Nightshade is the plant family that includes tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and potatoes. Some people remove the products from this plant family from their menu.
Many nightshade plants have poisonous properties. Despite the plants being poisonous, the ripe vegetables of the plants are edible. Still, some of those natural toxins affect the vegetables. Potatoes contain solanine. The substance dust is created under the influence of light. It arises in the peel and the offshoots. For that reason, keep potatoes in the dark and cut off any offshoots and green spots. The similar substance tomatine can be found in unripe tomatoes.
If you ingest small amounts of these substances, there is nothing to worry about. The health benefits of vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and potatoes are greater. In large quantities, the substances are toxic to humans. In particular, they can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea or lethargy. It can also cause joint problems. If you are sensitive to nightshades, you may experience symptoms after eating vegetables associated with nightshades. Tingling in your mouth or skin rash can be symptoms.
For most people there is nothing to worry about. Do you think you are sensitive or allergic to nightshade vegetables? Then delete these products from your diet for a while. If you notice an improvement, you can gradually eat more nightshade vegetables. Do the complaints come back? Then there is a very good chance that you are indeed sensitive to it.
