Nightshade-Free AIP Chili Recipe (Paleo, Whole30) (2024)

FAQs

Is paleo nightshade free? ›

Certain foods in the nightshade family, like cayenne, chilis, and white potatoes, to name just a few, are temporarily eliminated on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol. But why is that? To put it a little more science-y, nightshades contain one or more lectin, saponin, and capsaicin properties.

The main difference between the two is this: the AIP diet consists of two phases: the elimination phase and the reintroduction phase. The elimination phase is extremely similar to the paleo diet, but somewhat more restrictive, as you can see from these lists of foods to enjoy and those to avoid.

How to sub it: Use vegetables such as zucchini and yellow squash instead of bell peppers or eggplant and safe seasonings like ground ginger instead of spicy peppers and pepper-based seasonings.

Green beans are typically included in the paleo diet, but they should be avoided if you are currently in full elimination phase of the AIP or Autoimmune Protocol. They contain lectins and agglutinins, which are hard to digest, and they can compromise the lining of you guts.

Even less is known about the effects of nightshades on other autoimmune diseases. However, there may be some connection between increased intestinal permeability, or leaky gut, and autoimmune conditions like celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis ( 15 , 16 ).

These are NOT Nightshades:

Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) Green Peppercorns (Piper nigrum) Long Pepper (Piper nigrum) Sichuan Pepper.

The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Whole30 Approved provides a specialized approach for individuals with autoimmune conditions. Foods that comply with AIP have undergone strict screening to eliminate potential triggers.

Beans and Lentils

They also contain high amounts of fiber that can irritate some people's intestines. These are foods to avoid on AIP (particularly during elimination phase). This is more often the case with harder-to-digest varieties like black beans, red lentils, and chickpeas than white beans or split peas.

The autoimmune protocol diet is a means of reducing symptoms such as inflammation and pain related to autoimmune disorders. Eggs are on the list of food to eliminate in the first phase of the AIP diet because they are a common allergen.

I use fresh grated ginger, cumin, garlic, and black pepper in my nightshade free taco seasoning. You can also try cinnamon. Both ginger and cinnamon are nice in savory dishes and add a little heat. The cumin gives it that familiar flavor that is used in chili.

Are bananas OK for AIP? ›

Examples of foods you can eat while on the AIP diet include: Vegetables that aren't nightshade vegetables like cucumbers, spinach, sweet potatoes and zucchini. Fresh fruits like apples, oranges, mangos, strawberries, bananas and blueberries.

An AIP diet avoids all processed foods, alcohol, additives, refined sugars, coffee, tea, oils, and certain medications. In the elimination phase, a person will also avoid foods such as grains, legumes, dairy, eggs, and nightshade vegetables, but they may reintroduce these later.

The first thing to consider if you have autoimmune issues, is that coffee is a seed. If you are following a strict Autoimmune Protocol, seeds are cut out of the diet for a period of time, and then reintroduced. Therefore, you would want to remove coffee for the first few weeks, along with any other seeds.

While you might be inclined to believe that it's caffeine that's eliminated here, it's actually the coffee bean itself! The name bean is misleading, however, because coffee is technically a seed of the Coffea plant. So, that means, like other seeds, coffee is eliminated in the temporary elimination phase of the AIP.

The reason you may want to occasionally limit nightshade vegetables, however, is due to their alkaloid and lectin content. Alkaloids and lectins are groups of chemical compounds that act as nightshades' natural “pesticides” to give them protection from pests.

The bottom line. It's OK to add nightshade vegetables to your anti-inflammatory diet. Unless you eat huge quantities of green potatoes, they don't contain enough solanine to make you sick. And evidence to date does not support a link between nightshades and inflammation.

Do nightshade vegetables cause inflammation? According to Versus Arthritis in the United Kingdom, there is no evidence of a link between nightshade vegetables and inflammation. People in particular often blame tomatoes for worsening arthritis symptoms.

For example, individuals with gastrointestinal conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS) may experience heightened symptoms after eating peppers, tomatoes, and other nightshades. Of course, anyone with a known allergy to nightshade veggies needs to avoid them in their diet.