I am mentioning these items here, because when we think of allergies and allergic reactions, we think of the more common types ( peanuts, grain/gluten, lactose etc). I never would have considered these. A list of those items are below this post. Might this impact on you, as well???
On January 4th of this year I embarked on a 30 Day Elimination Diet Challenge. I eliminated
- ( -) anything and everything processed, packaged or boxed/treated in any way.
- ( + ) that meant I was organic all the way!!!! If it looked like it had been grown or hacked off an animal, I was in.
- ( – )ALL grains. And grain products. EVERYTHING. (wheat, barley, oats etc – when I say everything I mean exactly that – EVERYTHING!!!)
- ( – ) coffee, tea, green tea, sodas AND diet sodas. Chemical and pretend sugar is just as bad!!!!
- ( + ) lots and lots of water, herbal teas, a squeeze of lemon or lime in water,
- ( – ) most fruit ( and limited the amount I had, monitoring carefully because they contain natural sugars
- ( – ) sugar. Processed, unprocessed, honey, agave or maple, even sugar-like things like stevia and natura. Nothing processed like lollies either. No chocolate.
What followed was 4 days of utter and complete sheer physical and mental hell.
I kid you not. HELL. Sweats, shakes, aches, flu-like symptoms.
And after day 4, it was like a miracle occurred. Focus, mental clarity, drive, and the rave can go on….. and on.
At the end of 30 days:
- I was OVER 10 kilos lighter and had not counted a single calorie or gone hungry once.
- I was exercising 4 times a day for no more than 20 minutes.
- My skin had the clarity of a teenager. Each and every blemish and spot was gone.
- The rosacea my family informed me I was doomed to – because it is in the dna, was GONE.
- For the last 6 years I had issues with ankle and knee joints. Not so much pain, but they would give out under me. Not any more!!!! I skipped u and down flights of stairs with no issues.
- I went down fully two dress sizes and that downward trend has continued.
At the end of my initial 30 days, I tried half a piece of bread and found two very important things. The first was that I bloated and had a blinding headache. So, I chose to keep grains out, and after a teaspoon of spagetti sauce, I saw my skin redden and mar.
I chose to commit myself to following this lifestyle to enhance my health and quality of life because it worked with my body.
I have linked the diet I trialled above and here, if you wish to do this yourself. This has changed my life.
Nightshade-family vegetables:
Eggplant, peppers (bell peppers, cayenne, chili peppers, paprika), potatoes, and tomatoes.
I have discovered ONLY by eliminating most of these from my diet ( Is till have some paprika and chili but admittedly nothing like the quantities I have consumed in tomatoes and peppers over the years ( my own tomato sauce recipe for pasta consists of tomato paste, fresh tomatoes and canned pureed tomatoes…. (enough said). Solanine, a slightly toxic substance found in nightshades, doesn’t harm most people. However, it isn’t detoxified properly by some people; this is a genetic difference. Those folks get joint pain that may be diagnosed as arthritis, and muscular pain from nightshades. They may need to stay off of these foods for a few weeks or months to clear the solanine from their system.
Tobacco is in the nightshade family too, so it causes pain in the same way. Tobacco has never been an issue for me, because I don’t smoke at all and never have.
Constipation or diarrhea, depression, tiredness, weight gain, headaches, joint pain, PMS — these and other low-grade, chronic reactions may be the result of one or more common food allergies or sensitivities. Along with peanuts, coffee, oranges, sugar, chocolate, eggs, soy, corn and milk (and milk products such as cheese), the nightshade family can trigger any of these reactions.
Food allergies or sensitivities can trigger painful flare-ups in 20 – 60% of people with arthritis, according to a study published in Arthritis Today. (Dunkin, 1999). There are reports that belladonna [a nightshade] may cause decreased perspiration, vomiting, decreased flow of breast milk, headache, excitement, agitation, dizziness, lightheadedness, drowsiness, unsteadiness, abdominal distention, reduced saliva, muscle tremor, rigidity, leg cramps, blurred vision, sensitivity to sunlight, slurred or meaningless speech, increased action of reflexes, high blood pressure, increased heart rate, abnormal heart rhythm, skin rash, dry skin, hives, rapid breathing, hallucinations, psychotic behavior, respiratory arrest, convulsions and coma.
Less well know, but equally genuine nightshade foods include ground cherries (all species of Physalis), tomatillos (Physallis ixocapra), garden huckleberry (Solanum melanocerasum), tamarillos (Cyphomandra betacea), pepinos (Solanum muricatum), and naranjillas (Solanum quitoense). Pimentos (also called pimientos) belong to the nightshade family, and usually come from the pepper plant Capsicum annum. Pimento cheese and pimento-stuffed olives are therefore examples of foods that should be classified as containing nightshade components.