Dr. Steven Gundry and the nightshade "not" diet....

[sheryl]

Dr. Steven Gundry suggests avoiding 3 "super foods".  Apparently, the "nightshade" foods contain lectins.  Gee, I don't know that much about any of this.

 

I'm still trying to figure out the nightshade family but I think it contains tomatoes, bell peppers and many other kinds of peppers and the list goes on. 

 

The more I research, the more I turn up other forbidden foods as well.  And, on one google search results page a link appeared describing the "blood type diet" - each blood type has categories of foods to eat and not eat.

 

OY!  What's left to eat anyway?

 

Has anyone heard of this?  Any dieticians care to reply? :)

 

 

[Liz CA]

I have heard of the blood type diet. I have not had time to look at any scientific data but I looked at the chart for my blood type and with a few exceptions it's pretty much what I like to eat and feel best when eating. Could be pure coincidence, though. Dh is a meat eater and he is blood type O and that seems to fit as well.

 

Nighthshades like tomatoes and eggplants (? are those in the nightshade family?) supposedly can cause inflammation. I have not noticed this in a big way. I eat tomatoes seasonably when they grow here but not necessarily year round. Some people are outright allergic to them.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Frankly I think a lot of it is absolute bunk.  Not always and every time (before anyone gets mad I said this).  Just, a person could make themselves crazy over this stuff and most of it has zero proof that it does anything. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

double post

 

 

Edited July 23, 2017 by SparklyUnicorn

[Jean in Newcastle]

Avoiding nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell and chili peppers, acai berries, gooseberries, tomatillos, and tobacco) is a common autoimmune diet that is said to especially help arthritis symptoms.

 

 

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[SparklyUnicorn]

I have heard of the blood type diet. I have not had time to look at any scientific data but I looked at the chart for my blood type and with a few exceptions it's pretty much what I like to eat and feel best when eating. Could be pure coincidence, though. Dh is a meat eater and he is blood type O and that seems to fit as well.

 

Nighthshades like tomatoes and eggplants (? are those in the nightshade family?) supposedly can cause inflammation. I have not noticed this in a big way. I eat tomatoes seasonably when they grow here but not necessarily year round. Some people are outright allergic to them.

 

I once looked at my blood type diet.  I don't think there was one thing on it I liked at all.  LOL

[sheryl]

So I don't bore anyone with this topic, I did post recently (I think) about the blood type diet specifically.  But, I'm reading about this Dr. Gundry and why he says the lectins in nightshade foods are bad. 

 

I really don't get this.  Tomatoes have other healthy compounds.  "Hot" pepper family found in Asian and Latin foods are supposed to be a no-no.  We like both of these cuisines.  And, our Italian foods richly based in tomatoes. 

 

Oh well.....

 

He said soy and Gogi berries are 2 of the 3 super foods not healthy for people.   Don't remember the other one.  Just google it, if interested. :)

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I was responding to the avoiding nightshades part. Both Dd and I have problems with nightshades. Both of us have autoimmune problems.

 

Re the blood type diet. I have heard of it. I don't think much of it.

 

 

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[Jean in Newcastle]

So I don't bore anyone with this topic, I did post recently (I think) about the blood type diet specifically. But, I'm reading about this Dr. Gundry and why he says the lectins in nightshade foods are bad.

 

I really don't get this. Tomatoes have other healthy compounds. "Hot" pepper family found in Asian and Latin foods are supposed to be a no-no. We like both of these cuisines. And, our Italian foods richly based in tomatoes.

 

Oh well.....

 

He said soy and Gogi berries are 2 of the 3 super foods not healthy for people. Don't remember the other one. Just google it, if interested. :)

Do you have a problem with inflammation and/or arthritis? If not, don't worry about it.

[sheryl]

Well, not necessarily arthritis but I do think it wise for anyone to watch foods that may contribute to inflammation.  But, still, I just can't see eliminating some of these foods b/c they have other nutrients in them that are beneficial.  

