Do You Have Nightshade Sensitivity or Allergy?

Green chili peppers are in the nightshade family, 
but hidden nightshades are much more problematic.

Do you have nightshade sensitivity or allergy?

How about an autoimmune disease?

Arthritis?
Fibromyalgia?

If so, you might not be able to eat certain vegetables, fruits, and spices without suffering pain, inflammation, and other health complaints.

If you have a nightshade sensitivity, your weight loss can stall due to inflammation.

I didn't realize that nightshades were so popular among low-carb dieters until I actually looked at which vegetables and spices are in the nightshade family.

When I compared those foods with what most people eat on a keto diet, I was rather shocked!

Since low-carb recipes and menus are chock-full of nightshade foods, I decided to put together this in-depth guide to help you understand what nightshades are, where you'll find them hidden in your diet, and how to eliminate them from your keto lifestyle if you need to.

What are the Symptoms of Nightshade Sensitivity or Allergy?

This is going to be a basic nightshade primer, which I'm hoping you will find helpful, especially since nightshade sensitivity is more common among keto dieters than I thought. Many people have trouble with vegetables and spices that belong to the nightshade family.

If you are not losing weight on low carb and you have the following symptoms, you might be sensitive to nightshades:

• autoimmune conditions
• leaky gut syndrome
• aches and pains
• arthritis flare-ups
• sensitivity to weather changes
• fibromyalgia
• early morning stiffness in muscles and joints
• heartburn
• insomnia
• cuts and bruises that don't heal quickly

If so, your body can see nightshades as poison and launch an immune response against them. It's the immune response that results in inflammation and the uncomfortable-to-painful symptoms.

However, nightshades themselves are toxic.

What are Nightshades?

The nightshade family is botanically known as the Solanaceae species. These vegetables are toxic because they contain a high level of:

• alkaloids
• lectins
• saponin
• capsaicin

They also contain other problematic substances. These substances help to protect the plants against insects and other predators.

There are over 2,000 plant species in this family, but luckily, most of them are not edible. For the most part, nightshades are not dangerous. But their toxicity does cause inflammation and pain in those with:

1. immune issues
2. an unhealthy gut flora
3. or nightshade allergy and sensitivities

List of Nightshade Foods

The most popular vegetables, fruits, and spices in this family are as follows:

• potatoes
• eggplant
• tomatoes, including tomatillos
• sweet bell peppers and pimentos
• spicy hot peppers, such as jalapeno or cayenne peppers
• all chili-based spices (not cumin, just the pepper kind)
• non-hot peppers, such as paprika (black and white pepper is okay)
• garden huckleberries (not standard huckleberries)
• ground cherries (not regular cherries)
• cape gooseberries (not regular gooseberries or blueberries)
• pepinos
• goji berries
• tobacco

At first glance, this list might make you think that it's no big deal, except for maybe the smoking.

Potatoes and those strange-sounding fruits should be easy to avoid on a keto diet. Tomatoes and peppers are a bit tougher, but still should be relatively easy to side step. You can't accidentally eat a pepper or tomato.

However, looks can be deceiving.

Where do Nightshades Hide?

We're not talking about just avoiding a potato, tomato, or chili powder-based spice, such as paprika or seasoned salt, even though you do have to do that. To keep yourself safe, you also have to:

• watch for potato starch in pre-grated cheeses
• avoid the brands of yeast grown from potatoes
• never eat fresh fruits and vegetables waxed with shellac
• give up sugar-reduced catsup
• avoid all types of tomato sauces
• stir clear of barbecue sauce
• avoid Palmitate Vitamin A in margarine and milk

And never go near anything on a food label that says:

• starch
• vegetable starch
• modified food starch
• flavors
• natural flavoring
• spices
• vegetable protein

If any of these generic ingredients are on the label, you have to check with the manufacturer before eating it to see if those ingredients contain nightshades, particularly potato starch and paprika. 

Basically, all processed foods and many fresh fruits and vegetables are suspect, including low-carb products.

