Tomatoes & PMR ?

[DavidMF]

Currently I've come down from 19mgs to 8 since an attack in April. Taking it very slowly. A discussion a meeting with friends, one who is nearly off Pred, said that you shouldn't eat Tomatoes. Has anybody seen any information about this?

[piglette]

I have read that you should avoid the nightshade family foods with pred, which includes tomatoes and also potatoes along with others. I must admit I eat both, so I am not sure what difference it would make.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi David,

There is a certain amount of information on the web that tomatoes and other members of the nightshade family, such as peppers and potatoes should be avoided because they can cause or exacerbate inflammation. However on the arthritis uk site they dispute this saying that tomatoes include other properties which are good for us. So it's a case of you pays your money and take your choice!

I've eaten tomatoes all through my journey with GCA, along with a good variety of other fruits and veg, so I can't say whether they're good or bad, I just happen to like them!

Think it's like everything - all things in moderation!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

As the others have said it's the old chestnut about nightshades being inflammatory. I snack on cherry tomatoes on a permanent basis but I did have a season of NOT eating ANY nightshades (peppers, potatoes, aubergines, tomatoes) to see if it did make a difference. As I have done with wheat, gluten, alcohol, sugar. Nothing made any difference at all except to restrict my diet each time even further than it was restricted anyway.

[Celtic PMRGCAuk volunteer]

David, tomatoes are classed as a flavonoid, and such foods are considered to be anti-inflammatory. The following is an extract from a talk given to our Surrey group by a dietitian:

"Phytonutrients in plants, predominantly flavonoids, are also anti-inflammatory substances. These are found in cruciferous vegetables, berries, soya, red peppers, tomatoes, beetroot, carrots, green and black tea and 70% dark chocolate".

So go ahead and continue to enjoy your tomatoes!

[DavidMF]

I too love Cherry Tomatoes and have them with my lunch every day. Thanks for confirming my thoughts as they don't seem to have any short term effects other than my happiness.

After a fall in August, I've been through every test on my bodily functions and after three ECG test (5Mins, 24hrs & 7 days) the've finally passed me fit to carry on living. Fantastic how they went through this process, but I can now approach holiday insurance with renewed conviction. Only 8 days in Malta in 2016, here's much more in 2017.

Thanks for such a quick response, Have a great Christmas and wising you all Improved health in the New Year.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to DavidMF]

It really is a case of identifying if anything affects YOU - if it does, don't eat/drink it. Like everything else to do with PMR - everyone is different!

[Ronswife]

DavidMF

I'm glad for all these responses. When I was my sickest foods I love like tomatoes and peppers tasted horrible but now taste normal so maybe that added to this belief about nightshade family. I'm eating them just fine now

[missmylefteye]

Nightshades were always a migraine trigger for me, cumulatively anyway. I could usually get away with eating them at one meal. But on 60mg of prednisone, i could eat anything i wanted without migraines, joint pain, or GI pain. Now i am tapering, down to 40mg right now, and all those foods are more touch and go for my stomach in particular. Personally, I feel tomatoes give me more joint pain, especially raw & the seeds.

[GlynisE]

This is something I am trying to find out about. I eat a lot of tomatoes and red peppers. I have just bought pineapple and papaya which is supposed to be good.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to GlynisE]

This is a very old thread - you are more likely to get answers if you start a new one.

[DavidMF]

From everything I've read and done, it all comes down to YOU and the effects it MIGHT be having. If you like it keep going, within reason, wait until something tells you it's wrong.

Happiness is everything.