Nightshades are a family of foods and spices packed with nutrients. Some common nightshades include:
- Eggplant
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Bell peppers
- Hot peppers
- Paprika
- Chili pepper flakes
Nightshades have a bad reputation in certain diet communities for contributing to inflammation. However, there is little evidence to support this theory. If you’re avoiding nightshades, you may be doing more harm than good by removing healthy foods from your diet unnecessarily.
That being said, as with all foods, it’s possible to develop an allergy or sensitivity to nightshades.
How Food Allergies Develop
When you have a food allergy, your body misidentifies that food or substance in the food as something dangerous and releases IgE antibodies to neutralize the allergen. The next time you eat that food, the antibodies send a message to your immune system to release chemicals like histamine in your system. These chemicals cause symptoms, including:
- Tingling or itchy mouth
- Rash
- Congestion
- Digestive problems
In more severe cases, food allergies can cause swelling of the mouth and throat, difficulty breathing and even anaphylaxis.
Visit an Allergist
If you have experienced allergy symptoms after consuming nightshades, make an appointment with a Charlton-based allergist. They can use blood and/or skin prick tests to determine whether or not you have a true allergy.
Nightshades aren’t one of the more common food allergies, so it’s possible that you are reacting to another food like soy, seafood, gluten, dairy or nuts.
If you do have an allergy to nightshades, the only way to prevent symptoms is to avoid consuming them completely.
Sensitivity vs Allergy
People can have sensitivities to certain foods without being allergic. This means that while no immune response is triggered when they eat it, they can still experience unpleasant symptoms such as stomach aches, heartburn and nausea. If you believe you have a sensitivity to nightshades, try removing them from your diet for a few weeks to see if your symptoms improve. Just make sure that you are replacing them with equally nutritious food, so you aren’t depriving yourself of needed vitamins and minerals.