Right now I am...

Thinking back on how far I have come in the last 2 months on this migraine diet!

Glad my little boy is feeling better

Wondering what would happen if I ate onions, but not willing to risk a headache for them at this point. It just doesnt seem worth it!

Looking at these and thinking its time for another homemade waffle freezer stock up cooking session and this time maybe adding french toast?

Feeling dumb as I went to an appointment on the wrong day.

Proud that I did pretty good this week in terms of meal planning! There were no desperate dinner time scrambles!

Shocked that its almost April!

Glad I made a double batch of cornbread with Minestrone Soup! Made great leftovers!

Excited to find Carageenan free ice cream! Organic Premium Wegmans Vanilla! You have to check the premium brands!

Happy Friday!



*Right now post format inspired by Amanda Soule at Soulemama.com

Roasted Chickpea, Cauliflower, Sweet Potato Over Rice

This was inspired by a version I saw over at Healthy Happy Mama's blog. I know I am obsessed with her blog, but what can I say her recipes satisfy my healthy side and my husbands bean side!
Anyway it got rave reviews the other night and it is super flexible. I can see this being a great refrigerator clean out recipe!

Roasted Chickpea, Cauliflower, Sweet Potato Over Wild rice

Ingredients
-One head of cauliflower cut into small pieces
-One sweet potato cubed
-One can of chickpeas
olive oil- I used garlic infused
rosemary
basil
sea salt
1 cup wild rice
2 cups water

drizzle cut veggies and rinsed chickpeas with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary, basil, and salt. Roast at 400 degrees until sweet potato is soft around 20-25 minutes. While veggies are roasting start the rice. Add the rice and water in a small sauce pan. bring to a boil. reduce heat and cover. simmering on low for about 20 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.

Serve roasted vegetables over the rice!

Enjoy!

Magnesium Oil

Magnesium oil is something I recently discovered while doing research on magnesium deficiency. It really is a great addition to the migraine toolbox if you are one of those people that is magnesium deficient. Some people on the amazon reviews reported that they no longer had periodic episodes of migraine as long as they used the oil faithfully. I don't use it that often mainly because I also get once weekly infusions but there are times when I feel low or when I have a headache that I reach for it. It is amazing.
You can put it on when you have a headache and immediately feel some relief. You must cover a large part of your body and use enough. A little dab will not cut it. It is thin and doesn't really feel like a oil. It also lasts a pretty long time. The problem is the good stuff Ancient Minerals Brand (and you get what you pay for) is expensive!

Most migraine patients are magnesium deficient and most importantly have difficultly absorbing this important mineral internally. Applying the oil containing the mineral salts to the skin allows it to be rapidly absorbed bypassing the digestive track. It is the next best thing to magnesium infusions. I have done both infusions and oil.

I find the oil an amazing tool for people who

Need an infusion or infusions but are unable for any reason to get them

Feel like they are getting a migraine- a little oil application could prevent it

In between infusions if they are feeling a little low

For people with IBS or other GI issues that have difficulty absorbing vitamin forms of magnesium

 Simply put a little oil in the palm of your hand and rub into large patches of your body. Alternate application areas to avoid over working an area as it can sting and dry the skin out after awhile. Great places for application are legs, shoulders, arms, and belly.

Note: After the oil absorbs it leaves a light sticky residue that some find itchy. Simply wipe off after 15- 20 minutes if this bothers you.  It doesn’t bother me but my husband says it itches.

Want to try magnesium oil without spending lots of money on a huge bottle? I decided to provide small 1 ounce trial bottles of Ancient minerals magnesium oil in my store after talking to many people that wanted to try the oil but didn’t want to pay over 20 plus bucks for a 8 ounce bottle if they were not sure it would work for them! There is enough oil in the bottle for many applications you only need a little bit.

You can get your own Magnesium Oil- 1 Ounce Trial Bottle here

There are some new new teas in my store too!! Check out the new Frazzled Nerve Soother Tea and Headache Tea in convenient tea bags!

