I am trying to get some actual facts as to whether tomatoes and peppers are bad for us. Getting mixed messages.
Tomatoes and Peppers: I am trying to get some... - PMRGCAuk
Tomatoes and Peppers
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GlynisE
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And I imagine you will get more mixed messages here! Everyone is different and it is really a case of experimenting and seeing if it makes a difference for you.
The nightshade veggies are said to be pro-inflammatory - but for me it makes not the slightest difference, I eat a very veg-heavy diet with moderate meat and fish content, I eat few root veg, almost no potatoes, as they are carb-heavy. When I removed the nightshades from my diet it made no difference to the PMR but made my meals a lot more boring. It has been the same with all the various claims. I was eating gluten-free when PMR first struck but narrowed the problem down to wheat so I eat other gluten-containing grains but only very small amounts. Stopping alcohol also makes no difference nor reducing dairy products - for me at least.
Same here (except your wheat thing). Tried eliminating nightshades, gluten, dairy, no difference. Only 2 things make a difference, cutting out wine makes me miserable 😉, but on a serious note I find regular oily fish is genuinely beneficial.
Which fish do you eat?
Salmon and mackerel mainly. Also sardines or sild if I’m in the mood.
We eat salmon on eaweek but it is so expensive. Sardines are lovely but I get fed up with OH making a fuss about the bones.
Tinned is fine!
Absolutely! Sardine bones come out easy peasy....,or eat them for calcium 🐟🐟
Don’t know where you are in the world? In my local supermarket (Asda) they sell a pack of smoked salmon ‘trimmings’. Same stuff as in the expensive packs, just not so good to look at. Perfect for recipes, sandwiches, crackers, salads, saves me having to cut it!
Iceland do packs of salmon, keep an eye, sometimes it’s 3 packs for a tenner. 15 meals for £10, bargain!
My hubby will eat neither of those ^^ things, he likes salmon from a tin, but get it any which way you can I say!
Spain. We eat fresh salmon once a week but normally costs €8 to €9 for enough for two.
Oh yes, that is pricey. Bet it’s nice though.
There must be freezer shops in Spain? No bargains to be had?
No we live in a very Spanish area. Limited choice of food. Fish used to be cheap but not any more. When I come back to the UK I get really excited to go to Sainsbury’s! Even the Aldi and Lidl are completely different from the UK. Now fast food is starting to dominate and you can see the change in the young,
At least he eats it - mine will only eat cod or haddock deep fried in batter! I do baked cod for me - tastes the same as the cod in that to me even if there isn't batter. And he leaves most of that!!
Mine was only eating cod in batter, the tinned salmon is a fairly recent nagging success 😎
I’m the same re the batter, not for fear of calories, but because of the raging indigestion all night. (Gall stones) I avoid it entirely now.
I need gluten/wheat-free - long live Whitby!
Hi PMRpro; we live gluten free, (family of 5 - ages 13 to 84) and love the occasional treat of Fish and Chips. I use cornflour for dusting and a thin batter of brown rice flour, (made in a coffee grinder) and egg white thinned with milk (cows, sheep, goats, soya )or water. It is good for chicken nuggets too.
It isn't the same as fish shop batter though 
I love fish in every shape and form and eat low carb so I don't care anyway. And I'm NOT making deep fried fish for him here - one daughter lives in Whitby, once a year we eat fish a few times in a week and it keeps us going until the next time 
Agree that all messages about these deadly nightshade fruits etc will be mixed. Here's one to add to your mixture that claims tomatoes are good for inflammation.
medicalnewstoday.com/articl...
Nuff1 in reply to
Thanks - will have to inform OH - he insists on minimal tomatoes in cooking and doesn't eat them raw at all. Making sauces or mixture for various beans is not easy without tomtaoes!
Hehe - I have one of those as well. If he wants to eat without cooking for himself he has to accept toms with lots of red wine (reduced) in saucy things. He DOES eat them raw in sandwiches but not the top or bottom slice with skin...
in reply to PMRpro
I can relate to the top and bottom slices being left out. Many years ago I worked the summer picking tomatoes in massive greenhouses. I used to help mix the chemicals up for feeding the plants. The bloke in charge said the top end in particular is full of nitrates and sodium rubbish stuff by the time they are picked. I do have a prob with tinned tomatoes for the past 10yrs or so. I used to love them then for no reason they made me feel nauseaous, especially chopped. Ok with passata though. I tend to buy big bunches of fresh when in UK season and cheap. I cook big batches up for soup and sauces and freeze it. Whether these dislikes are psychological or my body reacting is anybody's guess. The dog likes the throwaway bits so she's happy. 🍅🍅🍅
No dog in this house - just me ...
