The Solanaceae family, better known as the Nightshade family, is an important group of about 2600 species of plants.  Historically, nightshades have been popular for two very contrasting things: their poisoning ability and their high yield vegetable plants.  The poisonous plants in this dramatically named family are potent, most notably, the dreaded belladonna plant which requires a trip to the emergency room!  But we are going to focus on the edible plants: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and eggplant.  If you are interested in more information about solanine, the compound that may perpetuate arthritis, read through to the end of the article…

Tomatoes

I think most people can agree that tomatoes at the grocery store are not really tomatoes. Sometimes they look like a tomato but they hardly ever taste like one. That’s why they are one of the best sellers at the Colorado Farm and Art Market. Luckily, we have farmers who have done their best to bring you very flavorful, heirloom tomatoes even in this difficult climate. We recently had a tomato tasting contest at the market with tomatoes generously donated from Country Roots, Larga Vista and Vennetucci farms. The winning variety, Paul Robeson, was amazing!

Tomatoes have received a lot of hype for their content of lycopene. Lycopene is a carotene that has been shown to to be extremely protective against breast, colon, lung, skin and prostate cancer. Being an anti-oxidant, lycopene also reduces the risks of heart disease and eye disease. Interestingly, the redder tomato, the higher the level of lycopene. Yellow tomatoes have only a tenth of that in the reddest tomatoes. Lycopene is not destroyed by cooking! In fact, when eating raw tomatoes you should drizzle a little olive oil on them to liberate the fat soluble lycopene.

We have already established that good quality tomatoes are very hard to find at the grocery store. Take advantage of those at the market while you can. They should be well-formed, plump, firm, heavy and sweetly fragrant. Store fresh tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. If your tomato is getting too ripe, place it in the door of your refrigerator for one to two days but allow it to come to room temperature before eating to maximize flavor. When purchasing canned tomatoes, look for those produced in the United States in ceramic lined cans. The high acid level in tomatoes can cause corrosion of lead and plastic lined cans that should not be ingested (Muir Glen uses US produced, organic tomatoes in ceramic lined cans). Tomatoes are close to the top of the list of foods high in pesticide residue, so choose organic whenever possible.

Peppers

The versatile pepper comes in many colors (green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown and black) and can be sweet or hot. All peppers are members of the Capsicum annuum group in the nightshade family. Sweet peppers are usually plump with 3-4 lobes. The red, yellow and orange variates have the sweetest flavor. As with most vegetables of these colors, red, yellow and orange peppers also have high levels of carotenoids. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help to maintain cell health and reverse the damage of oxidation and aging. There are over 30 different anti-oxidants in bell peppers! These colorful peppers are also high in vitamin C, A and B6. Much of the nutrition of the pepper lives in the white membranes inside the lobes, try to keep this intact when dicing for your salad.

While sweet peppers are an excellent addition to our diets, it is really the hot peppers who steal the show in the health benefit category.  The heat of a pepper is determined by its level of capsaicin.  This compound is well recognized in clinical research as an effective pain reliever, a digestive and anti-ulcer aid and for its cardiovascular benefits.  Capsaicin creams and gels are readily available and can be used to treat the pain of arthritis, sprains, strains and soreness.  Capsaicin has also been shown to reduce triglyceride levels and prevent the formation of blood clots.  Interestingly, many tropical cultures use hot peppers in their cuisine.  This may seem counter intuitive, but peppers can actually lower the body temperature by stimulating the cooling center of the brain.  Most of the heat of these peppers lives inside the seeds and white membranes-remove these if you are trying to keep the heat to a reasonable level.  Be careful not to rub your eyes after handling hot peppers (protective gloves are recommended, especially with the ghoulishly hot Ghost pepper).

Potatoes

Potatoes are a good example of a food that has followed the civilization of man and become an important dietary component in many cultures. There are about 100 varieties of potatoes and they can be harvested mature (with thicker skins) or immature (also called “new” with very thin skin). While we all know those meat and potato people, white potatoes do pump up your blood sugar and many times are served fried or smothered with butter making them a high calorie food. Enjoy them occasionally but know that there are many other starchy vegetables that carry more health benefits.

Potatoes are high in potassium and vitamins C and B6. They also contain lysine, which is an important amino acid that is often lacking in grains. It is important to note that the fiber, protein and many of the important nutrients are found in the skin of the potato. This skin has become its own star, as boiled potato skins are being used as bandages in third world countries where modern skin grafts are not available!

When purchasing potatoes, look for those that are firm and blemish free. It is very important to avoid sprouted or green tinted potatoes. This is a sign that they have excessive amounts of toxic alkaloids. Ingestion of these alkaloids can result in stomach upset, diarrhea and headaches. New potatoes are most susceptible to these toxins.

Potatoes should be stored in a dark, dry place between 45-50°. Anything higher could result in sprouting. Most refrigerators are kept around 40° and this low temperature can cause the starches in potatoes to turn to sugar resulting in an inferior flavor. Properly stored mature potatoes can last for 2 months (check weekly to root out any party poopers as they will infect the others) and new potatoes will last for about 1 week.

Side note: Sweet potatoes are not members of the nightshade family, they are members of the morning glory family. They are a good replacement for white potatoes as they actually help to stabilize blood sugar and improve the bodies response to insulin.

Eggplant

While the eggplant is popular in other cultures, it is fairly unappreciated in the United States.  Eggplants are an excellent source of dietary fiber but most of the research on eggplants has been targeted towards a flavonoid called nasunin. A powerful anti-oxidant and free radical reducer, nasunin has been shown to protect the lipid in brain cells and remove excess iron from the body. Excess levels of iron can cause increased risk of heart disease and cancer. Men and post-menopausal women are at a higher risk for excess iron levels.

When purchasing eggplant, the skin, cap and stem should be smooth, vividly colored and free from blemishes and scars. They should be heavy for their size and spring back to the press of your finger. Eggplants are fairly delicate and will last for only a few days in the refrigerator. Choose a size that will be appropriate for immediate use as cut eggplants decay quickly.

The skin of larger, more mature eggplants is generally bitter, and should be peeled away. If you desire, you can remove more of the bitter flavor of the vegetable by slicing it and sprinkling salt on both sides of the flesh. A little water, along with bitterness, will sweat off and can be rinsed away before cooking.

Solanine

Solanine is one of the alkaloids present in the nightshade plants. It is not the most toxic but it can cause significant GI distress if ingested in large amounts. More recently it has been the subject of great debate concerning joint pain. There has not been any true scientific research on this hypothesis, but this simply means it hasn’t been proven or dis-proven. The bottom line is that if you suffer from arthritis or general muscle aches and pains you may want to avoid all nightshades for 2-4 weeks.  Keep a little journal and put a little note each day as to how you are feeling. Continue to note your pain level after your reintroduce these vegetable.  If you pain is lessened and then comes back you may be more sensitive to solanine and may feel better by avoiding these vegetables.

Here are some photos that I took, you can see more on my blog.

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