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Well, not necessarily arthritis but I do think it wise for anyone to watch foods that may contribute to inflammation. But, still, I just can't see eliminating some of these foods b/c they have other nutrients in them that are beneficial.

Yes. But it's a matter of cost-benefit. Some people have a higher cost than a benefit from certain foods. But most people get more benefit from them. It sounds like you are in the category of people who get more benefit.

[Liz CA]

 

He said soy and Gogi berries are 2 of the 3 super foods not healthy for people.   Don't remember the other one.  Just google it, if interested. :)

 

I knew that soy was controversial but didn't know about gogi berries.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Gogi berries are another nightshade. I tend to forget some of these more esoteric nightshades though they are much more well known and used now.

 

 

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[JennyD]

I read a profile of Tom Brady some time back and apparently he (and wife Gisele Bundchen) follow an extremely stringent diet that excludes nightshades  -- along with lots of other things.  

 

Then my BIL started subscribing to some meal delivery service -- Purple Carrot, maybe? -- that is specifically marketed as being the Tom Brady diet.

 

 

[Crimson Wife]

My youngest sees an integrative neurodevelopmental pediatrician who did a fellowship at Dr. Andrew Weil's clinic and now is a professor at UC San Francisco medical school. He had me try a series of different diets including cutting out nightshades to see if any of them helped. None of them helped beyond the gluten- and casein-free diet we'd already had her on.

 

So I think that while SOME people may be sensitive to nightshades, they're certainly not something that EVERYONE needs to cut out.

[Hen]

I"m listening to the bullet proof diet book right now and he mentions nightshade family foods, mostly related to inflammation. The advice I'm getting seems to be to cut it for two weeks then add them in and see if any bother you. 

[klmama]

A friend's dh had had rheumatoid arthritis for years, and he was really struggling even with meds.  He found a new doctor who put him on a special diet that excluded nightshade plants and wine.  I don't recall the rest of the diet, but I think it involved carbs for dinner and protein/veggies for breakfast.  I'm sure there was more to it than that.  Whatever it was, I know they thought excluding nightshades and wine were significant for his recovery.  He went back to his rheumatologist, who called it "remission" and said his symptoms would come back... but he's been "in remission" now for 15 very active years with no problems whatsoever.  

[SerenityNow]

I definitely have problems with nightshades.  I can eat a small amount, but if I eat too many all of my joints become stiff and painful.  Starts with pain in my hips when I'm trying to sleep, and eventually moves into my elbows, spine and hands.  Removing them from my diet makes the stiffness go away in just a day or two.  I've repeated the cycle so many times that there's no doubt in my mind that nightshades are the problem.  (And yes, I'm a slow learner.  A slow learner with a weakness for spaghetti sauce and potato chips!)

[dsmith]

When I decided to change my diet to see if it would help with my autoimmune issues I kept reading about nightshades, but I didn't want to give them up. What I have given up has made me feel better overall, but I'm not sure if it is helping or not with my autoimmune diseases. It's possible that in the future I may try eliminating them temporarily to see if I feel any better and then slowly testing them to see how I feel. I did that with eggs and soy. I react to eggs but I can eat small amounts of soy. Gluten was the big one for inflammation in my case. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

When I decided to change my diet to see if it would help with my autoimmune issues I kept reading about nightshades, but I didn't want to give them up. What I have given up has made me feel better overall, but I'm not sure if it is helping or not with my autoimmune diseases. It's possible that in the future I may try eliminating them temporarily to see if I feel any better and then slowly testing them to see how I feel. I did that with eggs and soy. I react to eggs but I can eat small amounts of soy. Gluten was the big one for inflammation in my case.

Unfortunately it doesn't always work. I went off nightshades totally for months. I still had (and have) daily pain. I actually avoid them now but have some on occasion. Why do I still avoid them? I guess because my Dd has very definite reactions to nightshades and it feels better to be doing "something " for my own situation.