Mary63 in reply to
There is a chemical which lines cans of food which can adversely affect some people. Is your passata from a jar rather than a tin?
Do you ever have any other tinned food, eg coconut milk?
in reply to Mary63
I know beef "dripping" type stuff used to be on years ago as being veggie there were cans I couldn't have...but now you mention I I have a bad reaction/allergy to nickel. That could be part of it. Jars and cardboard container fine.
Mary63 in reply to
Interesting!
Soraya_PMR in reply to
Nickel allergy, interesting, I have it too. Will have to experiment.
Nickel buckles on my skin give me a rash!
Exactly! Watches, jean’s buttons, certain bra straps (if the painted coating wears off the metal rings). Cheap earrings.
I have nickel allergy too, found out when the gold plating wore off my favourite earrings and the nickel underneath caused my ears to go manky.
in reply to stellafmdm
I recognise that 🤔
in reply to PMRpro
If it's of any interest, I grow my own tomatoes in the Sommer and I am convinced that the texture and flavor are better than any supermarket Tom's.
Picture coming soon 😋
in reply to
No doubt about that. The smell from the greenhouse is yum.
in reply to
Yes I am sure you're right, however I haven't got the room for a greenhouse so I grow mine in a sunny sheltered area with a little protection until their established. I usually grow 3 or 4 varieties from cherry size to very large beefsteak variety. Last year was a good year. Our unusually hot weather produced a fantastic crop. Fingers crossed for this year.
I am still trying to get lower than 3mg of pred for PMR which I have had for about 4 and a half years. Doctors not too concerned. All the say is try and reduce when you can.
in reply to
Growing food is therapeutic indoors or out. At least you are getting a sensible approach to reduction. I am at 6mg since September. Tried 5 twice no joy so Rheumy said stay at 6mg. I am.ok with that.
in reply to
Better the devil you know I suppose. I will try another slow taper again soon.
Soraya_PMR in reply to
Me too, can’t beat a home grown ‘mato straight from the plant.
in reply to
Quite right. I agree. Specially "Sungold".
in reply to
Haven't tried that one yet.
Mine is the same - not the bottom or top slice with skin..... as if they are sooooooo different
Yet with a loaf of bread - they love the top and bottom slice!!!!
Everyone is different! My job for the last 25 years has been helping clients find which foods adversely affect their health. I have LOADS of data. If I say that foods from the nightshade group affect less than 5% of my clients...true by the way...it is no good if you are one of that less than 5%.
I also think that there are lots of trendy buzzwords around diet, always have been. At the moment ‘anti-inflammatory’ is one of those. And for those of us who have an ‘inflammatory ‘ disease the temptation is to cut out foods which apparently increase inflammation.
I’m not sure really. Only way to be sure is to cut a food/food group out of your diet for a month. Then reintroduce it on two consecutive days and see how you feel. If symptoms appear less problematic after the first week or so of exclusion, and then return when reintroduced, you have your answer.
And keep taking the pred!
I use tomatoes in nearly everything sauce wise and things like bolognese. OH loves them, grandson only in certain menus but not raw and youngest with the ends cut off like pmrpro OH, the eldest hates tomatoes apparently but eats pizza and bolognese and a prawn dish i make so not sure what bit she dislikes. I have not noticed any change for me eating tomatoes so will continue for now.
did the various trials for wheat, wine, dairy, red meats, nightshades etc but v little effect on RA except wine and some dairy so take little nowadays. wonder if it is the seeds [ a bit like lectins in beans etc] and remembered that the italian families i knew in my youth always de-seeded toms b4 making passata. BTW i had PMR for yonks, maybe 10 yrs b4 it segued into rheumatoid, alas. pre2000 all they offered was pred; i gather nowadays much more is offered.
in reply to GranAmie
That's interesting re reseeding. When I make sauces with fresh Tom's I sieve seeds out before storing. 🤔🤔🤔
It's still only Pred. Along the way they might try to throw in meteroxate or such like. Are you "cured" of the PMR?