Low-Carbing Without Nightshades

(*Disclaimer: Even though I have several autoimmune diseases, I do not avoid nightshades. The connection between autoimmune problems and nightshades is something that I have only been recently introduced to. I was asked about them by a reader, and after doing research, I realized that this was an important topic to share here. 

I have tried to make the information below as accurate as possible. If it's not, please feel free to correct me in the comments. I would greatly appreciate that, so I can correct any inaccuracies.)

The easiest way to follow a keto diet without including nightshade vegetables, fruits, and spices is to first look over the list of acceptable foods for Induction found in Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution. (It is still available at Amazon.)

Alternatively, you can also take a trip to the official Atkins website and look at the foods allowed in Phase 1 of the new Atkins 20 Program. I also have a partial list of the most popular foods people eat on the 2002 version of Induction in our article on how to do Atkins Induction correctly.

From these food lists, you can create a new low-carb food list that eliminates what you can't have.

This new list will greatly simplify the process of eliminating nightshades for you. However, keep in mind that these lists are only for Induction. There are additional keto food choices that you can make that are not found on those lists.

Meat, Eggs, and Cheese:

I often buy block aged cheddar cheese and cut up
my own cheese sticks.

Fresh meats and eggs should be nightshade free. 

For cheese, simply buy the block type and grate it or slice it up yourself. This will eliminate the possibility of potato starch being used to help keep the cheese from clumping. I often cut up my own cheese sticks, as well.

Meats are regulated by the USDA, which requires a product that contains any type of grain to have that grain listed on the label. This is also true for natural flavorings. Nightshades are not a grain, so you do have to ask the manufacturer about natural flavorings or spices found in frozen meats or meat products.

The term "spices" almost always includes paprika.

Also, watch out for cured meats:

• ham
• sausage
• seafood
• imitation seafood
• luncheon meats

Paprika is normally added to foods to improve the color.

Luckily, in the U.S., most flavorings are corn or barley based, but with gluten-free diets becoming more popular, potato starch is becoming more common in processed foods than it used to be.

For example, many packages of pre-grated cheeses contain potato starch, and starch is also found in some taco seasoning mixes instead of wheat flour.

American cheese slices (even the real American cheese that doesn't come in individually wrapped slices) contain milk, so you would have to contact the manufacturer to find out if they use Vitamin A fortified milk, and whether that Vitamin A was made from potatoes or not.

Meat, eggs, and cheese are the mainstay of a ketogenic diet. They are the center or focal point of your meal.

However, you don't have to eat eggs for breakfast and meat for lunch and dinner. Toss out the out-dated notion that there are breakfast foods, luncheon foods, and dinner foods. That will make planning your meals so much easier.

Last night, I made a large chicken, cheese, and green onion omelet for dinner with a lettuce salad on the side.

Salads and Dressings: 

The cherry tomato is obviously out. Also watch out
for any waxed vegetables like cucumbers.

Cucumbers are waxed, but they can easily be peeled. Other salad vegetables, such as:

• lettuce
• celery
• radishes
• green onions
• and mushrooms

are never waxed. Tomatoes are obviously out, but if you think about the types of items you would find at a salad bar, the possibilities for fresh summer salads are endless:

• bacon bits
• raw sunflower seeds
• minced hard-boiled eggs
• minced fresh cilantro or gingerroot

All of these would add interest to a boring salad. Try to think outside the box:

• cold black soy beans
• fresh spinach
• grated carrots
• cubed avocado
• sliced olives
• radishes
• snap peas
• dried cranberries
• blueberries
• and strawberries

are all nightshade free.

Salad dressings are a bit harder. Our favorite dressing is a homemade Thousand Island dressing, which contains catsup, so it is not nightshade free. However, there are dozens of ways to make tasty, low-carb dressings that don't contain catsup.

A caesar salad dressing, for example, is just:

• lemon or lime juice
• mustard
• mayonnaise
• some sugar substitute
• and a bit of salt and black pepper

While you do have to watch the type of mustard and mayo you use (some include paprika), you can easily make your own yellow mustard. Or try substituting some horseradish instead.

