Is There a Connection between Potatoes and Arthritis?

 

Alkaloids in Potatoes and Tomatoes

   Part 2
 Last time I wrote about alkaloids in certain members of the vegetable family that may affect people with arthritis. Catch up here.

Cooking Alters Alkaloids

Now here is the good news. If you cook these vegetables - potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant or peppers, then this destroys 40-50% of the alkaloids. So my Mum was able to get away a little bit with eating the tomatoes in her soup as they had been cooked. Raw tomatoes would have been much worse for her.

An easy way to tell if the potatoes in your cupboard are likely to have excess alkaloid in them is to check if they are green or sprouting. Always remove sprouted areas before cooking and if there are lots of sprouts on a potato then throw it away or plant it in your garden. This way you can grow your own fresh potatoes for the rest of your family in six months.

Tobacco

Tobacco, although not a nightshade, has alkaloids in it. Remember that the next time you light up a cigarette, especially if you have arthritis.

There is a substance in the Solanaceae family of plants that blocks activity in an enzyme in nerve cells. This can affect the nervous system control of muscle movement and you can get twitching, trembling and paralyzed breathing or convulsions.

Inflammation and Arthritis

The joints can become inflamed after eating potatoes and/or tomatoes or capsicum and is recommended to eliminate any member of this family group of plants from your diet if you suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or other joint problems like gout.

Some nervous system problems are Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Diabetes, Depression and Anxiety.

Sweet Potato

Sweet potato does not belong to the same family as potatoes so you may be able to substitute this for potatoes. If you are affected by tomatoes, then think of all the things tomatoes are in – tomato sauce, pizza sauce, tomato paste, tomato soup.