Steak and a Clam

Recently I had a bout with some gastrointestinal distress. I know, TMI, but it was bumming me out (pun intended). I have been eating relatively well so I couldn't figure out what was causing the issues, until I found the common ingredient. Nightshades. A group of plants that include tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, bell peppers, and eggplant. Of course I've been eating a TON of nightshades. So, without going to a doctor and getting tested for food allergies, I figured it wouldn't hurt to eliminate them from my diet for a while.

Which is fine. I've done food eliminations before. Except I had already planned to cook Shrimp & Grits, which traditionally features at least a couple nightshades. Using this recipe from The Castaway Kitchen for the seasoning, I think I was moderately successful.

Moderately successful because I haven't actually had Shrimp & Grits before so I didn't have a control to compare against. It came out very tasty though! I would have liked thicker grits too, but I was much too impatient to cook them down further.

Oh, and my tummy? After a couple weeks of no nightshades, I brought them back into my diet, and I haven't had too much trouble since. Some day I will get a full write up from a gastro-doc, but until then, I'll just eliminate as needed.