Lost

I am SO LOST!!! I have been trying so hard with the Migraine diet and I dont know if SOME of thie things that I am eating has bad stuff or not…like a baked potato from Wendy’s with just butter and regular cheese? Frosted flakes cereal? I am feeling pretty bad dizzies tonight, and wondering if it could be something I ate in the last 2 days…PLAIN sugar cookie from a package of cookies? Not sure If these things have been okay…I THINK they are but not 100%. I need help doing this! Does EVERYTHING packaged have MSG??

Thanks
Donna

It’s unlikely that sweets will have MSG. However, they can have citrus, or at least citric acid or citrates; they can have maltodextrin or other malt flavorings; they can have any of this disguised under the rubric, “natural flavoring.” Any of this may or may not constitute a trigger for you, but my neurotologist warned me against them.

Hi Donna,

To be honest, the foods you have listed here may all be potential triggers that you should avoid for a while to see if your symptoms improve. The name of the game is to eat FRESH unprocessed food when possible. So Wendy’s potatoes with cheese is out (cheese is bad news for most migraineurs). Frosted flakes should probably be OK as it’s just sugar-coated corn flakes – that is unless corn is a problem – but as a cereal it’s not very nutritious. Packet cookies may have additives in them that can trigger headache. They definitely set my head off.

How about looking at some fresh foods? Have you ever tried oatmeal for breakfast? What about snacking on fruit instead? This might be a trigger but I think for most it’s OK. Most vegetables are safe foods too.

This from Prof Steve Rauch:

The list of “Thou Shalt Nots”:

  • nothing aged, cured, pickled, or fermented (cheese, beer, wine, alcohol, vinegar, soy sauce, yogurt, sour cream)
  • no caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate)
  • no artifical sweeteners/sugar substitutes (especially aspartame)
  • no nitrites (deli meats – proscutto, pepperoni, salami, etc)
  • no sulfites (red wine, dried fruits – raisins, apricots, etc)
  • no nuts
  • no MSG (monosodium glutamate – take-out Chinese food, and virtually every packaged food in the grocery store – usually listed as “natural flavour additives,” not MSG, in the ingredients label)

Scott