Nightshades like eggplants, peppers and tomatoes have a bad reputation. From the name alone, nightshades already sound ominous. Some people experience digestive issues as well as aches and pains when eating these types of foods. But before you plan on omitting these foods from your diet, you should learn more about how nightshades can affect your gut.

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What are nightshades?

Nightshades are fruits and vegetable that belongs in the plant family Solanaceae. With more than 2,500 plant species, most Solanaceae are inedible and are mostly used in the form of medicine. But aside from that, there are also nightshades that are edible, which includes the following:

• Tomatoes
• Eggplants
• Potatoes
• Peppers
• Tomatillos
• Pimentos
• Huckleberries
• Husk cherries
• Goji berries

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What chemicals are found in nightshades?

Most of the issues that are linked to eating nightshades are blamed on glycoalkaloids. Glycoalkaloids are derived from sugar and alkaloids. Alkaloids are chemical compounds that contains nitrogen atoms with acidic properties. Most of the fruits and vegetables in the nightshade family have the highest concentration of alkaloids in the skin, even more so if it's not ripe.

Solanine is known as a glycoalkaloid poison used by plants as their natural defense mechanism. It helps ward off any insects and diseases. Once a person becomes ill from eating old or rotting potatoes, it could be due to the presence of solanine. Solanine starts appearing in potatoes once they start growing sprouts and turning bright green under the skin.

Nightshades, and many other plants, also contains lectins. Lectins are plant proteins that can have a strong reaction to the cell membranes of the body, which increases their ability to penetrate cell walls. This will cause allergic reactions to certain types of food.

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Nightshades and your gut

How do nightshades affect your gut? Well, having a healthy gut can take on alkaloids just fine, just as long as you don't eat in irregularly high doses. There is little evidence that nightshades should be eliminated from your diet if you are healthy and can easily digest them without experiencing any side effects.

However, there are also people who can't tolerate nightshades. They can't digest them properly and they start showing some negative reactions. These side effects would include bloating, diarrhea, gas, nausea, heartburn and joint pain due to inflammation.

There are many factors why a person is intolerant to nightshades since each of us has a unique digestive system. However, research suggests that the underlying issues could be the reason for one's intolerance to nightshades. For example, if you already have a pre-existing digestive issue like Crohn's disease or an autoimmune disease, then nightshades can worsen the irritation that you're feeling. In this case, acidic alkaloids can damage the cells lining the intestinal tract, which could to intestinal permeability or leaky gut syndrome.

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How to manage nightshades in your diet

So, should you cut off any nightshades from your diet? The best thing to do is for you to keep a detailed food log. If you're experiencing any symptoms after eating certain types of foods that are nightshades, then maintain a record of what you ate, the symptoms you've experienced and relay it to your healthcare provider. This will help you manage your diet and for you to find out if nightshades are bad for you.

For more information on nightshades or if you want to get assessed regarding this matter, you can contact Dr. Alex Tam of Vacaville. He currently works at the top chiropractic and holistic clinic in the Solano county so you can be sure that your health will always be in good hands.