Can You Eat Too Many Artichokes?

Question: Can you eat too many artichokes? Should I try to preserve some artichokes instead of trying to eat them when they are fresh? -Fran L.

Answer: Everything in moderation is a good rule to follow where diet is concerned. If you eat too much of any one particular thing, there will most likely be negative consequences. Even the healthiest foods in the world will cause problems if they are consumed in abundance. This is because even nutritious foods have toxic compounds in very small amounts.

Okra, for example, when consumed in moderate amounts, is incredibly good for you. The common southern vegetable comes with a long list of beneficial nutrients which it contains and another long list of health benefits that it provides. Even eating okra on a daily basis is recommended for a healthy diet. However, if someone were to eat nothing but okra, they would learn that too much of a good thing has a downside. Okra, like artichokes, contains trace amounts of solanine, which is a toxic compound that can cause joint pain, arthritis, and prolonged inflammation. Ridiculous amounts of okra and other foods that contain solanine would have to be consumed on a daily basis before it would become a problem. So yes, you can eat too much artichokes, or any other natural food, as pretty much every edible food source has trace amounts of toxic compounds.

There are some people who are allergic to compounds that are present in artichoke, who should severely limit their artichoke consumption or stop eating artichokes all together. For others, eating artichokes doesn’t cause an allergic reaction but doing so leads to gas, upset stomach, and diarrhea. For those who get stomach issues from artichokes, daily ingestion is probably also a bad idea. For the rest of us, however, eating artichokes everyday can actually be quite healthy, as artichokes are low in calories, high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. You should still avoid eating nothing but artichokes, as a balanced diet is the key to smart nutritional intake. The recommended daily amount of artichokes for men is between 30 and 38 grams per day and for women is between 21 and 25 grams per day.