Imagine slobbering over your favorite food: a cheese pizza spilling all over its crust, slurping comfort mashed potatoes straight off the plate with no hands, a honky cheeseburger dripping condiments on your chin. You're so enthralled you don't notice the stains on your white dress and your eyes are rolling to the back of your head. You don't want this moment to end.
Now, imagine I come and slap it out of your hands. Splat.
You blink at me, unsure of what just transpired. It stings a bit. You're confused, but it doesn't process. You start to take another bite, not defiantly but more because you are sure I did not just do that! One eye stays on me are your meal approaches your lips. But this time I snatch it and sit on it. That's when you punch me and your own hand ends up on fire. You say it was worth it. It was and it wasn't.
And that's what happened to me. I had inklings that some foods were having adverse reactions. I continued eating normally, but with suspicions. Eventually, they were verified by elimination. You would think I was talking about starchy foods here as I do have a wheat allergy. That's not it; leaving you to think maybe this is when she found out cookies are off the list. Nope. Not it. I can work my way around sugary treats (if I'm cleared for sugar): can you say gluten-free brownie (no flour)?
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="256" caption="via gfdfw.blogspot.com; Thank you Bonefish Grill"]
[/caption]I'm talking about vegetables. Wha she sayyy? Well some are faux-vegetable fruits, but otherwise known as healthy victuals, right? Wrong.
Apparently, there is a group of vegetables living secretly out there that are naturally toxic. More harmful to some than others, so some of you may come out of this article safely.
Of course, it's the fun ones: tomatoes, potatoes, spicy peppers, bell peppers. The miraculous functions of the body help you clean out foreign agents that enter via mouth, skin, orifices...(fading out). But in a chemical-overload world it can gradually affect our cleaning abilities at such high rates and begin to effect harm, defying nature's intendion to battle it out for us so we can enjoy sucking ketchup packets dry (I never did that. Sure didn't.)...
Well, just see for yourself in the following article (Random blue lettering will denote my personal commentary, in the voice of Tina Fey. The narrative itself, Alec Baldwin.):
http://www.getting-started-with-healthy-eating.com/nightshade-vegetables.html
Potatoes
During World War I, when the blockade of Denmark prevented the importation of food, the people of Denmark survived largely on potatoes as well as whole grain bread and porridge, cabbage, and milk. The death rate in Denmark actually fell during this time, as Mikkel Hindhede of the Laboratory for Nutrition Research in Denmark reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1920.
Hindhede noted that based on previous experiments, an exclusive diet of potatoes with fat will sustain good health for at least a year.
Additionally, both potato broth and raw potato juice have been used for healing purposes.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a staple of the healthy Mediterranean diet, along with olive oil, and other whole grain and vegetable foods. Mmmmm (rubbing tummy with closed eyes.)
Tomatoes are the best and most common source of lycopene, the pigment that makes tomatoes red. Lycopene is a carotenoid, a cousin of beta-carotene. It's a unique antioxidant that, especially in food form, fights cancer and heart disease. It even survives heat and thus concentrates in cooked tomatoes.
Chile Peppers
Chile peppers are rich in Vitamin C and carotenoids. Besides being fun for their sharp taste and stinging sensation, they will clear your sinuses and are particularly good for colds.
That stinging sensation is the result of capsaicin, one of the nightshade alkaloids.
Stinging. So.... let me get this straight?
Alkaloids
Nightshade family plants manufacture drug-like chemicals within their tissues. These chemicals are of a type known as alkaloids.
Nicotine is the most well known of the nightshade alkaloids. It's produced by the tobacco plant, which is a nightshade plant.
A number of drugs and pesticides are derived from nightshade alkaloids. Drugs include belladonna, atropine, and scopolamine; some pesticides are based on nicotine.
A few of the nightshade alkaloids:
* Nicotine (tobacco)
* Solanine (potatoes and eggplant)
* Tomatine (tomatoes)
* Capsaicin (chile peppers)
Commence riotous pandemonium! Protest the smoking of vegetables!
