What are Nightshades?
Nightshade vegetables are part of the Solanaceae plant family. Here are the main edible nightshade members that you need to be familiar with:
Some people have a sensitivity to nightshade plants. Most nightshades contain high levels of salicylates, amines and natural glutamates which can cause pain and skin inflammation in sensitive individuals. More than 60% of people with eczema react to salicylates in foods and their eczema clears up when they avoid salicylate-rich foods.
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
- Aubergine
- Peppers
- Chilli plants
- Goji berries
- Gooseberries
Some people have a sensitivity to nightshade plants. Most nightshades contain high levels of salicylates, amines and natural glutamates which can cause pain and skin inflammation in sensitive individuals. More than 60% of people with eczema react to salicylates in foods and their eczema clears up when they avoid salicylate-rich foods.
Eliminating Nightshades
It`s important for eczema sufferers to find out what foods trigger or worsen their symptoms and the best way of doing that is an elimination diet. This is where certain food groups are removed for a period of time. Over that time, you monitor your symptoms carefully and look for improvements.
After a certain amount of time, you can try to reintroduce the food groups and see how your symptoms respond. For some people, they will want to carry on omitting the food groups long-term. For others, as their immune response improves, they may be able to tolerate them in small, infrequent amounts.
Initially, you should remove ALL nightshade plants from your diet for a period of 6 weeks. Whilst doing this, it is important to make sure that you are getting enough vitamin C from other fruits and vegetables. Don`t forget, you should be aiming to have at least 5 portions of vegetables per day, plus two fruits.
After 6 weeks, you may be happy with how your symptoms have responded and not want to reintroduce these vegetables at all. On the other hand, you may be missing them and want to try a gradual return of them. If this is the case, you should wait until you are not having a flare up of symptoms for 3 days or more and then try just a small amount... around 1 or 2 cherry tomatoes or a quarter of a pepper. Don`t try any more than that for a further 3 or 4 days. Over this time, take careful note of your symptoms. You can repeat the process if you have no flare ups and double the amount. Continue with this system until you can see whether you can tolerate the items properly.
If you did get a flare up of symptoms, you should remove this food group once more and try again in 6 months time. If you persistently get a flare up when trying the foods, you should avoid them all together.
After a certain amount of time, you can try to reintroduce the food groups and see how your symptoms respond. For some people, they will want to carry on omitting the food groups long-term. For others, as their immune response improves, they may be able to tolerate them in small, infrequent amounts.
Initially, you should remove ALL nightshade plants from your diet for a period of 6 weeks. Whilst doing this, it is important to make sure that you are getting enough vitamin C from other fruits and vegetables. Don`t forget, you should be aiming to have at least 5 portions of vegetables per day, plus two fruits.
After 6 weeks, you may be happy with how your symptoms have responded and not want to reintroduce these vegetables at all. On the other hand, you may be missing them and want to try a gradual return of them. If this is the case, you should wait until you are not having a flare up of symptoms for 3 days or more and then try just a small amount... around 1 or 2 cherry tomatoes or a quarter of a pepper. Don`t try any more than that for a further 3 or 4 days. Over this time, take careful note of your symptoms. You can repeat the process if you have no flare ups and double the amount. Continue with this system until you can see whether you can tolerate the items properly.
If you did get a flare up of symptoms, you should remove this food group once more and try again in 6 months time. If you persistently get a flare up when trying the foods, you should avoid them all together.
