Hi!
Let's read what some experts have written on the subject.
From Part Two: THE CONTENTS OF THE MACROBIOTIC DIET: Vegetables, in the book,
Macrobiotic Diet:Balancing Your Eating in Harmony with the Changing Environment and Personal Needs by Michio and Aveline Lushi, Edited by Alex Jack
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...063148-2916842 :
"Tropical Vegetables
.Tropical and semitropical vegetables may be enjoyed in their native setting but are generally too extreme).e in their energy and effects on the mind and body for even occasional use in temperate, four-season climates. This includes some species that originally came from southern latitudes but are now grown in northern climate zones. In most cases, they have been cultivated in the new enviro'nment for only a few centuries, which in evolutionary terms is very brief. Perhaps in several thousand years after they have more fully adapted themselves to the new type of soil, weather, and growing conditions, they will be more suitable for human consumption.
Among tropical vegetables, the solanaceous plants are especially unsuitable. These include white potato, tomato, eggplant, green pepper, red pepper, chili pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika, as well as tobacco, belladonna, henbane, and other members of the deadly nightshade family.
In the cold mountainous region of the Andes, where the potato originated, it was used primarily as a cover crop to break up the soil for growing corn. In
times of famine, when grain was unavailable, the potato's bitter taste and semitoxic properties were neutralized to some extent by soaking in a cold mountain stream, pounding, drying and using as a meal or roasting and boiling. Only the tubers were eaten, as the leaves, flowers, stems, berries, and other parts growing above ground contain the poison solanin.
The tomato, native to the tropical lowlands of South and Central America and having some of the same toxic properties as the potato, was brought to North Africa by the Conquistadores. Along with the potato, it entered Southern Europe by the sixteenth century. The eggplant, native to India, reached Europe in the Middle Ages. However, for several hundred years all three plants were regarded as poisonous and grown only for their ornamental value.
Since antiquity nightshades had been used medicinally to stimulate and depress the nervous system, increase heart rate, reduce digestive function, and raise blood pressure. When potatoes arrived in Europe and began being eaten as food, doctors and herbalists noted an increased incidence of leprosy. While the varieties of potatoes and tomatoes consumed today are larger, weaker, and less bitter than those formerly available, regular consumption of these foods in the modern diet
is a contributing factor to loss of natural immunity and may lead to a wide range of extremely expansive conditions ranging from colds and flu to skin rashes and itches, loss of sexual vitality, polio, and others. This is beginning to be confirmed by modern science. For example, Dr. Norman Childers, a professor of horticulture at Cook College in New Jersey who has worked with solanaceous plants all his life, has found that regular consumption of tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants is a primary cause of arthritis. In his book The Nightshades and Health, he reports that in many arthritic patients symptoms of this potentially crippling disease go away usually in a period of several weeks to several months when they stop eating these foods.
Historically, Europeans, Americans, and other modern people have been attracted to excessively yin foods like potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and spices in an effort to offset their high consumption of meat, poultry, eggs, dairy food, and other overly yang items. However, such an extreme balance is unnatural and inevitably leads to illness and unhappiness. As foodstuffs, the solanaceous plants are best avoided altogether. However, their medicinal properties are still useful. In macrobiotic home care, for example, potatoes are often used externally as a compress to help draw out accumulated toxins from the body, and eggplants are baked and ground into fine powder for use as a toothpaste called dentie.
Another type of plant usually reduced or avoided in the macrobiotic diet is the goosefoot family and its members. These vegetables of generally semitropical origin include spinach, Swiss chard, beets, lamb's-quarters, and rhubarb. They are usually astringent to the taste, cook up dark, and do not combine well with other foods. In addition, they contain oxalic acid which prevents the body from properly absorbing calcium into the cells and tissues. In extreme cases, oxalates can lead to the formation of calcium deposits or stones in the kidneys.
Other tropical or semitropical species that are preferably avoided in temperate climates are artichoke, asparagus, avocado, breadfruit, cassava, okra, plantain, sweet potato, and yam. In their own environment, these foods are perfectly fine and form an important part of the traditional diet there.
On rare occasion, when eating out or preparing exotic vegetables in the home, the adverse effects of tropical and semitropical vegetables can be somewhat reduced by counterbalancing their extreme yin energies with more yang methods of food preparation. These include salting raw foods or marinating them with tamari soy sauce or brown rice vinegar; whenever possible cooking tropical foods rather than preparing them raw and using mqre long-time methods such as strong boiling, stewing, or baking; and seasoning dishes with slightly more sea salt, tamari soy sauce, or miso than usual."
From Chapter 3: Variety with Vegetables and Soups, in
The Self-Healing Cookbook: A Macrobiotic Primer for Healing Body, Mind and Moods With Whole Natural Foods by Kristina Turner
http://69.94.78.222/Self-Healing-Cookbook.php :
"Nightshades and Other Stressful Vegetables
Nightshades (which include tomato, potato,
eggplant and peppers) are one group of veggies you may want to minimize--especially in times of stress.
Studies show they speed the heart-rate and slow down digestion. They're high in alkaloids, which block B Vitamin absorption (key vitamins in coping with stress). And they may contribute to arthritic and rheumatic symptoms (see The Nightshades & Health, by Norman Childers).
Other veggies that are potentially stressful on the body include chard, spinach, beets, and rhubard. These contain oxalic acid, which binds calcium and eliminates it from the body-increasing the risk of osteoporosis and kidney stones.
All these yin vegetables are an appealing balance to extremely yang foods like meat, eggs, and cheese. But on a Self-Healing Diet, you may want to temporarily avoid them, while your body gains strength and learns
a new, more gentle way to stay in balance.
(For a great tomato-free spaghetti sauce, see p. 166)."
Are you convinced, now?
Be Well.
Cool Dude