As a Migraine sufferer, I have no doubt that you are well aware of how out of control they make us feel. If you are like I was when my migraines were at their worst, you are in a constant state of wondering when the next attack will begin and how long it will last. You wonder if your life will ever seem normal. Why bother to make plans when you have to cancel them at the last minute, right? You stay in a constant state of anxiety; questioning and wondering when the next “big one” will hit. Very often, we can’t even make plans without wondering if we will even be able to make it. I’m sure you will agree, that’s a lousy way to live life.
Not only that, but there are so many triggers that we just don’t seem to be able to control: stress, hormones, barometric pressure, moon cycle, lights, sounds, smells, and many more. Of course, foods can often be a trigger, which was definitely so in my own life. What we put in our mouths can directly impact whether or not we end up with a migraine. But the good news is that we have greater control over our diet so we can definitely do something to control our migraine patterns in this regard.
Although I’ve had migraines since age 21 (when I had my first child), it wasn’t until the last eight or so years that I educated myself about the many dietary triggers that can lead to an attack. I am so thankful for the great education I had at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition that opened my eyes to so many things, which is why I am so passionate about helping fellow migraineurs to find that same freedom from the constant pain.
To start off, I put myself on an elimination cleanse to discover whether or not I had any underlying food intolerances and sensitivities and I determined that I would understand the relationship between diet and migraine attacks.
I was surprised to find that I had already been avoiding many of my own triggers even though I hadn’t fully understood that by ingesting certain foods or drinks, pain often resulted soon after. That resulted in it being easy to eliminate some parts of my diet that caused a fairly immediate response (alcohol, cheese, chocolate, dairy and a few others). It was, and at times still is, much harder to say goodbye to those foods that brought me joy and comfort – namely those sugary desserts. Well, for that matter, pretty much anything sweet! I just hadn’t realized what a sugar junky I am.
Emotional Eating
I went through a phase (and still catch myself doing it at times) where I fully justified eating a slice of something chocolaty, or some type of sweet treat, or even something like a cinnamon crunch bagel. There were days where I felt I deserved the pleasure of enjoying something sweet. Something just for me.
An example of this would be that during the summer, my husband had several hospital stays with heart issues (which seemed to coincide with some type of holiday!) His stays ended up being 3-5 days at a time and resulted in two stents and four heart catheterizations. I remember on the two holidays, after about the third day in the hospital, I went home that night, thinking, “Well, the last few days have been so stressful, I deserve to go through Dairy Queen and get a Reese’s Peanut Butter Blizzard.” And guess what, not only did I get one, but I bought two more to put in the freezer. That is the very definition of comfort food.
Wine, aged cheese, chocolate — when we are in the midst of a migraine attack, it’s hard not to turn to food as comfort to help get us through the pain. Maybe it makes us feel a little more in control, or a little more “normal,” but unfortunately, those same foods are often the very ones that trigger pain. When everything else is out of control, it often helps us if we can feel in control of what we put in our mouths, and somehow that is comforting. But in reality, if that food is a trigger, it can’t act as a comfort food. We just end up feeling lousy.
Goodbye Sugar
For me, giving up the foods that were clear triggers was an easy thing to do. In those very worst of times for me when I had migraines almost daily, it was so easy to give up alcohol. But saying goodbye to sugar and chocolate was (and still at times is) hard. I have a serious sugar addiction. It took me years to realize that I was using these types of foods as comfort foods – really a whole emotional eating thing. Very often, I could eat it, and didn’t have any immediately discomfort. That only makes it that much harder to let go of something I felt gave me comfort when I was hurting – not to mention how much I love the taste! When we enjoy something like that, it can feel like some kind of punishment to have to do without it — in addition to the pain.
But in reality, the process of giving up chocolate and sugar has led to a reduction in my pain and a significant increase in my overall wellness. You see, while for me, alcohol led immediately to pain, there wasn’t always an immediate cause and effect between chocolate and pain. It took some time for my pain pattern to improve after removing sugar from my system. Though a more gradual process, it was indeed worthwhile, and afterwards, there was a noticeable difference in my migraine patterns.
When foods don’t necessarily immediately bring about pain, keeping a food journal/diary is an absolutely necessity. It brings to light a pattern with migraines that makes it easier to determine exactly what our food triggers are. If you haven’t kept a diary, or don’t have one, get yourself a free one >>HERE<<.
Food as fuel
Growing up in England, our pattern of eating was very different to that of today. We ate more balanced, fresh foods during those years. It wasn’t until I had my first child that hormones triggered migraines. I had no clue at that time the effect food had on my migraines. When I moved to the U.S., I was intrigued by the different types of quick and easy foods, and the fast food restaurants. All the while, my migraines became worse and worse. I had to re-educate myself until I fully understood and truly believed that food is fuel to my body, and by ditching all those trigger foods and processed foods, it made a tremendous impact on my migraine patterns. Now I ask myself, “If I eat this, is it worth the end result – a potential migraine.” For me, it is not worth it. I can be tempted with the aroma of fresh pizza, but I know for me that’s a definite trigger to a really bad migraine, so that’s an easy “no” for me.
If you haven’t already taken a deep dive into your eating habits in relation to Migraine, I really recommend you do so.
Are you ready to try an elimination diet? Would you like to see what your food triggers and sensitivities really are? I’m offering a special rate for my 7-Day Migraine Elimination Detox. This is a “whole food” program that will keep you full and satisfied, while helping get rid of toxin build-up that also triggers migraines. You definitely will love the foods and they are easy to make. (Take a sneak-peak at one of the recipes below.) I would love to help you through this process.
Hearty, Veggie Winter Soup
[Serves 4 with leftovers]
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 leeks, green parts removed and thinly sliced
2 carrots
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and chopped
1 cup of thinly sliced savoy cabbage
6 cups of vegetable stock
1 15oz canned of white beans, drained and rinsed
Handful of parsley (flat leaf), chopped
Sea salt and pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium low heat, add leeks, carrots, and fennel and cook until leeks are soft and slightly browned, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and cook for another minute. Add the cabbage and sauté another minute. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add the beans and cook on low for 10 – 15 minutes, until veggies are tender. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.
DISCLAIMER: Neither Holistic Health & Wellness, LLC nor Lynne Wadsworth are acting in the capacity of a doctor, licensed dietician-nutritionist, psychologist or other licensed or registered professional. Any advice given by Holistic Health & Wellness, LLC or Lynne Wadsworth is not meant to take the place of advice by these professionals. If you are under the care of a health care professional or currently use prescription medications, you should discuss any dietary changes or use of dietary supplements with your doctor, and should not discontinue any prescription medications without first consulting your doctor.