Tomatoes Harmful?

[Sully]

I skimed through a paleo diet video not paying attention to much. They mentioned that tomatoes may be linked to health problems. Anybody hear anything similar, anybody have more info?

[Satya]

Perhaps it is because tomatoes are nightshades like peppers, eggplant (aubergine) and others.  They can cause health problems in some people.  Here's some info on them:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62

[Sully]

Perhaps it is because tomatoes are nightshades like peppers, eggplant (aubergine) and others.  They can cause health problems in some people.  Here's some info on them:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=62

do you still eat nightshade foods?

[TylerDurden]

I think only the leaves of the tomato plants are harmful.

[boxcarguy07]

Goodness, I sure hope tomatoes aren't harmful!
I really don't think they are.
I eat tomatoes every day (as well as a good amount of organic ketchup with my meats... which, I know I know, is not raw paleo at all  )

[Satya]

I do eat nightshades on occasion, though never potatoes.  In fact, my neighbor gave be a bucket full of tomatoes from her garden the other day, so I made salsa.  Yum.

http://www.traditionaltx.us/salsa.html   - my instructions 

[goodsamaritan]

I skimed through a paleo diet video not paying attention to much. They mentioned that tomatoes may be linked to health problems. Anybody hear anything similar, anybody have more info?

Yes, I subscribe to this opinion that nightshades are harmful to many people's health in various degrees.
I came from eczema and psoriasis diagnosed disease and all nightshades are suspect.

http://www.eczemacure.info/article/articleview/247/1/9/

[avalon]

Whenever I hear the word 'Nightshade' I think of Nightmare Before Christmas.

[akaikumo]

I'm becoming more and more convinced that an almost exclusively carnivorous diet is better.

I don't think eating foods from that group on occasion would make any difference, but I'd personally avoid eating it on any kind of frequent basis. That's just my preference though.

Maybe you could experiment with it, and see if there's any difference in how you feel while eating a higher amount of nightshades versus none. That article says some people are more sensitive to it, so maybe some of us have the genetics to handle the alkaloids (I think that's what they were called--I'm forgetting what I read already) and others don't.

[carnivore]

Nightshade is a staple in the famous mediterranean diet. In the south of France, we often eat "ratatouille", a delicious dish made of tomatoes, eggplant, pepper, etc...
Bon appétit ! 

[Raw Rob]

I'm zero carb now, and I've read a lot about how nightshades might be bad for us.

I read one article that said the lectins in them cause allergic reactions in people. I've also read that arthritis sufferers have seen great improvements when they exclude all nightshades from their diet.

One of the last plant dishes I gave up was pico de gallo. I really miss that stuff. I really miss campari tomatoes by themselves.

One of the most touted herbs, cayenne is a nightshade. It is believed to be capable of healing many ailments. I love cayenne, and I still sprinkle it on my meat from time to time. I certainly don't notice any detrimental effects. I was a big spice guy in my pre-paleo days. (Tabasco sauce, cayenne powder, etc.)

From what I've read, and somebody correct me if I'm wrong, tomatoes are only native to Peru. Italians didn't take to them until the 15 or 1600's because they resembled another fruit in their country that was poisonous. So, most of our ancestors haven't been eating them for very long.

 

[cherimoya_kid]

what you are saying about tomatoes is correct.  However, the Chinese believe in the health benefits of a close tomato relative, the wolfberry, or Goji berry.  I would never recommend dried goji berries (dried fruit is the quick way to ruin your health, as many raw vegans have found out by experimenting), but the fresh ones are probably pretty good, in terms of vitamin C content.  All things in moderation, I guess. 

[Raw Rob]

It's funny you should mention that because here is one of the articles I read that basically says that cayenne and wolfberries are the only nightshades you should eat. (By the way, why would cayenne be any different from the other hot peppers?)

http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/nightshades

[RawZi]

    IMO cayenne and other hot peppers are better applied on the outside of the body.  Paleo people probably didn't need it.  It's to draw out toxins.

[PaleoPhil]

I found that I did better when I eliminated nightshades. Here's some info:

Tomatoes contain natural toxins that act as natural insecticides and anti-fungal agents: tomato lectin and alpha tomatine. All plant foods contain natural insecticides. The human digestive system has evolved enzymes that break down and thus detoxify some of these plant toxins, but it appears it has not had enough time to develop this adaptation to certain plant foods, such as tomatoes and other nightshades.

"Tomato lectin (TL) is a bioadhesive glycoprotein that has been shown to bind selectively to the small intestine epithelium." http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7W-3WMJSNY-3&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=fd27edca692b7072d14f7f8a2ee6bf28

Tomato lectin interacts with gastric parietal cells in patients with autoimmune gastritis (see http://jcs.biologists.org/cgi/content/abstract/95/4/563).

How to Treat Multiple Sclerosis with Diet (multiple videos; one of them covers the role of tomatoes in MS--I don't remember which one specifically)
A presentation by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. [Yes, I know, Cordain is hated--get over the hate or skip the video--your choice] at the request of Ashton Embry, Ph.D. of "Best-Bet" MS diet fame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhkmDHLCUEs
(You can find the whole series of videos at YouTube by searching on "paleo diet ms").

"Of Tomatoes, Vaccines and Autoimmune Disease - Tomatoes are almost universally considered to be healthy foods, though there are anecdotal reports that avoiding consumption of nightshade plants, including tomatoes, may improve symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

In this cutting-edge report you'll learn about a component, tomato lectin, which has the capacity to interact with the immune system in a way that may promote autoimmune disease.  You'll also learn about another component of tomato, alpha tomatine, which can act as an adjuvant and boost the immune response to tomato lectin, and also increase gut permeability."


The Role of Lectins from Grains and Legumes in the MS Disease Process
Ashton Embry
http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=2344
 
"I want to summarize a number of important points that Dr Cordain made in his presentation. Some of them were new to me and they are most important for understanding why it is essential to avoid eating gluten grains and legumes as well as a few other types of foods including tomatoes. His work has also put the concept of the role of a leaky gut in MS in a new context and this also has ramifications for understanding how potentially problematic food and bacterial-derived protein fragments can cross the intestinal barrier and engage the immune system. Dr Cordain’s presentation is quite technical but to me it is imperative to understand how various proteins derived from foods can be part of the MS disease process on a molecular level. This provides a solid, science-based rationale for WHY it is critical to avoid foods such as legumes and grains if one wants to keep the MS disease process well controlled."