 Have you tried Magnesium Oil? Do you like it?

Blueberry Oatmeal Bake

This is a quick and easy weeknight meal that I made the other day when we were running low on many items in the pantry! Its pretty frugal and most of the things I have on hand at any given time. You can try substituting different frozen fruit (no raspberries or dried fruit). The best part is it’s like eating an oatmeal cookie for a meal!

Blueberry Oatmeal Bake

- Fits in a 9 by 13 pan for brownie thickness, for thicker bake but longer cooking time use smaller pan. Modified from Taste of Home.

4.5 cups oatmeal

1.5 cups evaporated cane sugar or 1.25 cups of brown sugar

1/2- 3/4 cup melted butter depending how rich you want it

3 eggs

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 cup flax- I like it healthier hahah

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup frozen blueberries

Mix wet ingredients together then add dry ingredients, and mix together. Add blueberries last. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until edges are brown and the middle is done
Top with warm milk, brown sugar, fresh fruit, or a little real maple syrup.

Sick Little Boy

My little boy has been very sick the past few days. He does seem to be on the mend though now thank goodness, but that's why I have been silent here. I must say though even with the lack of sleep I have not gotten a migraine. Lots of tea drinking though!

I did make these yummy portobella mushroom fajitas by Happy Healthy Mama
-Modifications- no lime juice or onions, and i skipped the roasted part and just sauteed them in skillet with the peppers. Wonderful!!!!

Carrageenan and Other Recent MSG Problems

I happened to be baking cookies the other day, when I glanced at the oat milk in the fridge. The same oat milk I had switched to when this whole diet thin started almost 2 months ago. At that point I didn't know as much as I do now and I was focusing mostly on avoiding soy and almond. My husband is lactose intolerant so I was trying to find something we both could have. I thought I had found it when I had bought the oat milk. What I totally did not realize then is how many places MSG can be hiding.
So there on the ingredient list was CARRAGEENAN!

I have been putting it in my coffee, morning smoothie and cooking with this stuff for almost 2 months!

Then I did some research - its linked to intestinal cancers and IBS! I have IBS!
This guy had a interesting post about the link of his migraines and carregeenan.
This site was interesting as well http://www.msgmyth.com/.

Then I saw it could be in toothpaste! I use Tom's natural toothpaste- Yep its in there! and in my sons Tom's kids toothpaste too!!! Luckily I had made my own recently and was just lazy and not using it! But jeez! I made 3 different kinds the best of the 3 was this one I think or very similar!

Natural Toothpaste Recipes*
grittier version
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup fine sea salt
1ts-1tbs plain Dr. Bonner's Castile soap- you can leave this out but makes it more bubbly
20 drops or to taste- stevia extract
10 drops peppermint essential oil or more to taste

Option 2*- creamier version but hardens easily in winter
2-3 tablespoons baking soda
1 Tbs dr bonners
5 Tbs coconut oil- be careful if you are sensitive to coconut
stevia to taste
peppermint essential oil to taste


Its different in texture and taste but you get used to it and hey it works AND no migraine!

If that was not enough I was out of my homemade mouthwash! Now folks this is important I have a mouth guard for TMJ (migraine related!) you might be able to skip mouthwash otherwise but a fresh rinse on a mouth guard is priceless! My husband has the regular green stuff full of colors that led me to make my own anyway, but last night of all nights it was out! I look at the ingredients and what do I see "FLAVOR" hmmm is that like the MSG hiding natural flavors? Who the hell knows! I felt like I was in bathroom hell! First the toothpaste and now the mouthwash!

Mouthwash Recipe
For each cup of water add
1 teaspoon baking soda
3-4 drops peppermint essential oil
put in a glass jar and shake to dissolve baking soda,
use like regular mouth wash, shake right before using, store on the counter

Moving right on in the bathroom to the GELATIN in all those prescription medications! Mine even have bright colors! Not sure what to do with these as its a LOT of powder to take, maybe applesauce? PB is out...

