Should you avoid nightshades and FODMAPs? You probably want to know what they are first, right? I’ve been getting lots of questions about what they are, how they impact health and if they should be avoided. In today’s Q&A episode we’re defining them, explaing how they act in the body, establishing who should take caution and how everyone can reduce any potential negative impact of nightshades and FODMAPs.
FODMAPs are certain carbohydrates which aren’t easily digested. Because of this, they’re likely to hang out in the intestines and ferment, causing gas, bloating, diarrhea or stomach pain in sensitive individuals
Nightshades are a group of plants that trigger an immune reaction (joint pain, arthritis, inflammation) in sensitive individuals
How do they act in the body?
FODMAPs and tummy troubles -may trigger mild to severe digestive issues
Arthritis and nightshades – Nightshades may trigger immune and/or inflammatory reactions
Who needs to limit or avoid them?
Identify your own sensitivity via tracking your body’s response to foods within each category
If you find that you have a reaction, do a 10-14 day elimination test and continue to monitor your symptoms, progress and hormonal biofeedback
How can you minimize the impact?
Cook and/or peel nightshades
FODMAP sensitive individuals may benefit from probiotic supplementation
Lots of questions lately about FODMAPs and nightshades, what they are and if they should be avoided. I’m absolutely going to go into what they actually are, why some people should avoid them, who probably doesn’t need to worry and how you can reduce any potential negative impact of fodmaps and nightshades.
Can we just agree that “FODMAPs” and “nightshades” are really freakin’ weird names? They don’t even sound like they’re remotely related to food! But they are.
I’m not a fan of complicated, complex definitions or using Scrabble words when they aren’t needed (are they ever needed outside the board?) so I want to keep this as simple as possible.
FODMAPs and nightshades are two different classifications of food that trigger negative reactions in certain people.
FODMAP is an acronym that stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. C’mon. Too many Scrabble words. Here’s what all that means: carbs that prone to fermenting in your gut. Foods that fall into the FODMAP category are tough to digest, so they often hang out in the intestines and become food for the bacteria that naturally live within you.
Doesn’t sound too bad, does it? Well, that’s exactly the whole point. Some people can eat FODMAPs and not experience any negative symptoms. Other people become very uncomfortable. They experience bloating, gas, cramping and/or diarrhea shortly after eating these foods.
So what foods are we talking about? This is an awesome visual to see what foods are FODMAPs and those that aren’t but if we were to classify them, these are the most common offenders:
Sugar alcohols
Dairy
Some fruit (dried fruit, apples, mangoes, peaches and watermelon)
Some veggies (brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, garlic, onions)
Coconut products
Chances are, you know if you have a sensitivity to one or many of these foods. This is yet another reason why I’m a huge fan of tracking what you eat and your hormonal biofeedback. Seeing trends with any food or type of food will let you know what you should dial back on.
Nightshades. Let’s talk about nightshades. Same kinda thing. Nightshades are a group of plant foods that some people have specific sensitivities too. Individuals with sensitivites to nightshades can experience joint pain, inflammation, autoimmune conditions or digestive challenges when they eat them. If you have any of those symptoms, doing a simple nightshade elimination will quickly let you know if nightshades are part of the problem! Many people can consume nightshades without any issue.
Nightshades are a smaller and more direct list than FODMAPs. They include:
White potatoes (not sweet potatoes)
Eggplant
Peppers (bell peppers, spicy peppers and spices made from them like cayenne and paprika but not peppercorns)
Tomatoes and products made from tomatoes
If you think you might have a sensitivity to nightshades, like I said, the best thing to do is to do an elimination trial. Cut them out for a couple weeks and carefully monitor whatever symptoms you feel might be related to their consumption. There are also some things you can do to reduce the negative impact of nightshades if you consume them.
Peel your potatoes before you eat them
Avoid green tomatoes – immature veggies are bigger offenders
Don’t eat any nightshades raw. Be sure to cook them to reduce any potential negative impact
So here’s the deal in short:
FODMAPs are specific carbs that aren’t easily digested. Because they aren’t easily digested, they spend more time in your intestines and ferment (or become food for bacteria). This can produce digestive distress for people sensitive to FODMAPs
Nightshades are a class of veggies that trigger inflammatory or autoimmune systems in sensitive individuals.
