Nightshade Vegetables: Should People With Arthritis Avoid Nightshade Foods?
Monday September 25, 2006
Nightshade vegetables are among the foods that some people feel can trigger arthritis flares. Others feel their arthritis symptoms improve when nightshade vegetables are avoided. What are nightshade vegetables? According to The George Mateljan Foundation, food members of the nightshade family include:
- potatoes (not sweet potatoes)
- tomatoes
- eggplant
- sweet and hot peppers (including paprika, cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce)
- ground cherries
- tomatillos and tamarillos
- garden huckleberry and naranjillas
- pepinos and pimentos
Should people with arthritis avoid nightshade vegetables? According to the University of Washington website, "No foods have been definitively shown to cause or exacerbate arthritis in most individuals. A variety of diets and hand-me-down information exists about certain foods and arthritis, in particular the night shade plants, but none of it has been proven." The effect of foods on arthritis symptoms vary greatly from person to person. It is an individual decision whether or not to avoid nightshade vegetables.
Related Resources:
- Daily Multivitamins and Arthritis
- Does Food Impact Severity of Arthritis?
- Diet and Arthritis: The Link is Complex
- Rheumatoid Arthritis and Elimination Diet
- Does Diet Have a Direct Impact on Arthritis?
- Fruits and Vegetables May Cut Arthritis Risk and Reduce Inflammation
Photo by Dustin Eli Brunson (iStockphoto)
Comments
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.