Don’t eat the Petunias

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Posted by jacadmin on Dec 7, 2011 in Nutrition | 0 comments

If you are feeling irritated chances are that you are eating something that’s just not quite right for your system.

Sense tells you that you should be eating fruit and veg, complex carbohydrates, drinking more water and adding good oils. But what do you go and do?

Eat rubbish, fast foods, crisps, sugary foods, dairy and other junk.

These are the most obvious to start cutting out.

What if there were foods you considered good foods that were possibly not that good for you either?

That source could be from the nightshade family of plants, which includes potatoes, tomatoes, aubergines, peppers paprika, tobacco and petunias. These vegetables contain a chemical alkaloid, which can trigger pain and irritation in some people.

The alkaloid is called nicotine, although it may be named solanine (potatoes), tomatine (tomatoes), alpha-solanine (aubergine) or solanadine (chillies and capsicums).

Alkaloids are chemicals made from plants, the most common are caffeine, morphine, opium, quinine, cocaine and nicotine (stuff ending in ine)
It is toxic in even small quantities
Toxic symptoms are usually gastrointestinal or nerve related
People with arthritis may be sensitive to these alkaloids
These alkaloids are designed to be a plant defence mechanism to stop animals eating them

Food tips

Never eat green or sprouted potatoes and store them in a dark place
Eat properly ripened tomatoes

Think about the foods you are addicted to, chips possibly? More chips anyone? What does that tell you? Is it time to step away from the nightshades?

How will you know?

It can take up to 48 hours for a reaction to this toxin. The best way to find out is to completely eliminate all foods from this group and then introduce just one and wait to see what happens.

I have read that it can take up to six months for all reactions to disappear. And like all foods, you may be more susceptible to some and not all of these foods. So chances are it will be a long slow process to find out which you can or can’t eat.