I still have a painful thigh, sore to the touch, and aches and my knees aren’t brilliant. Been on the prednisone for approx three weeks.
wouldn't even try to do a squat! reason - might need hands / wrists to get up and just told i have severe osteo damage to thumbs as well as rheumatoid in hands n feet - and compression fracture to spine thro' a fall LOL. Had methotrexate [MTX] for about 6-9 months but it went for my lungs... lost 25% but recovered thro swim n sing, so at nearly 77 am hanging in .... none of this arrived tiill age 57 -PMR-, rheumo in 2015, fracture 2017. bones were ok after all that pred, tho. good luck x
in reply to GranAmie
You would have to get the fire brigade out if I squatted.😱
So many interesting posts.
Like everybody else has said the effect of removing nightshades from your diet is very different for everyone because it only makes a difference if you are intolerant to the chemical in it.
This is the truth for many foods and products containing salicylates too.
Yes , people say it works miracles , but that is only because for many they suffer a common intolerance to those foods which increases inflammation.
For many others , keeping nightshades and salicylates in the diet is actually more beneficial.
I know that the anti inflammatory arthritis diet contained high salicylates because like aspirin they were considered to reduce inflammation.
So , the only way you will see if you have any benefit from it is eating all your other usual foods and only excluding the nightshades from your diet for two weeks. If you feel much better keep it up , if it makes a small difference eat them occasionally , if there is little difference just eat them but add them back in slowly.
Don't forget when you exclude this group you also have to remove all chillies , paprikas , peppers , and aubergine and certain other fruits too like papaya , Sharon fruit and melons.
The most beneficial thing for all people is to add Omega 3 to your diet in the form of oily fish or supplements ( and remove Omega 6 if you take a 369 omega supplement change it , O6 is an inflammatory oil and does increase joint pain).
All people do better by eating 5 smaller portions in a day instead of 3 containing slow burning foods and low G.I foods , it maintains your blood sugar and stops spikes or steroid hunger.
All people improve removing processed foods and high sugar content food from the diet for the same reason.
Most people respond to a gluten free diet and many to a dairy free one because all humans are slightly intolerant to gluten and Lactolose. That's why anybody , even without a medical intolerance or allergy to these foods gets some bloating after not eating them for awhile .
It's not that they are totally bad for you but your stomach bacteria have lost balance to cope with them and your bad bacteria have a feeding frenzy.
Lactofree dairy and fermented dairy like probiotic yoghurt and hard cheese , butter and foods like sauerkraut and kimchi are usually still good for you and do more benefit for inflammatory conditions than excluding everything by maintaining good bacteria to combat food or infection issues in your digestive system.
All people improve increasing fluid intake in their day because it helps prevent dehydration made worse by fighting inflammation, reducing your bodies overall functions.
Mineral water is better , it replenishes salts , green tea is great , actually drinking hot drinks with milk or cold milk or juice are more hydrating than straight water from the tap as it stays in your system longer.
All people benefit from a full vitamin and mineral supplement to help improve our body function and immunity which get decreased on steroids.
Most people improve with garlic and turmeric in food or supplements every day because they improve digestion and your circulation. In fact the combo of turmeric and yoghurt in your diet can eliminate the need for those gastric drugs and PIPs.
But you do need to check before having them if your are also on blood thinners and PIPs , it doesn't stop them working but it means you are doubling the effect .
And that neatly brings up back to tomatoes and peppers again. As science has proved if you are not intolerant to tomatoes , cooked ones contain a chemical that actually improves heart health and reduces cholesterol. In fact adding a teaspoon of tomato puree per person to your food every other day is meant to defend your heart . And ginger, peppers and pepper products stimulate the circulation and have been used for 1000's of years for their immunity defense and soothing qualities. So if you do not have a real intolerance to these foods or find they do cause you irritation by testing eliminating them , you will actually be removing something from your diet that improves your all round health rather than making you ill.
I favour the varied diet of the Mediterranean with lots of fruit and vegetables , nuts and seeds , fish of all forms , white meats , some red meats. Olive oil and the all foods above .
I am mainly gluten free only because of IBS and potential autoimmune issues. Lower saturated fat only because I had my gall bladder removed, and use honey and Stevia instead of sugar but do not deprive myself from the odd slice of proper cake or ice cream!
If you obsess on your diet too much you take the pleasure out of it and add the one ingredient that's worst for all of us with any disease , STRESS!
Have fun trying new diets and hope using food helps make PMR easier for you . Bee xx
What a magnificent post. Thank you Blearyeyed.