As the final straw in this post, I have sad news about Daiya fake cheese that I have previously recommended on here. Upon further scrutiny it too has natural flavors. Sorry folks its a no go.

I know its depressing! Its getting hard to keep track of! Even I am getting confused!

*natural toothpaste recipes is a combonation of these two (1 & 2) wonderful blogs recipes but had to be modified- no lemon! and i don't like glycerin in homemade toothpaste:)

Panko Crusted Wild Caught Salmon

I am lucky enough to be a part of our local fish buying club that buys from Lummi Island Wild Salmon. I am not a big fish lover, but I really like their salmon! We have a big case in our freezer and pull some out about once a week. Our favorite way to have it is with a panko crust. This time we had it with sides of Israeli style couscous mix and broccoli.

Panko Crusted Salmon

Ingredients
1 cup plain panko style bread crumbs- these are extra crunchy and regular doesn't work!
olive oil- garlic olive oil is yummy!
salmon
salt
pepper

Easy Directions

Coat fish with olive oil, salt and pepper and any other seasoning you desire.

Sprinkle/ coat with panko breadcrumbs

Bake 400 degrees until the panko is light brown and the fish is flaky about 20-25 minutes

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Pie - No Migraine Makeover

I got this recipe from Happy Healthy Mama a blog I love!  However, it called for onions- but with a easy peasy swap with some chives from the backyard I was in business! You can find the recipe here.
I also used some left over mushrooms and less peppers.
Mine took a lot longer than 20 minutes to bake but I think I had more veggies!
I also topped half with real cheese for the non migraine sufferers in the house and half with Daiya fake cheese. It turned out great though just like Maryea said it would!

Diet Mistakes and Medication Decreases

It was one of those weekends. You know the kind. The kind that go by so fast because you spent most of it in bed in pain with a headache or waiting for time to pass so your headache would too. It was beautiful spring weather here too, which is a double edged sword. The sunny spring weather is a killer trigger for me. It does not take long out in that strong unfiltered sun- even in the car to make my head pound!

To make matters worse, I started ever so slightly decreasing my Zonogram preventative. Only by 25 mg but boy oh boy did I feel the difference! I would like to get off most of my medications eventually, but am not feeling very positive after the very negative reaction to such a small decrease.

Then I was eating these cookies I got at our local Mennonite bulk foods store. Delicious blueberry whole wheat bars. I read the ingredients 3 times! I was excited that I could eat them. They do not even have corn syrup! Then I thought about it and remembered DUH, the fruit in the cookies was DRIED- banned on the elimination diet and it had dried figs! Why didn't I realize this when reading the ingredients? I was desperate and it only said blueberries and figs without the dried part which would have triggered the WAIT! YOU CAN'T HAVE THAT! voice in my head! ugh! By that time I had already eaten at least five over three days!

Last one!

MSG- The Hidden Trigger

Monosodium Glutamate is a common food additive that almost everyone out there has heard of.  When I talk to people though (mostly non migraine sufferers) they don't seem to realise how many different things it is in! It pretty  much boils down to almost all processed food down there or it "could' be in almost all processed food out there. The problem is that it doesn't have to say MSG on the label to have MSG in it. There are a ton of things that can be in the ingredients that contain MSG. It is also considered "natural" by the FDA so you can't even trust the more natural brands!

The worst offenders are broths, bouillons, seasoned salt, frozen or ready to eat meals, buffet food, Chinese food, processed meats, low fat/low calorie foods, veggie burgers and most tuna fish.

Hidden names/Sources for MSG*

Hydrolyzed protein- including vegetable/soy/plant and rice
Yeast extract
Autolyzed yeast
natural flavor/s
Broth, Stock, bouillon
Soy protein concentrate
Soy protein isolate
textured protein
whey protein
protein fortified items
malt extract
malted barley
maltodextrin
carrageenan- in every ice cream i have seen!
kombu- seaweed extract
sodium caseinate
calcium caseinate
Glutamic acid
Gelatin
Fermented or Cultured items
Ultrapasteurized items
Enzyme modified items

Its a long list and I am always checking back to it. I bring it to the grocery store with me!
This is why cooking is so important to the migraine diet!
It took me less time to make a batch of oatmeal only cookies than it would have finding a cookie I could eat in a store!
Just the basic oatmeal cookie recipe no raisins!

