4 Myths About Nightshade Vegetables
Some popular diets suggest avoiding eggplants, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. They're wrong! Sometimes even vegetables get a bad rap Take the nightshade vegetables or Solanaceae, a plant family that includes eggplant, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes. (The term ‘nightshade’ may have been coined because some of these plants prefer to grow in shady areas, and some flower at night.) An online search of ‘nightshade vegetables’ yields results linking them to a host of health ailments from arthritis to migraines. Naturopaths sometimes recommend that people with arthritis avoid nightshades. And Patricia J. Wales, a naturopathic doctor in Calgary, says naturopaths may suggest that people with osteoarthritis eliminate nightshades. These vegetables are also excluded from certain eating plans. Dr. Joshi’s Holistic Detox — endorsed by Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Moss — claims nightshades are related to poison ivy and potentially poisonous. ‘But poison ivy isn’t even i