Thank you so much for this comprehensive and knowledgeable post 😀
Quote : All people do better by eating 5 smaller portions in a day instead of 3 containing slow burning foods and low G.I foods , it maintains your blood sugar and stops spikes or steroid hunger. Ermm... emphatically NOT - this has been and is being completely debunked. This way of eating keeps blood sugars high and requires constant supplies if insulin to keep it under control which in turn encourages insulin rsistence and T2 diabetes. This is part of the hocus pocus which the unenlightened dieticians and diabetic nurses push at new T2 patients, which makes no sense and does not work. I walked away from all that gobbledgook, because it made/makes no sense: reversed my T2 and lost loads of weight. It's eating carbohydrates that make people hungry.
Absolutely Sennetta - the multiple small meals could ONLY work when the total eaten is less - but it has been shown that the multiple small meals including carbs results in weight gain. Basically because the triggering of insulin with each small meal results in MORE falls in BS, MORE cravings and MORE deposition of fat as a result of the action of insulin. And, as you say, creating T2 diabetes because of the development of insulin resistance.
Sorry for once I disagree with you on this one Pro from experience . It only creates issues when the wrong food groups balance is eaten while eating smaller meals / portions and what a person is actually classing as a small portion.
Umm, if I didn't have snacks mid morning and mid afternoon (and I mean something like a handful of nuts and a cup of tea) I would be headachy and faint, and undoubtedly even thinner than I am now. I also find if I don't have at least something, maybe only a large spoonful of plain yoghurt, before bedtime, sometimes a bowl of rolled oats or sourdough rye toast if supper was very light, I wake up in the night from hunger. I weigh about 100 lb.
It is being by whom .
I am glad that you lost weight from the method that you have used but this is not a method created by dietitians without knowledge or poor nurses. I have have alot to say myself on medics who do not look at modern research.
But in this case , it prevents these spikes and only causes your body to maintain unnecessary highs if the wrong foods are eaten.
How do I know this? More than 25 years maintaing an OH with type 1 Diabetes, bringing my mother back from moderate Diabetes Mellitus twice ( the only reason she has it again, as ever a year after its control, is because she reverts back to old eating habits) living with No Gall Bladder for over 5 years and severe gastric issues for 10 ( the eating programme isn't only to consider blood sugar but also to reduce pain from eating with different forms of digestive problems too) and now assisting with an Uncle to regain control after his life after Pancreatic Cancer and Pancreas Removal.
That's how I know. Not all diet choices are based on poor hospital knowledge or reading a book and not just based on your own experience on my own body.
Yes , I agree eating too many carbohydrates and the wrong types of carb foods is the worst way to eat , eating too many of these whether you have 3 meals , 5 meals or graze through the day is bad for any form of diet ( when I say diet I am only talking about what you consume not diet as the way to lose weight).
But when it comes to diet that I have seen work and has benefits to health for a wider range of body types and illnesses.
And I restrain myself from spreading gobbledygook.
"if the wrong foods are eaten".
Is the whole point - and so is the total amount eaten. Studies have found that it DOES lead to weight gain BECAUSE of the way it is presented/carried out.
The diet lists I remember being handed out by the Diabetic Clinic years ago , and the information given to my Uncle recently were riddled with issues , I looked at the balance of alot of meal and snack options on their lists and realised early on that it could cause the same spikes and troughs , but also the lack of triggers which could make diabetes control harder not easier.
It does astound me that even all of these years on that many of the goods used in the diets handed out by hospitals are still high in carbs because they seem to neglect foods containing hidden carbohydrates and sugars.
You are right when you point out the small meal ( or any diet ) programme only really works if you are eating less in total in terms of weight loss .
Calorie intake in terms of body size and total body needs is also important creating the right glycaemic balance to prevent spikes and troughs that cause hunger but also avoid insulin Desensitivity too.
What is T2?
in reply to HeronNS
Type 2 diabetes 🌻
HeronNS in reply to
Oh duh! Of course!
in reply to HeronNS
It's a long thread that has gone to different ideas. Confusing now. 😂😂😂😂
That is what happens!!
HeronNS in reply to
it's often what appears to be the simplest idea which somehow branches out into the most interesting pathways. Anything involving food gets us all involved one way or another!
I have three kids who have all in their own ways become "foodies". All are slender. Daughter in a dietitian. Elder son's partner is a baker and my son cooks delicious main courses, and younger son has become an avid vegetable gardener! Healthy eating was a big part of their upbringing, but I never pretended to like cooking and joke that they all learned to cook out of self defence!
in reply to HeronNS
😂😂😂 gave them a good knee up then.