Not everyone is sensitive to FODMAPs and nightshades
A basic elimination test will allow you to see if your symptoms improve without them
Your body has all the answers
What other questions do you have? What topics do you want me to tackle next? Let me know!!! I really want to make sure I’m addressing your questions and concerns.
I have absolutely no doubt that you have good intentions when it comes to food and fat loss. You want to eat the right things, you want to make good choices and you absolutely want to reach your goals (and not be obsessed with food all the freakin’ time!) I hear you. Unfortunately, sometimes our best intentions aren’t enough. We have good intentions but awful strategies. We aren’t implementing the fat loss food strategies that will really drive our results. How about we stop that? How about we identify & eliminate what doesn’t work (and is probably holding us back) and get to the root of what does work so we can start doing that? In this video, I’ll go into detail on:
3 food mistakes people make in an attempt to lose weight
3 high-impact food strategies for fat loss
3 ways to measure & monitor your results
I talk about fat loss foods as well as anti-fat loss foods and how to capitalize on your good intentions!
Want more specifics? Check out the Fat Loss Food Guide or comment and I’ll happily answer everything you want to know!
Just because it is derived from a whole food does not mean it is good for fat loss. Heck, just because something is a whole food doesn’t mean it is good for fat loss! I’ll be super straight forward about this: dried fruit is not a fat loss food. In fact, in many cases it contains more sugar than a candy bar and it does not and will not trigger our satiety signals. (PS: If you want more info, tips, recipes & workouts, make sure you get on the free VIP e-newsletter list!)
Total grams of sugar per 100 grams of the following foods
Dried fruit often contains added sugar and preservatives
1/2 cup of fresh cranberries contains 2g of sugar. 1/2 cup of dried cranberries contains 37g sugar.
The type of sugar most common in dried fruit is fructose. Fructose is the single most lipogenic carbohydrate (most likely to be converted to and stored as fat) and it also does not trigger our satiety signals (feelings of fullness)
The concentrated delivery of fiber and sugar (with the water removed) can cause GI distress in many people.
Today we’re going to be tackling a super common question and that is about how to beat stubborn belly fat. Most people find that the midsection fat is the hardest to lose. We’re much more quick to lose weight in our face, chest, arms and legs but that belly fat is pretty dang stubborn. And it is. But there are strategies to burn that belly fat and we’re going to dive into them today. Oh, and if you find this episode helpful or if you have topic suggestions or personal question, take a quick sec to get on the VIP e-newsletter list!
Insulin in brain= shuts off hunger= insulin resistance in brain= increased hunger
Insulin in liver= decrease glucose production (inhibits gluconeogenesis) and decrease glycogen breakdown (inhibits glycogenolysis)= insulin resistance in liver= increased glucose production and increased glycogen breakdown= high fasting blood sugar
Insulin in muscle tissue= increase glucose & fat uptake= insulin resistance in muscle= inability to burn fat and sugar
Insulin in fat cell= increased fat storage and decreased fat release= insulin resistance in fat cell= decreased fat storage and increased fat release
So, the ideal situation may be to remain insulin sensitive in muscle, brain, liver, BUT insulin resistant at the fat cell
Practical Implementation
Follow the golden rules of carbs & fat loss
Eat your carbs at the right time
The right type of carb
In the right amount
In the right company
Minimize the processed foods. Period. If you are struggling with belly fat the #1 weapon is going to be what you let pass your lips.
Emphasize non starchy veggies and protein (but do not overdo the protein as it will stimulate insulin)
Get plenty of healthy fats, especially essential fatty acids – these get incorporated into your cell membrane and make your cellular receptors more responsive to insulin. This is a good thing.
Avoid elevating cortisol and insulin at the same time via:
Skip carbs in the am (from all sources except non-starchy veggies)
Skip the high sugar pre-workout drinks
Monitor stress and practice stress reduction
Meditation
Leisure walking
Yoga
Mindfulness
Sleep
Perspective
Prioritize sleep. Check out this episode on how to improve sleep quality when you can’t increase quantity
Exercise intelligently
If you’re worried about burning belly fat, please stop with the chronic cardio.
A few times each week do HIIT to create that hormonal response you want from your catecholamines without the exaggerated insulin response