Green potatoes are toxic due to the alkaloid solanine. When potatoes are exposed to light, the potatoes' increased production of solanine causes the green tint. Do not eat green potatoes! They are toxic enough to cause poisoning.
Potato sprouts also contain enough solanine to be toxic. Cut out the sprout and its eye before use.
Due to these alkaloids, the leaves and stalks of these plants are poisonous. The ripe fruits and tubers also contain the alkaloids, but in much smaller amounts.
Capsaicin is what is so hot about hot peppers; it has both medicinal use and potential subclinical toxicity. Ay ay ay! I'm the only non-spicy latina. Gotta go back to bland.
Chronic Pain
In some people, the nightshade vegetables appear to cause arthritic pain, arthritic deformity, nerve pain, and other central nervous system problems. Preach!
When Norman Childers of Rutgers University reviewed the veterinary literature about livestock that grazed on nightshade plants, he connected the reported illness, crippling, and death to arthritis and other manifestations of chronic pain in humans.
The alkaloids found in common nightshade vegetables are powerful, with effects on various tissues, including the membranes of the cells of the body. They bioaccumulate: they remain unprocessed by the body and simply accumulate in tissues.
Lord have mercy!
In addition, nightshade alkaloids are cholinesterase inhibitors, just as organophosphate pesticides are. They affect the central nervous system and cause, among other adverse effects, pain. No pain, no gain?
Avoidance For Pain Relief
For sufferers of chronic musculoskeletal pain of any cause, Dr. Sherry Rogers, MD recommends eliminating the nightshade family for a three-month trial. Serious time. According to Dr. Rogers and Dr. Childers, most people with chronic pain get major or complete relief from nightshade avoidance.
This requires:
* Avoidance of nightshade vegetables and nightshade spices
* Avoidance of tobacco (or co-workers who blow smoke in your face, literally ruining the waking next hour)
* Avoidance of nightshade ingredients in processed food
Basically, I need to check into rehab.
Chile pepper or paprika is in cola drinks (hence "Dr. Pepper" as well as the more famous brands), snacks, breadings, meat flavoring, and more. Frequently these spices are listed on the label only as "Spices," "Flavors," or "Natural Flavorings." I've learned this the hard way. Over and over. So, maybe I'm not quite learning it so much as just knowing it.
Potato starch, often in processed foods, may be listed only as "starch" or "protein" on labels. A true heartbreaker for I thought I had green light on some of the most finger-slurpin treats. Better than average flour mixes. My husband would eat my GF brownies! Which was fine because I was on the floor after I finished mine. (If you have no food allergies, I recommend this. It would be healthy and delicious to ease up on wheat products. American's accidentally eat too much wheat anyway.):
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="391" caption="All containing potato starch! Which explains why in less than 5 minutes of eating, I'm doubled over in agony, everwhere, conflicted whether I should desist the madness, or suck it up and sit in a vat of numbing ice and sleep it off. "]
[/caption]Potato starch is a frequent filler in medications and vitamin supplements. Sneaky, sneaky.
More on How To Do A No Nightshades Diet
Unhealthy And Addictive Uses Of Nightshade Vegetables
The nightshade alkaloids appear to be addictive, which is amplified by the vegetables' abuse in unhealthy foods.
I believe the combination of nightshade alkaloids with addictive food processing methods makes the following so addictive:
ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE:
* French fries made with trans fats, MSG, additives
* Pizza made with trans fats, white flour, artificial flavors, MSG, additives
* Commercial Mexican food made with trans fats, MSG, additives
* Commercial Szechwan food made with MSG, additives
* Commercially breaded foods
* Cola drinks
* Chile pepper in processed food
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="236" caption="Speaking of which, this was taken on my cell phone. They actually SELL raw neurotoxins for about $1. Pop rocks and coke for your brain. "]
[/caption]That's right...EXPOSED.
List of Nightshade Vegetables (Solanaceae Family)
Culinary Vegetables
Bell pepper (sweet pepper)
Italian pepper
Chile pepper Before my diagnosis, when I switched over to a natural diet, I quadrupled the amount and types of spices I would experiment with, not noticing all the while that it only makes perfect sense that food that makes you tear and lips crack might also have other adverse effects. Indian food, I will miss you dearly. Mexico, adios.