I do like cooking but it's awfully tedious cooking for one everyday. I love visiting my sister cos apart from one meal I cook for them just to play a part, I get food cooked. The girls (neices) try and visit at the same time. They are in their 20s now and are great at cooking. It funny how we all like walking and being outdoors but when we were kids and dad made us walk we HATED it.
Even more tedious when you have to cook 2 different meals for 2 people!
HeronNS in reply to
I remember the day younger son wandered through the house complaining he was hungry and I suggested he make himself an omelette. He said he didn't know how. So I took him to the kitchen and together we made an omelette, and after that quite frequently when he got an attack of the munchies as rapidly growing boys do, he would make himself an omelette. i couldn't have done that better if I'd planned it - right time, right place, right people!
😂😂😂😂😂
What a wonderful sensible post. Thank you. I am going to try reducing my tomato intake but not obsessing over it. I did buy fresh pineapple and papaya yesterday and had a big bowl with kefir yoghurt. Delicious but then I had heartburn!!!! Can’t win.
in reply to GlynisE
Pineapple gives me heartburn too.
Alot of people get heartburn from pineapple .
Have you always done or is it recent?
It’s not something I would normally eat so don’t know.
And yet both papain (papaya) and bromelain (pineapple) are supposed to help gastric problems!
in reply to HeronNS
It makes my mouth sore too (🍍). You sure you didn't have it dipped in chocolate 😉
HeronNS in reply to
This reply meant for GlynisE ?
I too have been seeing articles about the possible inflammatory effects of nightshade vegetables. Since I retired seven years ago I've been planting a small (6'x8') vegetable garden consisting of tomatoes, eggplant and sweet banana peppers. They're so easy to grow and pick, can be cooked together or any which way, and when seasoned properly, are absolutely delicious. (Especially mixed with our local seafood) However, I don't want to become the poster child whose PMR was caused by the dreaded nightshades. I decided I'm going to grow them anyway and if I become increasingly leery, I'll see if I can trade off a few of them to the local farmer's market for some other vegetables that are less suspect.
What are sweet banana plants?
in reply to Sofarbrnun
My post earlier about working in Tom farm might suggest it's the heavy chemicals in non organic big farming. Growing your own might help.
That's such a shame when you enjoy eating and growing them.
There's nothing wrong with being the poster child that proves that all individuals can recover better from an illness when they find out if they do have intolerances to foods and avoid them and improve by eating foods that work for them personally.
That can help everybody to better health even people with no illness at all.
I can't help joining this. I apologise in advance. I don't mean to offend. But I do think we have a first world problem with food. Most food won't hurt most people. A sensible mixed diet should serve to keep most of us well. I take pleasure in having choice ( personally am a veggie) a lot of people don't have enough to eat.
in reply to Hellyowl
I recognise the privilege that choice gives in the "1stworld" but often that choice stresses me in supermarkets too- can't bear to imagine the waste. Peoples relationship with food isn't just cultural or geographical. Its part of our personal and a familial history. I grew up in a family where we went to bed hungry most nights and that was 60s/70s. I was vegan for 8 years and have been veggie for 22yrs. But my sensibilities around food were set through that childhood frame and it's a hard road when that relation is so deeply formed. I work it out for so long...sensible sensible...then stress, anxiety and illness make me run for the comfort of not feeling hungry and filling up asap. I have lost 2 stones on prep so intellectually I recognise sensible. Emotionally it makes no sense 😂😂😂
GlynisE in reply to
Sorry about your childhood that’s awful.
in reply to GlynisE
To be honest it seemed ok. Everybody on the estate was in the same boat but thanks😁🌻
I grew up in the 50s - if you didn't eat what was in front of you, you went to bed hungry. Didn't matter if you liked it or not. We lived in the country - often dinner was a swede picked up from the farmer's field - animal feed really - with a gristly stew. It informs my relationship with food.
Theziggy in reply to
Been veggie 40+ years - having second thoughts now lol
There’s a book called “The Plant Paradox” and it focussed on plant based foods that contain a certain chemical (can’t remember the name off hand) that actually have more of an inflammatory or negative effect on the body and night shades are the main plants (peppers, tomatoes, egg plant, etc). Look it up online.
Lycopene?
webmd.com/arthritis/psoriat...
Isn't lycopene the substance which helps protect men against prostate cancer? Supposed to have a powerful anti-oxidant effect.
Gundry, the author of The Plant Paradox is controversial...he's also making a load of money selling expensive supplements.
As others have stated, eliminate the foods in your own diet to see if it makes any difference. Everyone is different.