*List of MSG sources taken from Heal Your Headache By David Buchholz M.D.

Chicken Fajitas

These were really great! You did not miss the onion at all!

Ingredients

1 package boneless chicken cut up in small pieces

2-3 multi color bell peppers cut in to slices

1 package of baby or regular portabella mushrooms sliced

Fajita seasoning by Penzeys or other non onion containing Mexican seasoning or chili powder

More chili powder- I know we like things spicy!

Tortillas- my husband made these but store bought are fine!

Cook chicken in a frying pan, add spices and veggies when almost done. When onions are just turning translucent but not too overcooked and peppers are cooked but still kind of crisp.

Fill tortilla with the filling. I chose to top mine with spinach which is high in magnesium which is something I am low in and many people who suffer from migraine are as well!

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Bean Burgers

My family has been missing their veggie burgers. I can’t find any that either don’t have MSG or onion! When I saw these on Pinterest/Healthy Happy Life I knew they would be easy to convert!

All I did was take out the tahini and use spices I knew would be migraine friendly. I also did not top with onion, ketchup, or that really lovely but migraine triggering avocado she had in her picture!

They are very soft patties and I did add Panko breadcrumbs to the mixture like she suggested. I also used a can each of adzuki and pinto beans instead of the beans she used because I was out.  Also make sure to use a non nut oil to pan fry the patties in!

They were a huge hit around here. Even my two year old ate his which is something these days!

Herbal Headache Teas

One of the most exciting new things I have been using to help relieve my headaches is my own special blend of herbs in a Headache Tea.  My dissatisfaction with my treatment led me to studying herbalism.  It was through this study that I found a whole new way of treating my migraines!

Instead of jumping right to Zomig or any of the pile of pain relievers like Excedrin that I used to grab when I felt a headache starting to come on, I just put the kettle on for some tea! After experimenting, I found the loose tea is the strongest, but the bags are nice to have on the go. I drink one cup after letting the tea steep in a tea ball or tea net/strainer for 5-10 minutes. If I have a headache raging already, I will have an additional cup followed by another every hour or so as needed. At first I needed to have a cup of tea daily, but now I need it less and less as the elimination diet is kicking in and the Chiropractic adjustments are helping too.

The tea has also really helped me to get OUT of the vicious drug cycle I was in. I was taking more and more drugs to counteract the side effects, withdrawals and rebounds from the others. It’s a difficult thing when you have migraines so often you never fully recover from one before the next one sets in.

On Friday when I had the first bad headache in 3 weeks, I did take Zomig, but I drank a LOT of this tea too. I drank it before and after to kind of nip it in the bud, so I wouldn’t have to take a second dose like I used too! Don’t get me wrong Zomig and triptans are a miracle and you need them when you need them, but they have some bad side effects, make me feel exhausted and I would rather not take them if I didn’t have too!

The Headache Tea helps you and your muscles relax, including your blood vessels. It also helps relieve pain. The tea  contains natural histamine blockers which counter allergic reactions that the migraine is in response to.

This tea is so great; I couldn’t keep it to myself! So I opened Healing Headache Teas on Etsy so you could get some too!

The Headache Tea is a blend of 100% organic herbs (except if you get the kind with ginger- the ginger is from Penzey’s Spices!) Each batch is handmade by me and made to order!

Ingredients:

Lemon Balm- calming and soothes the nervous system, histamine blocker

Skullcap- relaxant and pain relieving

Chamomile- relaxant and pain relieving

Feverfew- pain relieving, histamine blocker

Lavender- relaxing, reduces stress, pain relieving

Ginger- Settles stomach, reduces inflammation

Note: The tea does have a “green” taste to it. The kind with ginger does taste better and in a week or so I hope to offer a variety with peppermint too. I found I quickly got used to the taste and the benefit far outweighed the taste! If it bothers you try adding honey or Stevia!

