This is a Really Real Health Post

For the last bunch of years, even after getting healthier, I was dealing with some weird symptoms, sporadically.  I would retain fluid in my hands and feet, they would go numb, sometimes it would coincide with my autoimmune illness flaring (even though it isn’t related), other times it wouldn’t.  It happened every time I took vitamins, but also happened other times.

Finally we decided to send me to food allergy testing.  Some strange things popped up, spinach, which I already knew,  but also broccoli, shrimp, and potatoes.

I was hoping they could find out why vitamins cause this problem in me, but not medication.  There’s something in the filler.

We never did find out and the allergist said it’s not really possible to.

But potatoes are part of the nightshade family, and for some people, nightshades cause inflammation.  I cut potatoes out almost completely and noticed a significant decrease in swelling, pain, and my autoimmune illness flares, and just started watching myself around tomatoes, peppers and eggplant (the other nightshades), hoping I wouldn’t have to cut them too.

I’ve spent the last few weeks feeling like I might have to cut them because I’ve been noticing more problems when I eat tomatoes.  Last night I had spaghetti and I woke up half a dozen times with my hands falling asleep from swelling.

Allergies are annoying.  These aren’t deadly.  I can technically eat them, so I guess it’s more of an intolerance, my body just doesn’t process it correctly.

Potatoes have been a big enough pain in the ass.  I miss McDonalds fries, I miss hashbrowns, there are some Gouda potato puffs that Aldi’s makes that I’m completely bummed about.  Tomatoes means no more Caprese salad or Caprese chicken.  Bell Peppers are a little easier to work around and I only had eggplant once or twice a year as it is.

But, I know that cutting out potatoes made a significant difference in my pain levels.  It was a big ‘ah-ha’ moment for me, as far as what had been going on in my body for so long.

I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to tomatoes completely, but I’m getting closer and closer.  I have a feeling there will be one last Caprese chicken in my future before I cut them out of my diet.