How to Avoid Migraine in the Kitchen + A Migraine-Free Recipe
A lifetime of migraine led me to look under every stone for potential triggers. I felt like a detective. Many clues led me into the kitchen and landed me in that room for years looking at the countless triggers that lay in wait. From alcohol to dairy to gluten to nuts to sugar to chocolates, it seemed there were migraine triggers in every recipe. I found myself almost afraid to eat.
How are we surrounded and paralyzed?
When we have multiple migraine triggers we can feel both surrounded and paralyzed. We may be fearful that we will get hit by an attack at any moment. This results in a terrible sense of powerlessness. Some triggers are unavoidable (like hormones and weather changes). When it comes to food, we can empower ourselves with information and avoid our particular triggers.
How have elimination diets helped?
Elimination diets are a great place to start when determining which types of foods are triggering our attacks. Often, we start with a general sense that we feel poorly after ingesting a meal - but we are unclear exactly why or which ingredient is to blame. Elimination diets can help us identify the precise culprit. Through the process, we may find we have a food allergy or sensitivity. For instance, I noticed that I got a severe attack every time I had pancakes or waffles. Through the elimination diet, I learned I have a gluten and dairy sensitivity. Eliminating these ingredients from my diet has helped decrease the migraine attacks that were triggered by those causes.
What does my diet consist of?
Over the years I’ve adopted a clean way of eating and doing so has improved my sense of wellbeing and has decreased my migraine attack frequency. For me, this means a diet of chicken, fish, eggs, lots of fresh veggies and fruits - no gluten, alcohol, or dairy - and as little sugar as I can (though this is a weakness for me).
I’m going to share one of my favorite recipes below that makes me feel good and never results in a migraine attack: Kale & salmon with garlic quinoa topped with an egg. This is a dish that can be enjoyed for brunch, lunch or dinner.
Serving Size: 1 (you can easily double, triple, etc. for more people)
Ingredients for kale & salmon garlic quinoa
- 1 cup dried quinoa
- 3 heaping torn handfuls kale (rinse, remove stems)
- 1 six oz Salmon filet
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon Olive or avocado oil
- Pinch Sea Salt
- Lemon slice
- Optional: ½ cup sweet potato (steamed in microwave)
Directions for kale & salmon garlic quinoa
- Prepare quinoa as per package directions (you will have leftovers).
- Put prepared kale into a steamer basket.
- Place salmon skin-down on top of the kale.
- With top on steamer, and just a few inches of water in the pot, bring to boil then reduce heat and steam for 10 mins.
- While salmon is steaming, sauté garlic in oil on med/high for 45 seconds before adding ¾ cup of cooked quinoa – mix and stir well.
- Then cook a sunny side-up egg.
- To plate: In a nice shallow wide-mouth bowl, pour the garlic quinoa mixture, then empty the kale/salmon on top, drizzle salmon with a small slice of lemon, and top that with the fried egg. Remove skin from steamed sweet potato and cut a few pieces on the side. Sprinkle the entire dish with a fat pinch of sea salt. Enjoy!
Please let us know what you’ve learned about the connection between migraine and diet in the course of your migraine journey. Have you tried an elimination diet? We look forward to learning from you in the comment section below.
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