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Last Updated on Thursday, 28 October 2021 09:56

 Nightshade Vegetables - Sensitivity and Symptoms

Some vegetables - like tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes and chilli were only brought to us in the last four hundred years. That is very recently in evolutionary terms! Therefore - many of us have physiology that is ill-equipped to digest them.

If you get a 'high' from eating chillies and can't wait to have them again - that could be addiction - and a sign you have a problem. Nightshades are linked to Leaky Gut syndrome and all its consequences.

You may already understand about "Modern Foods" - like dairy foods, grains and sugars - which contain FOOD TOXINS.

Well - there is another group Nightshade Vegetables - only recently arrived in the human diet. These are primarily native to South America - so their consumption by people with ancestry from other parts of the world carries risk.

These are Nightshade Vegetables

The most commonly eaten nightshade vegetables are:

• • Capsicum family including:

    • bell peppers (capsicums)

    • chilli peppers

    • jalapeno

    • Dried versions like cayenne pepper etc.

  • Aubergine (Eggplant

  • Goji berry (maybe not a 'superfood' after all!)

  • Ground cherry

  • Potatoes - especially potato skins

  • Tamarillos

  • Tomatoes and concentrated tomato products

  • Tomatillos

How Do Nightshade Vegetables Cause Leaky Gut?

Lectins and Saponins

Depending on the quantity eaten, the effect of saponins in these foods can damage the gut lining and lead to disease. Saponins in these foods have evolved to protect the plant from being decimated by insects. The action of the saponins it to dissolve the cell membranes of predatory insects so they die.   

Unfortunately this same effect - damage to cell membranes - can also be suffered by mammals (like us!) frequently in the small intestine. The result is a gut lining that develops holes and allows the passage of foreign - often toxic - substances into our bloodstream - making us ill . . . Leaky Gut.

In addition some of this group of vegetables (e.g. potatoes) also contain lectins which cause additional gut damage in large amounts in some people. Remember - the effects of nightshade vegetables depend on the quantity eaten. Overindulgence - as with any 'modern food' may lead to problems.

I think I might be affected. What should I do?

Begin with our free ebook. Food toxins can cause serious long-term health problems. And Gluten is just one toxin that could be causing your symptoms. There are more than twenty FOOD TOXINS – and they act together in different combinations to damage cells and provoke the immune system. Learn more with Free ebook

References

Food Intolerance and Gastrointestinal Diseases like Leaky Gut