(From the book THE ASTHMA CURE by Tarika Ahuja)

The term ‘Nightshade vegetables’ is not very common, and their ill effects on health have recently been studied. It is found that eliminating nightshade vegetables can be highly helpful in managing diseases such as gastrointestinal issues, arthritis, lung problems, acid reflux, heartburn, eczema, asthma, etc. 

What Are Nightshade Vegetables?

Nightshade vegetables are used on a daily basis in many households, sometimes as much as three to six helpings each day. They come from the Solanaceae plant family. These include tomatoes, potatoes (but not sweet potatoes and yam), sweet and hot peppers (but not black pepper), and eggplants. Tobacco and certain berries are also nightshade vegetables. 

Effects Of Nightshade Vegetables On Your Health

Consuming such vegetables may contribute to acidity, inflammation, mineral depletion, and disturbance of the digestive and nervous functions. They are also not good for people who have auto-immune disorders, arthritis, asthma, and food sensitivities.

1. Impact On Bones & Immune System: These vegetables contain substances such as calcitriol and alkaloids. Calcitriol increases the amount of calcium in the blood and leeches calcium from the bones. Eating a lot of nightshade vegetables contributes to excessive calcium deposits in the tendons, kidneys, and circulatory system. This interferes with the functioning of the immune system. 

2. Cause Inflammation & Acidity: Alkaloids have a drug-like relaxing effect on the body. There is a reason why potato chips and tomato ketchup, or extra tomatoes in curries, make them delicious and relaxing. But such vegetables, in the long run, contribute to acidity, inflammation, nerve damage and mineral depletion. 

3. Cause Toxin Accumulation: Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants have a soft or hollow centre. This contributes to making the human core and abdomen, which is a very sensitive area, soft and weak. These vegetables also contain seeds that tilt the pH of blood towards the acidic side, hence enabling toxin accumulation and the development of many diseases. 

4. Impact on Lungs & Respiratory System: Excessive consumption of these vegetables also contributes to inflammation in the lungs and respiratory tract. While small quantities may not affect a person, having them daily is detrimental to healing asthma or any other lung-related disease.

Sometimes people don’t understand the impact of these vegetables unless they go off them completely for around two months. Reintroducing one of these vegetables after two months makes the impact clear. I find tomatoes, peppers and eggplants to be more harmful to people with asthma and respiratory disorders than potatoes. 

Ayurveda understood the effect of these vegetables on our bodies long ago and considers them to be toxic (in other words, toxin accumulating or acidic for blood). Therefore, it is best to stay away from nightshades for better health - especially, if you have any of the above-mentioned health problems. Of course, some of these vegetables may be used occasionally but are not recommended for daily or weekly use.

Avoiding nightshade vegetables is one of the several things that you should do for healthy lungs and respiratory system. To know more about the ‘Healthy Lungs Diet’ join the e-learning program by Tarika Ahuja - Boost Your Lung Health & Immunity

About Author: TARIKA AHUJA is the best-selling wellness author, certified Macrobiotic health coach, Ayurvedic chef, and an international speaker-educator with over 15 years of experience in natural wellness. Tarika has in-depth knowledge of lung health and has written a book on the subject - THE ASTHMA CURE (published with Penguin India), which is a relevant and indispensable book for this time & age.