Should Nightshade Vegetables Be Removed From Your Diet?

Not all vegetables are created equal! A special kind of vegetable, nightshade, could even be causing irritation in your body.

The term nightshade refers to a group of vegetables that were once thought to need shade in order to grow. Nightshade vegetables contain a common ingredient, solanum, which you might be sensitive to.

Common nightshade vegetables include:

• Tomatoes
• Eggplant
• Potatoes
• Bell Peppers
• Spices (Peppers, paprika, cayenne pepper)

Symptoms of Nightshade Sensitivity

Some warning signs that you might have sensitivity to nightshade vegetables include:

• Hives
• Skin Rashes
• Itchiness
• Nausea
• Acid Reflux
• Vomiting
• Increased Mucus Production
• Achy Joints
• Inflammation
• Bloating

Benefits of Nightshade Vegetables

However, these vegetables also have several benefits. Tomatoes, for example, are very high in potassium, lycopene (a great antioxidant), iron, zinc, beta carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K.

Bell peppers have potassium, folic acid, folate, vitamin A, and vitamin C. 

Eggplant has potassium, fiber, magnesium, phytonutrients, lots of antioxidants, vitamin B6, and vitamin K.

Potatoes have fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and B6. (I recommend sweet potatoes, because regular potatoes have starch in them that turn into carbohydrates in the body.)

There are a lot of benefits to nightshade vegetables, and you shouldn’t write them off as all bad. You may just be sensitive to them. 

That doesn’t mean we can never eat these vegetables, but it could benefit you to cut them out for a period of time.

What Causes Sensitivity To Nightshade

Saponins

Saponins are a steroid that may impair digestion, limit nutrient uptake, and create an exaggerated immune response. 

If you’re very sensitive to autoimmune conditions already, saponins can push you over the edge. Reducing your intake of these vegetables can help reduce this effect.

Capsaicin

This is found in red, black, and cayenne peppers, and can irritate the gut and create inflammation in digestive response. 

Many people take black or cayenne pepper with turmeric in an attempt to irritate the gut lining and digestive system so that the turmeric can get absorbed. 

This is a bad idea, because you could be allergic to the pepper, which could make the irritation even worse.

Solanum

Solanum, something all of the nightshade vegetables contain, can cause stress inside of the body and trigger an autoimmune response.

Gut Reset

If you want to eliminate some of these vegetables without missing out on all of their benefits, I have a couple of tips that you can try.

For a couple weeks, remove nightshade vegetables from your diet, and then start to slowly add them back in to see what exactly you’re sensitive to.

I also have a training that can help you understand this process better and overcome the inflammation you’re experiencing, which you can find here.

If you’re having more gut problems, you can also check out my GI support here. 

Substitutions For Nightshade Vegetables

Once you find out which vegetables you’re sensitive to, you can start substituting for them with other foods.

When it comes to potatoes, stay away from green potatoes, and try to stick to sweet potatoes if you can. You can also try eating cauliflower instead, which can also be made into the world’s healthiest pizza.

Instead of tomatoes in a salad, you can substitute with strawberries, blueberries, or pineapples. Instead of using a tomato sauce, I would use either a white sauce or an oil-based sauce–avoid red sauces if you can.

Switch yellow, green, and red peppers out for vegetables such as cucumbers, radishes and carrots.

As for eggplant, replace it with portobello mushrooms or zucchini.

For seasonings, instead of cayenne, you can try using ginger, horseradish, or garlic.

If you want to go beyond substituting food for your gut health, I made a gut-healing, inflammation reduction video, which you can find here.