I hope you can soon experience the same healing effect of the Headache Headache Tea like I have.

I think that’s all any of as headache sufferers seek- relief.

Garden Minestrone

Yesterday, was a rough day. I had the first really bad knock your socks off headache in 3 weeks! It was a sunbutter and honey sandwich kind of night! It really is progress though because a little over a month ago I used to get that kind of a headache at least 3 times a week. I was always in the cycle of getting a headache, had one or was trying to get over one! I think one of the main triggers yesterday was staying up later than usual, driving in the dark rainy night with bright headlights and having a significant cranial chiropractic adjustment. I made it to the other end of the headache though and have this yummy soup to share that I made for lunch today!

This is my mother in law Faith’s famous minestrone recipe tweaked a little to make it migraine friendly. It makes a huge pot of soup that lasts for several meals. I usually make a batch of biscuits to go with it.

Ingredients

3 Tbs olive oil

2 leeks cut and sliced

4 cloves garlic minced

2 carrots chopped

1 zucchini chopped

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can Navy or other small white beans

1 box of small sized pasta like Ditalini

4-5 cups water

Lots of dried basil (at least 3 Tbs)

Salt (More salt is needed than you might think because we are not using premade stock because they contain MSG. I recommend adding a little at a time, tasting the broth and then adding a little more until it tastes right to you),

Pepper to taste, ½ Ts ground fennel

Directions

In a large stock pot, sauté the leeks and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes, then add the carrots and zucchini and sauté until the leeks are soft.

Then add both cans of tomatoes and 4- 5 cups of water depending on how thick you like your broth.

 Add the seasonings.

Let the soup simmer and stir every once and a while.

Turn on the pasta water! Start the pasta! (I make the pasta separately as it makes a better leftover, I place some pasta in a bowl and pour soup over it.)

When the veggies are cooked through, add the rinsed beans and check flavor of broth add seasonings to taste.

When the pasta is cooked through drain it in a colander.

You can then serve your soup over the pasta!

If you have other people in your house that can have cheese they may enjoy Parmesan or Romano cheese on top. The rest of us have to go without. That’s ok though because this soup is still really good!

Supplements

Supplements have been a big part of my “turnaround” program.  Some I picked for energy because many of the preventatives and zomig really zap my energy. 

                                                                              My shelf!

Spirulina-(2-4 capsules a day) isa blue green algae that is high in protein and high in b vitamins. I get it in the tablet form because it doesn’t taste great in the powder.

Bee Pollen-(1 capsule a day) is a super concentrated form of nutrients and nourishes the nervous system. I figured mine needed nourishing!

Some like Rutin (3 capsules a day).Make sure you get a good quality Rutin. I got mine here ) Rutin are natural Histamine blockers. Histamine and its relation to migraines and food allergies is a link that keeps coming up the more I research the things that seem to be working on my headaches this time around (diet, herbs, supplements, chiropractic). You can read more about it here.

Butterbar (75mg 2x a day) sold by Petadolex by Wiley and Wiley - (the 50 mg can be found cheaper elsewhere) This really does seem to be working. It takes about 2-3 weeks to build up in your body. I have also read that Butterbar also is a histamine blocker as well as the things advertised on its website. This was given to me by my neurologist to try.

Niacin and B6 100mg 3x a day- These B vitamins are recommended to be taken as a save when you feel a headache coming on. Since up until now I had a headache all the time I just took them 3 times a day, since it was not working as a save for me. I can tell when I have missed a dose of these. They regulate your blood vessels which the swelling of blood vessels is a symptom of migraines – read about it here .