Lectins
Yes Lectins! I don’t follow this guys diet, I just know a lot of people have read his book. I think the biggest and most critical thing to avoid is stress. Stress wreaks havoc on our bodies and increases inflammation.
So agree with you.
That is the truth. Stress! How to avoid in this completely insane world.
From my research in reputable medical/food journals the highly coloured vegetables are good for me, and tend to be anti-inflammatory, as long as they are organic, no artificial feedings, no herbicides nor pesticides. I eat heirloom organic tomatoes, absolutely delicious ! I also use the recommended anti-inflammatory herbs and spices. My diet has little, to practically no meat, little processed food (whole wheat toast in the morning) and seafood, preferably the "good" oil ones. Although last night I did have clams in lemon olive oil over a little pasta. Also I eat rice sometimes, using the black or brown, occasionally mixing it with a little Basmati. On my plate, lots of veggies mixed with a little of the rice and spices. Didn't mean to write so much, my fingers just ran on.
I’ve read Dr. Grundy’s Plant Paradox To try to end inflammation in my body. He speaks about lectin being in the seeds and peelings of many vegetables. These lectins, from his medical research and many testimonials or a major cause of inflammation. I have been on his program for six weeks and I have seen a big difference. I don’t have many symptoms At all and hope to be off meds in a few weeks. I hope this helps. Grace
Sadly I appear to have developed sensitivity to chocolate. Get sore lips, sometimes mouth too, which heal within a couple of days, and the pattern is now becoming clear. Hate to think what it might be doing to the rest of my gut, so bye bye chocolate. 
in reply to HeronNS
That's the sort of mouth/lip problem I get if I use any cutlery with nickel in. Hope it's not chocolate. 🙃😕
HeronNS in reply to
I'm hoping it's another ingredient, but it happened particularly badly with a Lindor chocolate (the round ones, and it was dark chocolate no other flavoured filling) so my hopes are not high, and have noticed it with home baked type goodies which include chocolate pieces. I suppose Easter will supply me with a definite answer.
Have you tried dairy free , sugar free or dark chocolate yet?
One way of working out if it is the chocolate ( cocoa ) rather than something else could be to get some good quality cocoa ( with no added ingredients ) and making something at home with it , even just try a little on your finger !
I have a friend who thought she was allergic suddenly to chocolate , turned out she was allergic to soya lecithin , and I also read about a woman who thought she was allergic to it and discovered it was actually a change in the packaging of sweet products that meant she was suffering from a chemical in it.
It's worth hoping it's something else though!
It definitely sounds more like an allergy than intolerance from the skin / mouth reaction.
I've been wondering this. Normally I would only buy a dark chocolate bar, the darker the better, and if possible from an organic source, but haven't had a chance to yet. I also don't know if this is sudden or if I'm only now beginning to connect the dots regarding a problem I've had for a while now.
Some years ago I was on holiday with my stepmother. We were on a cruise, so my diet was easily controlled by me, and I realized I wasn't stiff and achy like I was at home (this is maybe ten years before PMR diagnosis, so I'm thinking just osteoarthritis) and I considered what I'd been eating and thought perhaps it was the lack of nightshade foods because for some reason I wasn't eating any. However I did alter a few other things, like oatmeal for breakfast instead of dry cereal, that kind of thing. I tried to replicate this at home with no success, I was back to the usual aches. Later went on a different cruise with hubby and tried to eat as I had done before, but it made no difference. I suspect the difference I experienced was not related to diet, neither nightshades nor type of carbs, but to something else. Even after I had been, as I realized in retrospect, suffering from PMR for some months, a week in England visiting relatives, still undiagnosed and untreated, I felt better than I had for years. One can only assume the difference was in the level of stress. For some reason travelling with hubby must stress me as much as being at home! 
Go figure.
Perhaps when you vacayed with your step mother, you were in a sunny paradise and getting more sun exposure on your body (vitamin d) and you were relaxed. And when you vacayed with your hubby on the cruise, you may have been in an inflammatory star prior to leaving for the trip and the food and drinks just exasperated your inflammation. I don’t know.
Perhaps. Baltic in September or Mediterranean in November.... But another time, between these two cruises, I was with a couple of my kids in Egypt (August on the Nile) and I was definitely very stiff then, the first time I had difficulty crouching down which we had to do as part of a dance we were being made to do as part of the local culture entertainment one evening. But, again, long before I even heard of PMR.
The big enemy is wheat, which the USA thrust upon humanity in the 40s and 50s
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