Is coffee a nightshade? No, a coffee beans are not part of the nightshade family nor are they nightshade vegetables. Now, let’s take a look at more information about nightshade vegetables, and the beloved coffee bean as well.
What Are Coffee Beans?
A coffee bean is the seed of the coffee shrub. A coffee bean is not a legume, or a fruit. Although they’re called coffee “beans”, officially coffee (beans) as we know them are a seed inside a fruit. A good way to think about it is if we were to make something from the pit of a nectarine or plum. The seed of a fruit.
For those who like to get scientific, coffee is part of the Genus Coffea, family Rubiaceae.
What Are Nightshade Foods?
Nightshade foods come from the nightshade family of plants. Scientifically, these plants are called the solanaceae family, from the Solanum genera. It’s important to know that there are hundreds of species in the nightshade family, and we tend to group them together. For example, there are over 200 types/varieties of potatoes. We generally categorize potatoes into 10 main types, but there are a lot more available.
Interestingly, a lot of the nightshade family is made up of inedible plants. Below, I’ll share a list of edible nightshades to avoid if you have a nightshade allergy or food sensitivity to the nightshade family. You should also know that whilst it’s not necessarily edible, tobacco is part of the nightshade family as well.
List of Nightshade Vegetables
- Ashwagandha
- Eggplant (Aubergine)
- Pepinos (sometimes called Melon Pear)
- Peppers (Bell Peppers, Hot Peppers, etc.)
- Pimentos
- Potatoes (white potatoes, brown/russet potatoes, gold/yukon potatoes, red potatoes)
- Tamarillos
List of Nightshade Fruits
- Cape Gooseberries (not the same as normal gooseberries)
- Garden Huckleberries
- Goji Berries (sometimes called Wolfberries)
- Ground Cherries
- Tomatillos
- Tomatoes
A List of Spices Made From Nightshade Plants
- Cayenne Pepper
- Chili Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Curry Powder (the blend usually contains at least one spice from the nightshade family)
- Paprika (made from bell pepper)
- Red Pepper
List of Other Foods Containing Nightshades
When someone is aiming to reduce or eliminate nightshade consumption, it’s important to know that nightshades are in many spice blends, condiments, and sauces. Whilst this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are items commonly seen in grocery stores and restaurants. Remember to read labels well, and if a food label says “spices” without detailing which spices are present, you should assume nightshades are in the blend until you’ve contacted the company for more details.
- BBQ Seasoning
- Curry Powder
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Steak Spice
- Taco Seasoning
- BBQ Sauce
- Buffalo Sauce
- Chipotle Sauce
- Fermented Foods Such as KimChi
- Gochujang (a popular Korean condiment)
- Japanese BBQ Sauce
- Ketchup
- Pickled Foods, Pickles, & Relish (read labels carefully)
- Tabasco Sauce
- Sambal (popular in South East Asian cooking)
- “Spicy” Sauces or “Hot” Sauces (think spicy mayo, hot honey, etc., the spice/heat is from peppers)
Nightshade Free Recipes
If you’re new to eating a nightshade free diet, the easiest diet type to look up is AIP Paleo (Autoimmune Paleo Protocol Diet). It’s an elimination diet that’s often prescribed to people who are managing some kind of autoimmune condition. All nightshade foods are eliminated on the AIP Paleo diet, so if you need a good cookbook or recipe website, you can look up that term and you’ll find quite a lot.
Know that the AIP Paleo diet is rather restrictive, and may not be your cup of tea. However, it’s a quick way to get started if you’re feeling a bit lost and would like some simple recipes to follow. I’ll also encourage you to check out the Advanced Recipe Search on RAISE. One of the options is Nightshade Free, and there are lots of recipes to choose from.
Why Some People Remove Nightshades
There are many reasons a person would eliminate nightshades from their diet. An elimination diet can be used to help in the treatment of many autoimmune diseases, or in some cases help with the diagnosis process of a particular medical condition.
For many patients, inflammation is cited as a root cause for their condition. Knowing that, their medical team will prescribe a diet type that eliminates foods that are known to be inflammatory. No two people are the same and some may react to a known inflammatory food whilst others can eat them just fine.
Some people find that they have a nightshade intolerance and suffer from a range of digestive issues when consuming foods from the nightshade family, especially in large amounts. Keeping a food journal is a great way to track your progress when you’re managing an elimination diet to make sure you’re feeling better over time.
Many people with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), a chronic disease, find that eliminating inflammatory foods from the nightshade family improves their symptoms. This is true for some patients with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and Ulcerative Colitis as well. With all three conditions, I can’t stress this enough, no two people are the same. Each patient must track their food and symptoms via their food journal to make sure they’ve identified their individual trigger foods (foods that cause symptoms to flare).
Answering Your Nightshade Questions
Are sweet potatoes part of the nightshade family?
Great news! No, sweet potatoes are not part of the nightshade family, nor are yams. Japanese yams, if I may say, make an excellent replacement for white potatoes. Orange and purple fleshed sweet potatoes are also a great alternative to potatoes. They can be fried, roasted, sliced thin, made into fries, mashed, and anything else you’d do with nightshade potatoes.
