article in Prevention Magazine) and have not had a pain since!

I also stumbled upon the info about nightshade plants. I was told that about 15% of arthritis suffers might benefit from reduced/eliminated nightshade veggies. I was having pain in my finger joints. It took several weeks, but removing nightshades did the trip. I realized, “heh, I don’t have pain”. Being a scientist, I eventually reintroduced some tomatoes into my diet and in about a week, pain started returning. I stopped eating them and pain went away. I did this several times to “prove” that the regimen was effective. It seems that there is some level of the chemical (solanaceae acid, I think) that triggers inflammation in some people. I has been about 8 years since I made this discovery. I miss the wonderful healthful benefits and flavor of tomatoes and red peppers. However, I will miss them and be pain free. One issue – I’m not sure the form (fresh vs. cooked) or quantity that triggers the inflammation other than by experience. I have heard that cooked tomatoe is less irritating.

Over 30 years ago my mother developed arthritis, I remember that at one point it was so bad that she could not go up and down stairs without a great deal of pain. She has always been the type of person to look for natural remedies before using western medicines and she found help in some articles that were being published by a Dr. Childers (http://www.noarthritis.com/. My mother removed nightshades from her diet 30 years ago, she is now 90 years young, lives on her own, walks a mile or two every day and is pain free.

LEAVING NIGHTSHADES IN THE DUST SAVED ME FROM BEING TOTALLY DEBILITED BY BACK PAIN.

Avoidance of nightshades should be an option offered to every person with pain. Period! Nightshades negatively affect millions of people and should no longer be the little known secret that it is.

If you’re healthy as a horse, with no pain or troubles, God bless you. Follow your nightshade bliss.

But if you’re in pain, stiffness, suffer from migraines, psoriasis or digestive disturbances, eliminating nightshades can be ASTOUNDING in its effectiveness.

Sure there are many other things we need to do for our health, but ELIMINATING NIGHTSHADES IS NOT NEARLY AS HARD AS SUFFERING PAIN AND STIFFNESS IS!

TRY IT! TRY IT! TRY IT!

I get Arthritis, I study Health and Nutrition, and I have heard that Night-Shade plants cause Arthritis, so I tried avoiding night-shades, and it works, then I gave that up and went back to it, and back to aches and pains. So now I am back to avoiding night-shade plants (which are ever so tasty, potatoes are one of my favorte foods, ans spices, and bell peppers, and oooh I love eggplant, but NO MORE). Very glad to see this article with personal testamonials. I was at the Doctors office today, asked the Doctor, but the Doctor claimed she never heard anything about it? Maybe doctors don’t have enough patients?

You folks are right. Nightshade foods are harmful to RA. I’ve had it for years. My brother God Bless him has suffered from it too. We found on the net an article about RA plus eating healthy to cure cancer and many other serious diseases by eating cooked Asparagus ( 4 tablespoons twice daily.) He suffers from colon cancer. His cancer cell count dropped dramitically from dangerous to normal in mere weeks. Of course the doctors had to lower his chemo meds because they were making him deathly illl and gave him heart trouble as well as diabetes! Now we both rely on eating cooked Asparagus to hopefully clear up the RA as well as his cancer. Note: That chemo made his esophagus raw and now as the result he fights with Barrett’s Disease from it. I for one will be happy to get my RA as well as a bladder problem under control by my daily doses of Asparagus. Thanks for listening.

i had a month where i experienced the worst pain i’ve ever had and found out about nightshade/arthritis connenction on the internet and realized i’d been eating a nighshade-centric diet lately due to what was in season at the farmers market. I gave them up started to feel better and had no problems for almost a month and a half. then two days ago tried three potatoes and symptoms have returned. am ready to give them up for good now! will miss the taste but not the pain!