Is Okra AIP Compliant?

Each time I post a recipe in the AIP Recipe Collection Facebook Group for a recipe that includes okra I get hit with a wave of comments that it’s not compliant or someone’s been told not to include okra in their AIP diet. With that, here is what I’ve been able to find on the subject, along with my take on it.

The AIP is a Template

As you will hear me say again and again, the Autoimmune Protocol is a template – it is meant to be personalized to you and your health circumstances. Just because a food is considered elimination stage compliant does not mean that everyone on planet earth will necessarily be able to consume it. Take for instance my allergy to pineapple – it’s elimination stage friendly, but I can’t eat it. Or the fact that fermented foods are for the most part elimination stage compliant and touted to be fantastic for many health conditions – perhaps, but not for me and my condition. So, as with everything you’ll be dealing with on the AIP, know your body, know your health condition, work with the AIP as a template and a jumping-off point for your journey. If you feel unwell with a food, note it and discontinue use. If your practitioner/nutritional specialist/medical professional advises you not to use something in your diet – do not use it – AIP friendly or not.

What is Okra?

Everyone seems to think it’s a nightshade – it is not.

Botanically speaking, okra is known as Abelmoschus esculentus. It’s a member of the mallow family (Malvaceae), related to plants like hibiscus and hollyhocks, not the Solanaceae family (nightshades).

Why the Confusion?

I think the confusion comes from two separate things getting mixed together: what is a nightshade and what contains glycoalkaloids such as solanine (sorry … this is where things get a bit science-y!)

Nightshades belong to the botanical family Solanaceae and include familiar foods such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes. Okra belongs to an entirely different plant family, Malvaceae.

Solanine is something different. It is a type of glycoalkaloid, a naturally occurring plant compound. Solanine is particularly associated with potatoes and some other plants in the Solanum genus. Other nightshade plants can contain different glycoalkaloids rather than solanine.

In other words, solanine does not define what is or isn’t a nightshade. A food doesn’t become a nightshade simply because someone says it contains solanine.

At some point, lists began circulating online that included okra among foods supposedly containing solanine … and so the understandings became very muddled.

I’ve never found convincing evidence that okra should be excluded from the AIP on the basis of being a nightshade or containing solanine.

The Conclusion? . . . Let them eat okra!

So, where does that leave us?

Okra is not a nightshade, and I haven’t found a credible reason to exclude it from the AIP on the basis that it contains solanine. It’s considered compliant during the Core elimination stage of the AIP. Therefore … let them eat okra!

Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone will tolerate it. That’s where the “personalized template” part of the AIP comes in. If okra doesn’t agree with you, don’t eat it. And if your healthcare professional has given you a reason to avoid it, that’s the advice you should follow.

But if you’ve been avoiding okra because someone told you it’s a nightshade, you can put the okra back on the menu!

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REFERENCES:

Abelmoschus esculentus – Common Name: Okra – North Carolina State University

Okra – Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food & Rural Affairs

 

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