Dry mustard is also nightshade free, the same as oriental hot mustard powder. Oriental mustard can sometimes be found in the oriental section of your local grocery store or at Amazon.

Homemade mayonnaise is very easy to make, if you can't find a safe brand, and a lot more healthy than the prepared kind, anyway, since you can use a different oil other than vegetable oil or GMO canola.

 

Blue cheese dressing is simply mayonnaise and sour cream mixed together with bits of cheese. Watch out for paprika in the mayo or starches on the label of the sour cream.

A lemon dressing is lemon juice, some grated rind (make sure the lemon wasn't waxed), a little sugar substitute, salt, black pepper, and olive oil.

You can even take an avocado and whip it up in the blender with some lemon juice, garlic, mustard, onions, fresh parsley, salt, and black pepper.

Other Vegetables: 

Green beans are one of our favorite
low-carb veggies.

Look over the list of acceptable vegetables, and pick out the ones you like. We are partial to:

• asparagus
• green beans
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• mushrooms
• brussels sprouts
• cabbage
• onions
• pumpkin
• spinach
• summer squash

These particular keto vegetables are not waxed in our area, but if they do happen to be waxed, you can always use frozen or canned varieties instead.

Salads are delicious made with:

• cold steamed broccoli
• green beans
• spinach
• mushrooms
• chopped red onions
• and even asparagus

Try serving them with a rich cheese sauce or creamy-based alfredo. Just make sure your cream cheese is starch free and use heavy cream instead of milk. Heavy cream is not fortified.

Instead of your typical potato or macaroni salad for summer, try combining several vegetables that you like really well, and then toss in some spice-free mayonnaise, lemon juice, and safe herbs. You can also use a homemade Italian dressing.

While Italian dressing mix is low carb, be aware that it does contain wheat, so it is not suitable for a gluten-free diet.

Many low carbers love their vegetables roasted. Spritz with a little olive oil and bake in the oven until they are as tender or charred as you like them. An oil sprayer works similar to non-stick cooking sprays, but since you fill them with your own oil, you don't have worry about the chemicals.

Simple stir-fries are another way to keep yourself nightshade free. They can be made with a wide variety of meats, vegetables, oil, and soy sauce. If you like your sauce sweet, just toss in a little sugar substitute, some minced garlic, and some minced fresh ginger.

Herbs and Spices: 

I use a lot of rosemary, basil, and cilantro in my cooking,
but you can also use garlic or freshly minced ginger
without having to worry.

Learning to cook without nightshade spices can be a bit different at first, especially if you are used to spicy food like we are. But the trick is to not be afraid to experiment. We normally use a lot of seasoning salt, but seasoning salt is made with paprika, so that's out.

Try basic herbs such as:

• basil
• cilantro
• dill weed
• freshly minced ginger (it's fantastic in chicken soup)
• oregano
• rosemary
• sage
• tarragon
• garlic powder
• or thyme

on your meats and vegetables.

Cumin is the characteristic spice of Mexican-based dishes, and since it's not a pepper, you can use it freely. 

Stick to single-packed spices and make up your own combinations. Also, take advantage of healthy cinnamon, allspice, or flavorful extracts in your protein shakes and smoothies.

Seek out recipes for spice mixtures, such as this Nightshade Free Curry mixture, or use a regular recipe and simply eliminate the spices with nightshades. You can also substitute with something else.

Experimentation is the key.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Try something new. My hubby doesn't cook using a recipe. He simply opens up the spice or herb jar and smells it, to see if it might be something he may want to try in a pot of soup or beans.

That may or may not work out well for you, but you'll never know if you don't give it a shot.

Living Without Nightshades

Living without nightshades can be difficult at first if you're used to eating lots of Mexican food, curries, chilies, and processed foods, but if you're suffering with:

• joint pain
• arthritis
• or fibromyalgia

it will be well worth the effort to switch to a low-carb diet that is free of nightshade vegetables, fruits, and spices.