Magnesium- 400mg 2x a day- I have a Prescription for this and I think it’s a little better quality than the kind in the store, but I have taken that too. I also have a magnesium powder that dissolves in a drink that is also great when you have a headache. There is a strong link between low magnesium levels and migraines, especially if you have other problems. For instance I have IBS, which impacts my ability even further to absorb vitamins like magnesium.

DSF Herbal- My chiropractor gave me this for adrenal stress to take for 60 days.

I also take Rainbow Light’s Women’s Multi Vitamin.

WOW that’s a lot!

I am crazy I know! But hopefully I wont be taking all this forever, I am just trying to jumpstart some healing and recovery in my body. By sharing with all of you I hope I have given you some ideas of some new things try if you are stuck in a rut with your current therapy regimen!

Baked chicken and Vegetable Foil Packets

Tonight’s dinner was a quick and easy one. It is something I remember making as a kid on camping trips. We would make these little packets up and let the roast on the hot coals all afternoon while hiking in the woods and come back to a hot dinner. The original recipe had Italian dressing in it, so I made some substitutions to make an easy weeknight dinner.

Take a large piece of foil and place inside a 9x12 baking dish – each dish can fit 2 packets.

In each packet place one chicken breast or chicken thigh or whatever cut you happen to have on hand.

Then pile cut veggies on top! I used leeks, carrots and fingerling potatoes!

Sprinkle with seasoning- I used lots of rosemary, fresh ground pepper, a little ground fennel, a sprinkle of sea salt, and basil.

I finished with just a little splash of olive oil over the top and fold/seal up the packets!

Bake at 375 degrees until the veggies are soft and the juices run clear on the chicken at least 45 minutes.

Spaghetti and Meatballs: An Old Favorite Revisited

Here is a recipe that is one of those all time favorites in many families with children.  The problem is how do you make meatballs and sauce without onions? Turns out it isn’t that hard it just takes a few substitutions. Instead of onions you use shallots- lots of them! Another great substitution for onions although not in this recipe is leeks; you can also use green onions. All do not have the tyramine levels that regular onions do. For the onion and lemon juice free tomato sauce again I turned to bionaturae’s strained tomatoes.

Simple, fast filling and delicious!

Ingredients for Meatballs

1 package of ground turkey or beef (we used turkey)

½ Cup bread crumbs

2 large Cloves of shallots chopped finely

3 Cloves of garlic chopped finely

1 egg

Pizza seasoning (about Tbs)***, basil (Tbs), fennel (Ts), Penzeys Spices Bangkok Blend (Ts), Season to taste

Pasta!

Bionaturae’s Strained Tomato Sauce or other no onion or lemon juice sauce warmed in saucepan with Pizza seasoning added. You can also sauté garlic in olive oil first if you have extra time!

Mix together the meatball ingredients in a small bowl.Roll into balls and dredge in flour

Add 3-4 tablespoons olive oil to a frying pan and cook the meatballs on medium high heat until cooked through, turning them frequently, so they do not burn but form a nice crust. 

*Don’t forget please don’t sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top- don’t worry you won’t even miss it after awhile!

I swear I will get off this Italian kick soon!

*** As a kind friend pointed out pizza seasoning does have onion in it! I swear i read it 3 times. Onion is ok in small amounts according to some experts, however since i still am having some low grade headaches this could be why! So, I think i am going to stay away from it sadly for awhile. The choice is of course up to you! That is why this blog is soo important we can all help each other!!!

Easy and Fast No Headache Pizza

Let’s face it pizza is one of those foods that people seem to can’t live without! It is also a triple and sometimes even quadruple whammy in the headache trigger department.

The possible migraine triggers in pizza include:

• Cheese!
• Fresh baked yeast crust
• Onion in the sauce
• Toppings- sausage, bacon, pepperoni, etc.

Easy and Fast No Headache Pizza

The Recipe

You will need:

• A piece of store bought naan or pita bread for each person you plan to make a pizza for (I used whole wheat naan).

• 1 jar of tomato paste- make sure it only has tomatoes as ingredients- no onions! I like Bionaturae’s organic tomato paste in a glass jar (cans have BPA and the fewer chemicals the better for people with migraines!

