The Deadly Nightshades

Meet a couple of our family's worst enemies: the tomato and the pepper.

Both of these fruits (vegetables?) are part of a group called the "nightshades." Other members include the white potato and the eggplant. The tomato is by far our most hated foe of the lot--and rightfully so, since it could have easily killed Tai a couple months ago. He ate something that touched something that had been cooked with tomatoes (you still following me?), and it put him into anaphylactic shock. If it hadn't been for that "precautionary" Epi Pen prescription we filled shortly before returning to Uganda, well...I prefer not to think about that. He couldn't talk or swallow. All he could do was hoarsely gasp for air. Crying was clearly not an option. It...was...terrible. Though an allergist told us Tai's tomato allergy did not indicate that he should be tested for other allergies, I've come to regret not testing him for allergies to other nightshade foods.

Last week he had allergy symptoms after grudgingly eating eggplant. When I say "grudgingly," let's just say there was a battle, and Tai didn't win. And we both paid for it with lots of diarrhea the next day. Gross. For a kid who likes spinach, green beans and broccoli, I think I'll let him win the next food battle if for nothing other than the hope that I'm avoiding another terrible day of the squirts. For instance, Tai doesn't like potatoes (go figure! another nightshade). It's okay, dude, you don't have to eat anymore french fries. I'll let you eat your broccoli in peace!