Nightshades Causing Joint Pain and Flares
I’ve finally figured out one of my main flare and joint pain triggers! Nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers) cause joint pain for me as soon as 2 hours after eating them. I went into a major flare after I ate chicken tortilla soup (lots of tomato) leftovers for almost a week. I find that I can still have a very little bit of nightshades at a time, but the effect compounds the more I have. It appears that the more nightshades I have, the more joint pain I get, and then enough of the joint inflammation can lead to a full body flare of fatigue and other issues.
A trick I’ve found is to ask for the marinara sauce on the side when ordering pizza, so I can have less of it and just use it for a little flavor with dipping. I found that I didn’t even need to use much at all to get some marinara flavor and it won’t affect me this way. Sweet potatoes aren’t considered a nightshade, so I also enjoy eating sweet potato fries instead of regular fries now. I can still have a few regular fries, but I do better if I limit them to just a couple.
All this to say, potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers are common, and add a lot of flavor and substance to dishes. I’m learning how to cook and eat out without them. Please let me know if anyone has any tips with this. I think onion could be an acidic substitute for tomatoes in dishes, and sweet potatoes a filling substitute for regular potatoes in dishes.
I hope this post helps someone else struggling with joint pain and inflammation. I don’t have rheumatoid arthritis (although nightshade sensitivity is common with this)—just Sjögren’s and Celiac disease, and this is the biggest dietary difference (besides gluten) that I’ve noticed. This simple discovery has made a significant difference in my quality of life!