Today is the first day of my new, healthy eating plan and I’m chuffed.
So far, I’ve eaten a hearty bowl of wholegrain breakfast cereal and fruit, two small tubs of yoghurt and one slice of rye crisp-bread topped with hummus. That seems like enough, right? My plan is to make pasta for dinner with my toddler: a messy feat that must only be attempted when my bravery and energy levels are high.
Before we start, I pause for a mother-son cuddle. As I look at my boy's tiny face close-up, my vision wanes. Minutes later, it feels like a knife is stabbing the left-hand side of my skull. The world starts spinning. The room feels way too bright and, I really need to lie down or I’ll spew. This is not a joke.
I realise what’s happening. I’m about to get a migraine: the violent cousin of the casual headache.
The sensory disturbances I’m currently experiencing are a : a set of physical symptoms that some people get as a warning to say ‘take action now or you will be residing in painful hell for the next few hours/days’.
I have about 30 minutes to eat more food and take medication or I will be incapacitated with pain and vomiting in a dark room all evening. I have a million things to do but I have to stop.
Apparently my 40-something-year-old body is changing, as are my migraine triggers and food needs.
A migraine is more than a headache – it's a resulting in temporary changes in the chemicals, nerves and blood vessels in the brain. The exact cause is unknown but if you’re pre-disposed to having migraines, a trigger can set one off. Triggers include hormonal changes, food, drink, lack of sleep, stress, exercise or all of the above in varying combinations.
I’ve experienced migraines for over 30 years. They get quite intense when they’re hormone-related and more manageable when they're food-related because I’ve learned how to avoid triggers. Or so I thought. Apparently my 40-something-year-old body is changing, as are my migraine triggers and food needs.
According to Accredited Practising Dietitan and clinical director at Dietitian Life, dieting or eating erratically may trigger a migraine if your blood sugar level drops dramatically.
“Establishing the right pattern of eating over the course of a day could make a big difference to your health,” Cullis says. “The idea is to keep your blood sugar steady and eat foods that sustain you and keep you feeling fuller for longer, like vegetables and wholegrains.”
There you have it: if I want my diet to be effective, I should add a slice of wholegrain bread with cheese or even a bowl of broccolini dressed in lemon juice and olive oil to my afternoon food line-up. One small change on a plate can really make everything better.
Foods that may trigger your migraine
It’s important to note that other food triggers can set off a migraine, even if your blood sugars are stabilised.
“The main food triggers are foods that have the naturally occurring chemicals called amines, and glutamates in them.” The most common culprits are wine, cheese and chocolate. But Cullis says anything that’s colourful or umami can be a trigger, from ham to tomatoes.
“These naturally occurring chemicals are not bad, but in some people they cause the aggravation of nerve endings that leads to issues like migraines. In my experience, not every single one of these foods actually elicits a symptom because it is dose-dependent and everybody has an individual response.”
Foods to help ease a migraine
The good news is that some foods can also help to prevent a migraine or manage one once it’s set in, with or without medication (if the migraine is not too far gone and you can bring yourself to eat).
Magnesium-rich ingredients like spinach, nuts, legumes and wholegrains seem to assist my migraine management. “Fmay have a medium effect on people with hormonal migraines [who have magnesium deficiency]." Given I have PCOS and am yet to test my magnesium levels, that makes a lot of sense.
Then there are foods that are great sources of like salmon and flax seeds. “They have chemicals in them that improve the fluidity and flexibility of your arteries, which can certainly decrease your risk of developing migraines too.”
Foods that are high in magnesium may have a medium effect on people with hormonal migraines.
Dark chocolate and are controversial mentions. For some people, they are triggers but for others, they may help to manage migraines.
Finally, a diet rich in a diverse range of fruits and vegetables should also help reduce attacks. “By eating fruits and vegetables [regularly], you will improve the hormonal pathway anyway because the fibre and phytoestrogen in them will help to clear and remove some of the metabolites that build up to cause migraines.”
Here's to migraine-free days
The truth is that even when you’re vigilant about what you eat, you may not always be able to outrun a migraine. or menstruation can trigger a migraine in some people.
All you can do is your best, exercise control over the triggers you can influence and manage the rest. Lucky for lovers of cooking, food is one of the triggers we can influence.
So here’s to continuing my balanced diet with a few modifications. Tomorrow, I’ll make for dinner and enjoy a fruit salad for desert – hopefully – while also remaining migraine-free.
