water spinach
Vegetables
Is water spinach high in nightshades?
Is water spinach high or low in nightshades? See its exact rating, how much counts as a portion, and its FODMAP, salicylate, oxalate and diet compatibility in one place.
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Compare water spinach across criteria
Sensitivity notes
Why nightshades food checker matters
Nightshades are a plant family including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes. Some people find that avoiding nightshades helps with joint pain, digestive issues, or inflammatory conditions, though research is limited.
- Complete elimination for 30 days gives the clearest picture
- Watch for hidden nightshades in spice blends and sauces
- Paprika and cayenne are nightshades often overlooked
- Sweet potatoes are NOT nightshades - they're safe
- Goji berries are nightshades
Sensitivities
What water spinach contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where water spinach fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know about water spinach
Water spinach is not spinach and that distinction is the whole point of this page. Ong choy or kangkong is Ipomoea aquatica, a hollow-stemmed aquatic vine in the morning glory family, while true spinach belongs to an entirely different plant family and is graded high for oxalate, salicylate and free glutamate. Water spinach is graded moderate for oxalate, and moderate rather than high across histamine, tyramine, salicylate, nickel and glutamate as well, with no single spike anywhere. It is clean on gluten, lactose, sulfites, nitrites and nightshades. If you cut spinach for oxalate reasons and assumed kangkong was off the table too, the data does not support that assumption.
Watch for
- Do not read spinach grades across to this plant.True spinach carries top-band oxalate, salicylate and glutamate grades; water spinach sits a full band lower on all three despite the shared name
- The profile is a broad moderate rather than a spike.Histamine, tyramine, salicylate, oxalate, nickel and free glutamate all land in the middle. Individually none of them is alarming, but a large plate of stir-fried greens stacks several mild triggers in one sitting
- Moderate nickel, which is worth logging if you have systemic nickel allergy.Leafy greens are a category nickel-sensitive eaters usually treat carefully, and a fast-growing aquatic crop is no exception
- FODMAP data is unrated.Monash has not published a tested portion for water spinach, so treat "kangkong is low FODMAP" claims as unverified rather than confirmed
- The garlic, shrimp paste, fermented bean curd and oyster sauce that ong choy is nearly always cooked with are much bigger triggers than the leaf.Fructans from the garlic and histamine plus glutamate from the fermented pastes usually explain a reaction better than the green does
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Nightshades Guide
Everything you need to know about nightshades sensitivity and smart food choices.
Nightshades are a plant family including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes. Some people find that avoiding nightshades helps with joint pain, digestive issues, or inflammatory conditions, though research is limited.
Sensitivity varies widely. What triggers one person may be fine for another. Track your reactions to find your personal threshold.
These foods are generally well-tolerated for Nightshades sensitivity:
View all safe options
These foods have moderate levels and may be tolerated in small amounts:
These foods are high in nightshades and may trigger symptoms:
View full list
If you're sensitive to Nightshades, consider these strategies:
- 1Complete elimination for 30 days gives the clearest picture
- 2Watch for hidden nightshades in spice blends and sauces
- 3Paprika and cayenne are nightshades often overlooked
- 4Sweet potatoes are NOT nightshades - they're safe
- 5Goji berries are nightshades
Pro tip: Keep a food diary to track your reactions. The Triggerbites app makes this easy with automatic pattern detection.
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Get the AppFAQ
Is water spinach high in Nightshades?
Nightshades: low signal for most people.
Can I still eat water spinach if I'm sensitive to Nightshades?
Usually fine in normal portions.
What else should I check?
Check Low Fibre, Gastroparesis Diet, and Histamine next for a fuller picture.