Headache/Migraine Status Update #2
Hi, all!
I've decided to do another update on my "anti-elimination diet" and the status of my headaches and migraines.
I posted on June 5th about my first two weeks on an anti-elimination diet and the reasons why I decided to choose this path. I won't go into details about the why's here, so feel free to go click on that link and read up on my health.
To make a long story short, I've been suffering from headaches/migraines for a while now, and they were slowly getting worse. So I went to a homeopath to get a more holistic perspective because I didn't want to use medicine to cover up the symptoms, but I wanted to get to the bottom of the issues.
Since June 5th, I have had ZERO headaches!!!
I have remained mostly faithful to the diet, with the exception of a piece of cake two weekends ago and a couple of hush puppies this last weekend. The results of eating those two didn't seem too intense. The cake made me super tired, which can happen when you have a sugar rush but could also be from eating the gluten and dairy ingredients in the cake. (I eat cashew milk ice cream and lots of fruit regularly, so eating sugar is still a regular part of my diet, it's not like I never eat sugar) As for the hush puppies, there is very little flour in a basic hush puppy recipe, but to be honest, I drank way too much cider that night and had acid reflux all night long, so I'm not sure what caused the AR.
Positive things I've noticed since I've started this diet:
- Less bloating. Seriously. I used to get ready for bed and look in the mirror and I felt like I looked like I was in my second trimester. I always felt that way. But now my stomach has remained pretty flat and I never feel super bloated after eating.
- No headaches. Obviously, the number one reason for trying this diet was to stop headaches. I have been doing great in this regard and I am so happy about that.
- Better sleep. One thing I've noticed is that I sleep better. I'm not sure why? Perhaps since I feel better, I can sleep more solidly throughout the night.
- Less fatigue. I mentioned this in my last post, but I am 100% sure that something I was eating was causing extreme fatigue. Like, I'm so tired no matter how many hours I sleep, coffee I drink, or food I eat I seem to always be exhausted. Now, even when I'm not getting a full night's sleep, I still feel great, even at 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon when I'm stuck at work and would rather be outside.
- I actually get hungry! Now... this might sound weird, but I don't care. I used to have to eat because my blood sugar was dropping, not because I was hungry. It was annoying because I felt like I needed to eat something to get my blood sugar up and not because I wanted to actually eat. Now, I actually get the feeling of hunger instead of feeling nauseous or getting a headache. That is something I definitely used to take for granted.
Negative things I've noticed since I've started this diet:
- Shopping is expensive and more sparse. I feel like I buy less stuff (definitely less processed food and more meat and fresh produce) but it's more expensive. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, but grocery shopping is a little limited. I mostly shop at Sprouts because there are healthy snack options I can eat!
- I have to meal prep. Some people might not have a problem with this but I HAAAAATE meal prepping. It's just something I have to do now, so I've accepted it, but it can be difficult. I can't just grab breakfast from a cafe on the way into work or easily run anywhere to grab dinner. I have to make a conscious effort to eat properly. Since I don't have a ton of options to choose from, I have to plan lunch around my dinners so I have enough leftovers to take with me. Breakfast is a little more difficult because I can't just eat oatmeal or cereal anymore, but I'm learning to make do!
- Explaining myself. I've gotten used to this a little more, but it gets tiresome trying to explain the "woo-woo" behind why I'm trying this diet. Yes, there are some scientific reasonings behind my choices, but not everyone is going to understand it and that's okay. There is such a negative stigma to people who chose to "go" gluten-free but if that's what is causing my problems then I'll go gluten-free forever. :D
I think in the upcoming weeks, I'd like to do posts on FAQ's and some recipes/ingredients/food I can and cannot eat. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in!
I've decided to do another update on my "anti-elimination diet" and the status of my headaches and migraines.
I posted on June 5th about my first two weeks on an anti-elimination diet and the reasons why I decided to choose this path. I won't go into details about the why's here, so feel free to go click on that link and read up on my health.
To make a long story short, I've been suffering from headaches/migraines for a while now, and they were slowly getting worse. So I went to a homeopath to get a more holistic perspective because I didn't want to use medicine to cover up the symptoms, but I wanted to get to the bottom of the issues.
Since June 5th, I have had ZERO headaches!!!
I have remained mostly faithful to the diet, with the exception of a piece of cake two weekends ago and a couple of hush puppies this last weekend. The results of eating those two didn't seem too intense. The cake made me super tired, which can happen when you have a sugar rush but could also be from eating the gluten and dairy ingredients in the cake. (I eat cashew milk ice cream and lots of fruit regularly, so eating sugar is still a regular part of my diet, it's not like I never eat sugar) As for the hush puppies, there is very little flour in a basic hush puppy recipe, but to be honest, I drank way too much cider that night and had acid reflux all night long, so I'm not sure what caused the AR.
Positive things I've noticed since I've started this diet:
- Less bloating. Seriously. I used to get ready for bed and look in the mirror and I felt like I looked like I was in my second trimester. I always felt that way. But now my stomach has remained pretty flat and I never feel super bloated after eating.
- No headaches. Obviously, the number one reason for trying this diet was to stop headaches. I have been doing great in this regard and I am so happy about that.
- Better sleep. One thing I've noticed is that I sleep better. I'm not sure why? Perhaps since I feel better, I can sleep more solidly throughout the night.
- Less fatigue. I mentioned this in my last post, but I am 100% sure that something I was eating was causing extreme fatigue. Like, I'm so tired no matter how many hours I sleep, coffee I drink, or food I eat I seem to always be exhausted. Now, even when I'm not getting a full night's sleep, I still feel great, even at 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon when I'm stuck at work and would rather be outside.
- I actually get hungry! Now... this might sound weird, but I don't care. I used to have to eat because my blood sugar was dropping, not because I was hungry. It was annoying because I felt like I needed to eat something to get my blood sugar up and not because I wanted to actually eat. Now, I actually get the feeling of hunger instead of feeling nauseous or getting a headache. That is something I definitely used to take for granted.
Negative things I've noticed since I've started this diet:
- Shopping is expensive and more sparse. I feel like I buy less stuff (definitely less processed food and more meat and fresh produce) but it's more expensive. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, but grocery shopping is a little limited. I mostly shop at Sprouts because there are healthy snack options I can eat!
- I have to meal prep. Some people might not have a problem with this but I HAAAAATE meal prepping. It's just something I have to do now, so I've accepted it, but it can be difficult. I can't just grab breakfast from a cafe on the way into work or easily run anywhere to grab dinner. I have to make a conscious effort to eat properly. Since I don't have a ton of options to choose from, I have to plan lunch around my dinners so I have enough leftovers to take with me. Breakfast is a little more difficult because I can't just eat oatmeal or cereal anymore, but I'm learning to make do!
- Explaining myself. I've gotten used to this a little more, but it gets tiresome trying to explain the "woo-woo" behind why I'm trying this diet. Yes, there are some scientific reasonings behind my choices, but not everyone is going to understand it and that's okay. There is such a negative stigma to people who chose to "go" gluten-free but if that's what is causing my problems then I'll go gluten-free forever. :D
I think in the upcoming weeks, I'd like to do posts on FAQ's and some recipes/ingredients/food I can and cannot eat. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in!
Comments
Post a Comment