I thought it was time to tell you a little about my personal history with arthritis and nightshades. It's been 14 years of discovery, along with recovery. I'd like to share a passage from my book, Caroline's No Nightshade Kitchen. My goal has been, and still is, to help others who suffer from arthritis and other related illnesses. I've shared many of my recipes on this blog, but this is the serious side to my mission.
Be well,
Caroline
In 2001, I was visiting a friend who has a medical background and is knowledgeable about many types of alternative healthcare. She noticed my bright red, swollen hands, and asked if I knew anything about nightshade plants and how they can affect arthritis. She explained that the nightshade family of plants (tomatoes, peppers, white potatoes, and eggplant) were proven to severely affect some people who have arthritis. Of course, I thought she was crazy. I couldn't believe giving up many of the foods I enjoyed could or would make a difference.
But because the pain had been so severe for three years, and I was truly desperate for relief, she convinced me to change my diet for four weeks to see what might happen. Giving up tomatoes, peppers, white potatoes, and eggplant was a serious endeavor for me, because these four categories of food were the mainstay in most of my cooking. I loved to cook and I especially loved tomatoes, peppers, and hot spices.
As I looked at my daily diet, I found that all three meals were especially prominent in tomatoes and peppers, the spicier the better. I could eat jalapenos and Thai chili paste with the best of them. Could I live without these amazing flavors? Could I sustain a food plan that would limit these choices? I wasn't sure, but I was desperate and didn't have anything to lose, except a little time without nightshades. I began this experiment the next day, but with little hope it would lessen my pain. But to my delight and surprise, the pain went completely away in 3 days. And as long as I stayed away from nightshade plants, the pain stayed away.
If you even think you may have a sensitivity to nightshade foods, I hope you'll try the test for eliminating these foods, found on an earlier post on this blog. Let me know what you think and what kind of reaction you have. I've said all along, nightshades don't affect everyone with arthritis, but it does affect many of us. You don't have to buy anything, you don't have to take a pill, you just have to try eliminating nightshades from your diet for a few days, or possibly a few weeks. What if it did make a difference?
My very best wishes,
Caroline
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