Imagine my surprise when told by a dermatologist that tomatoes were the culprit causing the itchy red patch on my face.
As a former ketchup user I must tell you that tomatoes, one of the Deadly Nightshade family members, are not for everyone’s consumption. Nor are the other members of this family if you’re a person who is sensitive or allergic to the ‘Shades. Perhaps this is why the tomato was once considered poisonous–for some folks it virtually is!
Many people are unaware of how common food allergies are and that there are actually two kinds–the slow onset kind, also called the “classic” food allergy, or IgE. This is the possibly life-threatening kind and a well-known example would be an allergy to peanuts.
The other kind of food allergy is the IgG which is caused by repeatedly eating the foods you’re allergic to which then triggers an immune response to the food particles within your bloodstream and causes injury to your gut. The particles are interpreted as invaders so an immune reaction is sparked as antibodies are created to fight that particular food type. And the next time the food is consumed, the reaction becomes worse.
Therefore leaving the Deadly Nightshades out of your diet may result in many health improvements such as: less fatigue, fewer headaches, better quality of sleep, needing fewer hours of sleep, more focused concentration, improvement of skin irritations and rashes, more balanced moods, and less of the famous yet dreaded brain fog.
With brain fog, most people load up on caffeine or taurine-laden drinks to clear their heads thereby setting themselves up for even fewer hours of sleep the next night. Yes, the restorative REM sleep is elusive with this cycle, this merry-go-round of misery. Groggy brain fogginess can cause people to drift off behind the wheel, too.
So what plants and edibles should be avoided if you suspect–or know–that you’re susceptible?
Here’s a list of all the Deadly Nightshade family members I’m aware of but perhaps you may be able to round up more of the varmints since intolerance to the ‘Shades is fairly common:
Eggplants, potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers, bell peppers, paprika, tobacco, belladonna, petunia, and pictured here in my original drawing, the flowering Jimson weed.
Plus, with potatoes you have the added threat of green spots (to be avoided), and spuds which are sprouting are a big no-no in the toxin department. Talk about hot potatoes! Now I like a good Baked Potato as much as the next gal, but have given them up along with fries of all sorts…it’s sad but true.
Needless to say, tomatoes were the first to be jettisoned from my pantry and my diet, but you must also read processed food labels carefully because many items contain tomato paste that you wouldn’t expect since they don’t taste tomatoey at all.
Pets and other animals may be in danger from the ‘Shades as well, yet the alkaloids in these plants keep most animals from eating them. Smart Fido and brilliant Fluffy!
But unfortunately with human beings, when the Solanaceae family, aka the Deadly Nightshades, are simmered up as a fragrant tomato sauce and slathered onto a hapless pizza crust, it’s a race to see who can wolf it down their gobs the quickest like an always-hungry Homer Simpson–then later it’s time to pay the piper with a roiling tummy ache. And it won’t be long in coming if you’re sensitive to these toxic culprits.
So perhaps you’d better pass the Prilosec, Homer, because the pizza delivery man is on his way!