NOTE ON TOMATOES- some people are sensitive to tomatoes the general guidelines is under ½ cup a day – here we use about 2 tablespoons. If you are avoiding tomatoes you can use olive oil, garlic and basil!

• 1 package of fake cheese – read the ingredients carefully some may have MSG hard to tell I have tried a brand called Daiya mozzarella style shreds – it has some coconut oil in it, BUT I have had it 3 times and have been fine. It seemed one of the best options available in my local stores. It melts well, tastes good, feels like cheese, and looks like cheese. It’s not perfect as I like real whole foods and this is obviously not, BUT a girl has to make concessions when faced with a diet this strict!

• Spinach or other toppings

• Seasoning- I suggest ground fennel, oregano, basil, or any combo you like. I think good quality spices really make a difference and reccomend Penzeys Spices

Directions

• Preheat oven to 365 degrees.

• Place the naan or pita on a cookie sheet.

• Spread the bread with the tomato paste and sprinkle with seasonings.

• Sprinkle with cheese and toppings. Don’t put on too many toppings or it could get soggy!

• Bake for about 8 minutes. I check it frequently! I don’t like it very crispy!

Enjoy!!!!

Welcome to Migraine Mindset

Hi!

I’m Rachel and I suffer from Chronic Migraines.  I am in the midst of THE WORST migraine cycle of my life and I am struggling to reclaim my life.  I have tried so many things in the past to help me manage my migraines as I have suffered from them in varying degrees since I was a child. Many of these methods have worked for me in the past, but currently none of these things is working for me anymore. I have tried Botox, magnesium infusions, antidepressants, beta blockers, Topamax, other anti-seizure drugs, riboflavin, feverfew capsules, biofeedback, muscle relaxants, physical therapy, acupuncture and more.

One month ago, I decided to make some drastic changes. It was after my son’s 2^nd birthday when I had to take more Zomig and drugs than I care to mention here just to get through the two parties. I felt awful, how could I enjoy life like this? I most certainly could not go on like this anymore. I had to do something.

After a lot of research, I decided to try the Migraine Elimination Diet made popular by the book Heal Your Headache the 1-2-3 Plan by David Buchholz. I had actually read this book several years ago, but at the time my headaches were under control and it seemed so extreme. Make no mistake, this is not an easy diet, but I was desperate.

The main premise of the diet is that you eliminate foods that are known to trigger migraines the popular well known ones like cheese, red wine, chocolate, nitrates are there. But so are many foods that contain tyramines, MSG and fresh yeast products. Yep this gets hard!

Some of the hardest foods I am finding to avoid and/or miss are

Peanuts
Bananas
Lentils
Onions- including anything with onion powder!
Citrus
Fresh Bread
MSG foods- almost all processed food aka non homemade has a possible MSG ingredient listed it seems
Yogurt and cultured dairy
Cheese
Soy sauce
Nuts and peanuts
Raisins and dried fruits
Mayo- has lemon juice
Lunch meats

See what I mean?!!!!

And that’s just a sampling here is a pretty good list http://www.headaches.org/pdf/Diet.pdf

Although I am doing things a bit different because I have eliminated all the limited foods on that list for two months and may add some one at a time back in at the end of the two month period.  Some foods I wont bother adding back as I know they are triggers for me like nuts, wine, chocolate and aged cheese, but I miss onions!

Although I didn’t see results right away with the diet, it has been about a month since I started the diet and this past week has been fantastic. I have been doing some other things too which I will tell you about in later posts to come, but I think that diet is a big part of it. My whole breakfast was a trigger! Greek yogurt and peanut butter toast! Yikes!

For those of you starting out on this diet or already on it I have some great ideas for some simple recipes (cause sometimes you have to make dinner even if you do have a headache!) in the works!

It is hard but it can be done! I am hoping this blog will help some of you just starting out or those of you who have been on the diet for awhile and are looking for some new ideas!