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 2nd 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!
I don't think food is a trigger for me but who knows, yesterday I had banana, greek yogurt, almonds, a cheese stick.... I didn't have a migraine but I always have pressure in my head. I do have MSG sensitivity - may have to try this.
ReplyDeleteGlad I found you
I thought food was NOT a trigger for me for years! Turns out it IS I think my headache threshold was just higher then and my preventative meds actually worked! Foods I never thoght were triggers for me are like onions and bananas. MSG is in more things than you think, I will try and do a post on this soon!
ReplyDeleteYou might want to try the diet for a month and see if that pressure gets better. Its hard I am not going to lie and it took at least 2 weeks to see a difference but it really is better now! Eating this way has no side effects either!!!
If I eat raw red onions by themselves, it triggers a migraine. If I wrap them in lettuce first, and the red onions aren't too strong, I'm usually okay. It's the oddest thing! But I agree, people can have sensitivities to food that trigger migraines. And I've discovered that sometimes it can be a combination of foods that if eaten separately wouldn't cause a migraine. Nice post, Rachel!
ReplyDeleteRaw onions are supposed to worse than cooked. Since writing this first post I found I was eating some things with onion powder in them and since cutting them out I feel like things have been better! Sometimes I think too that its like a stacking effect that the food, lack of sleep, and stress or any combination really can combine to trigger a migraine. I am just trying to eliminate as many as I can! It so hard though! Check out the Carrageenan post! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteHave you cut out almonds? I've read that the only reason almonds are bad are because of the tyramine (or maybe it was tannins) that are found in the skin, so if you blanch the almonds you can then eat them and be okay. I've been blanching my own almonds and then making almond flour and almond butter. I can't have gluten, dairy, or soy, so almonds have become a staple for me. Up until a few weeks ago I was eating almond butter and milk that wasn't blanched, so I'm not sure yet if I can say it's made a difference. I have had so many migraines this past month that it's really impossible to tell what is a true trigger :(
ReplyDeleteOh and the almond milk I was drinking was carageenan free!
Deletewow carrageenan free! Almonds and all nuts including peanuts are banned on the diet. And yes it is the tyramine- the whole diet plan is called "low tyramine diet" I was in your shoes a few months ago with so many migraines which is why I cut everything on that list out even the limited ones. Gluten free and no migraine diet is tough! but you could try and cut the nuts and see if that helps maybe for like 2 weeks? Some other top foods to cut are onions and bananas! LMK if you need more help!
ReplyDeleteOkay thanks, I finished off the rest of my almond butter just now, so starting tomorrow I will stop eating it (I've already cut out the other nuts). Maybe I can switch over to sunflower butter instead.
ReplyDeleteAll the best as you 'trudge' down this path of life - keep reading, hoping, even praying ...
ReplyDeletehttp://pinterest.com/migrainehealth/
Great site! I have been suffering with chronic migraine disorder for years. I never thought food triggers were that bad for me, but now that I am avoiding the "known" trigger foods, I am definitely feeling much better! Thanks for the recipes!
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ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing very useful post. You find magnesium mineral in dark-green veggies, whole grains, and nuts. It won't help while you're having a migraine, but some studies show it could prevent one. For natural treatment visit http://www.hashmidawakhana.org/natural-remedies-for-migraine-headaches.html
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