Examples of varieties:
fresh
Anaheim
Fresno
Jalapeño
Pimiento / pimento
Poblano
Serrano
dried
Ancho
Cascabel
Chipotle
Guajillo
Habañero
Pasada
Pasilla
Eggplant
Potato
Tomato
Tomatillo
Spices
Cayenne
Chili powder (some ingredients of)
Curry (some ingredients of) (WAIT I DIDN'T KNOW THIS ONE...HAND ME THE PAPER BAG. STAT!!!!)
Paprika
Sauces
Ketchup I will never love another french fry. Doesn't matter anyway because I can't eat potatoes.
Tabasco Parting is such sweet and spicy sorrow.
Culinary Fruit
Cape gooseberry
Goji berry
Pepino
Tamarillo
Other
Tobacco I could use this case against co-worker habits. Mwahahaha. (Yes, just breathing it makes my head pound and my brain irate.)
End of Article.
Now you may be thinking you're home free; that it doesn't apply to you. And you may be right; but there are many alternative ways to have an optimum lifestyle and diet is the key. Too much of any good thing is not a balanced diet, even certain veggies. I lived with vague symptoms until I turned 27 years old, to be put on an anti-inflammatory diet and suddenly started feeling better. I always felt healthy during vegetarian and vegan diets, but something was missing. It built up until it was too late and only a few months ago I was enduring the most severe times of my life. As a matter of fact, we couldn't understand why every time I ate my organic and simply seasoned salmon I'd still end up stressed and bawling my eyes out 15 minutes later. Who knew paprika was the culprit? If you tend to feel sick after you eat almost every time... start getting curious and researching. If you feel great when you skip dinner, sleep overnight, skip breakfast, and feel sickly again at lunch...be open to suspicion. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY. It's trying to tell you something.
I imagined it was all in my head many times, that I was being paranoid; people thought I was ridiculous, a hypochondriac. Even doctors scoffed at my suggestions and referred me to psychiatrists. Not anymore. If my Rheumatogolist did anything to ease the pain in my life, it was to point me in the right direction. So the best place to start is an ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET. Understanding it makes for a successful experiment. Your bones might start cracking less if you decide to do humor this diet, or all of a sudden you might lose 8 lbs of straight up inflammation like it happened to me. If you could never get rid of belly fat or lose weight no matter how many salads full of colorful veggies you forced down your throat, check this book out. The inflammation is can very invisible. People will multiple sclerosis do as similar diet. Some go hardcore and do the Paleolithic Diet (great for gluten-free and Multiple Sclerosis inductees) and live extremely wholesome lives after this; great moods and sharp minds.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="201" caption="The Inflammation Syndrome"]
[/caption]P.S. Given the information, I really don't know if this means you can have just a measure of these veggies if they're not processed, but it would seem so if you're generally healthy. However, with my personal toxicity level, I'm leaving them out until Dr. Dana checks my food sensitivity readings after the detox. There is still hope, although not guaranteed, that I may be able to reintroduce certain foods in my life once my blood gets a good scrubbin. I will not count on it, but it's nice to have it in the bottom of the hope bag. I may choose not to go back to a more leniant diet even if my body gets clean, only because with my post-damage genes it might be safer. And I'll stay thin without so much struggle.
It's not easy to cut some things out of your life, even if they're not healthy for you. But sometimes after enough lashings you learn your lessons. And I'm staying away from the pasta. If not, I have a friend ready to roundhouse any cherry tomatoes I try to pop right out of my crackling knuckles.
Coming soon:
Stay tuned in the next few days and behold the story of what such a crass and sudden restriction of delicious vegetables does to a woman. Hear the heartbreaking ups and downs of a love affair with tomatoes. See the horror of relapse, the concerned relatives, and wait until you hear about the secret escapades with the forbidden fruit, it will be ugly... Outright, gory... And sssaucy. Will she overcome this healthy addiction, gone compl-lete-ly wrong? Next on 20/20.
