"I Am Nightshade, Villain Veggie!"

So, if you've been reading then you know that tomatoes are not allowed on the CAG (Cool Acupuncture Guy) prescribed diet I am on. Unfortunately, I didn't extend the 'no tomato' rule to other nightshade veggies/fruits, like tomatillos.

I am a dummy.

In some of my research as to what the heck is going on in my body, I came across some theories about nightshade vegetables making existing arthritis worse, or even introducing arthritis, in certain people. The salsa verde we made was awesome, but I didn't sleep well because my hands and my wrists were bound up with arthritis (which generally comes and goes depending on how screwed up I am).

I really like salsa. It was easier not eating tomatoes for a few weeks or months because I thought I would add them back in later and everything would be fine. If I have a reaction to a tomatillo on its own, I'm less optimistic about my future with tomatoes. :(

In my research to figure out what the heck nightshade veggies are, I have less conclusive answers. This is the best explanation of what a nightshade is that I have found:

"Health research on these vegetables has focused on a group of substances called alkaloids which can impact nerve-muscle and digestive function in animals and humans. They may also compromise joint function. The alkaloids in nightshades are not only the basis for consideration of them as drugs, but also for understanding adverse reactions when they are eaten as food.

Nightshade is the common name used to describe over 2,800 species of plants. Lest the term "nightshade vegetable" conjures a stew with bat wings and toads, it's not that interesting. The reason for the name is they are grown in the shade of night.

Nightshade vegetables are in the Solanaceae family of plants. Among them are tomato, potato, eggplant, and peppers of all kinds, except black pepper. Tomatillos, tamarios, pepinos, pimentos, paprika, cayenne, and Tabasco sauce are also classified as nightshade foods.

Plants produce alkaloids primarily designed to help protect them from insects. But in a pharmacological sense the interest has been the drug-like alkaloids best known in mandrake, tobacco and belladonna (deadly nightshade.) Close examination reveals these alkaloids are chemical substances with strong physiological effects.

The active alkaloid in nightshades, solanine, is more familiar to us as nicotine."
It's from this site: http://tribes.tribe.net/diymedicine/thread/59372cfb-1aab-4763-86cd-95930b8859ff. Nicotine!?

The article goes on to say that one in three arthritics 'will react badly to nightshades' and that some people are incorrectly diagnosed with arthritis when they're really having a delayed food allergy reaction to something like nightshades. On the other hand, the article also goes on to say that no one 'official' has made the connection between nightshades and arthritis because the evidence is inconclusive.

But if you Google nightshades and arthritis, a whole host of arthritics show up on discussion boards and chat rooms who have noticed a connection. I definitely noticed a connetion!
An actual research article on Arthritis and Nightshades: http://noarthritis.com/research.htm.

Potential salsa recipes without tomatoes:

• 1 yellow bell pepper (um, these are also nightshades. :( )
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 or 2 pabalno chilis (depending on how big they are)
• 2 anaheim chilis (leave some seeds in if you want more heat)
• 1 or 2 jalepeno's (same here - depends on your heat desire)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 of a red onion (or any kind of onion really)
• juice of 1/2 lime
• H2O

 or

• 1 cup green cabbage, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 raw jalapeno, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

The problem with this one is that I'm not a giant cabbage fan so I'm not sure how this would taste. In any case, when I get the green-light to add foods back in, I am still giving tomato all by itself a chance!

It's also worth noting that these are the foods out there that have a natural pesticide--alkaloids, unlike GMO food in which humans try to do the same thing God has already accomplished.