Why are nightshades a problem for so many people?
This is a great question. Many people don’t realize that plants from the nightshade family can be incredibly poisonous. In large amounts, a person can experience solanine poisoning. In fact, farmers have to take great care with their soil with growing nightshade vegetables to ensure the food is grown safely.
Essentially, when nightshades are grown and prepared properly, they’re OK for most people. However, those who are managing some kind of underlying health condition tend to have issues with nightshade foods. One theory is because of their inflammatory nature. If you’d like to learn more about inflammatory foods in general, check out this information from Harvard Health and this info from Johns Hopkins.
I have leaky gut. Do I need to eliminate the nightshade plants from my diet?
Not many people with leaky gut are advised to eliminate nightshade foods, and that’s because there are health benefits of nightshades that can help with leaky gut. When you’re correcting intestinal permeability it’s important to focus on foods that will repair and restore your gut health.
Work with your medical team to determine if your leaky gut has caused any food sensitivities and to create a diet plan that will help you. If your case has resulted in a nightshade sensitivity, you’d absolutely be advised to eliminate nightshades from your diet.
Remember, no two people are the same, so it’s impossible to say that a specific food is or isn’t right for you without knowing your case history. Work with your doctor and extended medical team (along with keeping a detailed food journal) to determine which foods would be right for you.
Can a nightshade free diet help with rheumatoid arthritis?
There’s a lot of mixed information out there and this is because no two people are the same. Some patients have reported amazing results from following the AIP Paleo diet which eliminates inflammatory foods (including all nightshade foods). Other patients have done very well focusing on a Mediterranean style diet and focusing on foods that have anti-inflammatory properties.
Ultimately, you’ll need to eat what makes you feel your best. You’ll want to start by keeping a detailed food diary so you can track your progress. Pick a diet type to follow and see how you feel. After 30 days, decide if you’d like to try a different diet type to see if it produces better results.
Your doctor and extended medical team can assist you in choosing a diet plan that will help you achieve your health goals.
Is cane sugar a nightshade?
No, cane sugar and all of its derivatives (light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, raw sugar, molasses, etc.) are part of the grass family. If you’re nightshade free only, sugar shouldn’t be an issue for you.
If you’re following a diet that manages inflammatory conditions, cane sugar is usually off the menu. Alternatives to cane sugar that are normally allowed on said diets include date sugar, maple sugar, and coconut sugar. The really nice silver lining if you ask me about these alternatives is that they contain vitamins and nutrients when compared to processed white cane sugar.
Is black pepper a nightshade spice?
No, black pepper isn’t part of the nightshade vegetables. However, if you’re following the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol diet to manage inflammatory conditions, black pepper and all other peppercorns are off the menu.
What’s a good substitute for eggplants?
Depending on the type of recipe, zucchini (courgette) and other squashes are excellent alternatives. Whilst the flavors won’t be the same, the squashes can help deliver the same type of texture. Additionally, zucchini and other squashes have a more mild flavor, so they’re less likely to clash with other ingredients in your recipe.
You could also consider ingredients such as turnips and beets, but know that the flavors are going to be a lot more pronounced. They’ll replace the function of eggplants (especially if they’re cubed and cooked) very well.
If you need to replace eggplants in a purée, I’d consider a combination of vegetables. Celeriac combined with zucchini could make for a nice replacement.
Where can I purchase nightshade free snacks that are also gluten free?
For those types of snacks, I’d suggest searching specifically for coconut-based snacks or AIP Paleo snacks. Nightshades are very common in gluten free products, and that’s because potato starch is great for gluten free baking. For savory snacks, capsaicin spices (peppers and red spices) are very common, especially paprika. The nice thing about the AIP Paleo diet is that it’s naturally nightshade free and gluten free, so you’d be able to find snacks that meet your needs.
If you’re up for baking at home, check out the Advanced Recipe Search on RAISE. You can use more than 125 filters, one of which is snacks, to find recipes that would meet your needs right off the bat.
Is it common to find nightshades in a caffeine-free beverage?
If we’re talking about a beverage that’s tea or caffeine-free coffee based, no, you’re not going to normally find nightshades. Now, if it’s a beverage that’s spouting quite a few buzz words or is marketed towards people who enjoy exotic ingredients, be sure to triple check the label. I’ve seen some pretty wild ingredients where I didn’t expect them when lookin at foods and beverages marketed towards foodies.
What’s a good nightshade free source of lycopene? I know tomatoes aren’t an option.
You know what I love about nutrition? There’s always more than one good source of a specific nutrient. In the case of lycopene, guava is a top competitor with tomatoes, though, I don’t know that a lot of people enjoy the taste.
Other great sources of lycopene that are nightshade free include watermelon, grapefruit, papaya, and asparagus. I think there’s a lot to be done with those ingredients in terms of cooking and snacking, and you should easily be able to meet your daily needs for lycopene.
Is turmeric a nightshade?
No, turmeric root and ground turmeric aren’t nightshades and can be enjoyed on a nightshade free diet. If you’re looking to tap into the health benefits of turmeric, be sure to pair it with black pepper. Some foods, when combined with other specific ingredients, have their benefits amplified.
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