I've been trying to write a post for a few weeks now, but every time I began writing, it wouldn't turn out right. Maybe it's because I'm trying to get to the heart of the matter - our food system. When I tell people that food makes a difference in how they feel, I usually receive a response like this, "Oh, I tried changing my diet and it made no difference for me." The problem is that chemically and biologically, this doesn't make sense. What we put into our bodies does make a difference in how we function.
Our bodies aren't trash cans and can't continually process waste. Food that has been chemically altered from its original state is seen by our bodies as waste, and they don't know how to digest this food, or correctly form it into nutrients. Yes, I'm talking about MSG. When a protein cell is taken apart and any part of it is altered in some way to be used for some other purpose in food, be a little wary. In some instances, this might be okay, but generally not. Our bodies like whole parts of foods. This is why it's important to not eat boxed foods or ready-prepared meals, and not eat food with flavorings. Read Heal Your Headache for a better explanation. Visit truthinlabeling.org.
Did you know that if you eat a lot of fermented, yeasty, or sugary foods, or if you've taken antibiotics recently, you have most likely killed the good bacteria in your digestive tract? This bacteria helps regulate your immune system, and it helps your body process foods better. So, with proper diet (and healthy bacteria in your digestive tract), your body is more able to handle the foods you are intolerant to (migraine triggers). Since we can't have yogurt, it's a good idea for us to take a probiotic supplement daily.
Not all raw meat is created equal. The raw hamburger available at most grocery stores does not come from just one cow, but rather parts of many cows from possibly several different areas of the country. Surprised? Cows are fed a diet of antibiotics, growth hormones and corn among other things, as well as hay or grass. Then, after some other stops, they are shipped to huge feedlots (with cows from other farms), slaughtered, and the meat is all mixed and processed together to be shipped to your store. Chickens are kept in huge chicken houses where they don't have enough room to roam (and don't know any better) and fed growth hormones so that their breasts are bigger (because we all like white meat). Then, some of it is injected with a broth solution containing MSG during processing. Buy organic grass fed beef, organic milk and butter, organic free range eggs, and chickens raised without growth hormones if at all possible. Eat less meat and more fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Watch the film Food, Inc. and read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.
Caffeine may seem like it helps in the short run, but it constricts blood vessels and then they rebound back, possibly to a larger size than they were before. Energy drinks have become a norm in this country, and it scares me, especially since I see so many teenagers drinking them.
Remember, trigger foods do not have to cause a headache every time they're eaten or the same day they're eaten. They can wait to cause havoc for up to two days. This can make them hard to pinpoint. Also, it's important to eliminate all triggers (listed in Dr. Buchholz's book Heal Your Headache, the 123 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain) at once, otherwise the foods not eliminated would still be in your body causing you pain while you eliminated that one. Eliminating one trigger at a time doesn't work.
There's something wrong, here. I'm tired of seeing so many people in pain, suffering. The foods available to us are way too flavored, processed, and unhealthy. The problem is, this is America, a free country, something I wouldn't change for the world, and that's what consumers are buying. I wonder, though, do people really know how unhealthy these foods are? Do they realize that fat-free and low-fat foods have MSG added to them to make them taste better, and that our bodies actually need fat to function? It's the sugar and preservatives that cause problems, not the fat. I think people are trying to make the healthier choice, because it is and should be their choice, but they just don't know what the healthier choice is.
Eat pure foods. Simple.
