Problem with potatoes + drug-free sleep aid
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Hello Reader, Eggplant season is in full swing where I live, and I am HERE for it! 🍆 Roasted eggplant, caponata, baingan bharta… I’ve been eating it all. (recipe below 👇🏼) But this embarrassment of eggplants got me thinking: is there a dark side to this humble purple vegetable? Because eggplants belong to the nightshade family - and nightshades have a bit of a reputation. So what’s the deal? Nightshades include some of the most common foods on the planet: tomatoes, peppers, white potatoes, and my beloved eggplant. They contain chemicals called glycoalkaloids (mainly solanine), which are basically the plant’s built-in pest repellents. In large amounts, solanine is toxic. Back in the 1970s, 78 schoolchildren in England were poisoned by eating boiled potatoes high in solanine. They fell ill with vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and in severe cases, suffered from nervous system issues. ⚠️ In potatoes, solanine concentrates in the green spots and sprouts that form when they are exposed to light. So don’t eat those! Even at lower levels, solanine can cause problems for some people. It can irritate the intestinal lining and activate mast cells in the gut - immune cells involved in allergic and inflammatory responses. A disrupted gut lining and activated immune system can lead to an overall increase in inflammation throughout the body. For people with healthy digestive systems, this effect is probably negligible at normal dietary levels. However, for people living with IBS, IBD, chronic pain, or autoimmune conditions - this could be a problem. BUT, nightshades also do a lot of good.
❓ So are nightshades good or bad for you? As with all of my work with clients - nutrition needs to be personalized. For most people with healthy guts, nightshades are completely fine and even beneficial. But if you live with chronic pain, digestive issues, or an autoimmune condition, it’s worth finding out how your body responds. ✅ Here’s how to test it: Cut out all nightshades for 3-4 weeks. If you’re sensitive, you should notice difference in your symptoms within that window. Then comes the real test: reintroduction. Add each food back one at a time, every few days. Go slow, and pay close attention to how your body responds after each one. If symptoms return - joint pain, skin flares, digestive upset - that’s a signal that you might have to cut that food out of your diet for a while. It doesn’t mean that you'll have to give them up forever. It means giving your gut time to heal, and then figuring out what it can actually tolerate. Some people can reintroduce these foods without issue once inflammation calms down. Others find one or two specific nightshades are the culprit, not the whole family. Your body is always sending messages. Give it the right food and you’ll be amazed at what it tells you, if you’re listening. Dora ---------- My Recommendations
---------- Upcoming Ready to go deeper? If you’re dealing with gut issues, autoimmunity, or stubborn inflammation and you’re not sure where to start. This is exactly the kind of root-cause work I do with my clients
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Hi there! I'm Dora. I'm an unconventional pharmacist & holistic nutritionist with a focus on metabolic health and autoimmune disease. I'm also a homeschooling mom to my twin girls, and a sucker for cute dog videos. 🐶 I think you're amazing. Find out more about my programs & services at www.doctordora.com References: https://scienceinsights.org/why-are-nightshades-bad-for-you-risks-explained/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37202602/ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/arthritis-should-you-avoid-nightshade-vegetables |
Doctor Dora Nutrition & Wellness
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