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16 July 2015

Food Triggers and How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

Food Triggers and Histamine Intolerance

English: A display of high fat foods such as c...
English: A display of high fat foods such as cheeses, chocolates, lunch meat, french fries, pastries, doughnuts, etc. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
As a migraineur, what I eat has an impact on my pain and overall health.  I have tried and failed at eating healthy numerous times.  It should be easy enough as a lot of unhealthy foods also happen to be triggers for migraines.  Food triggers are abundant and avoiding them can be challenging, especially when food and eating is a comfort and coping mechanism.  I have acknowledged this obstacle and am working on not using food as an emotional crutch. Since childhood I have known what my food triggers are.  The list has grown to include more foods and beverages over the years.  It is important to document all foods that trigger migraine and any other chronic pain condition that may be affected by food. Figuring out which foods that trigger pain or other discomforts isn't always easy. Doing an elimination diet can help you pinpoint which foods are triggers and which foods are safe to eat.  By removing common triggers from your diet and then slowly reintroducing them later, you will be able to tell whether they are foods to avoid.  These three articles are great starting points on how to successfully do an elimination diet and what foods should be avoided:
Mostly you will see lists that include avoiding gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, processed foods, and MSG among other things.  Another possible but lesser known trigger is dietary histamine. Many people have an intolerance to histamine and don't realize it.  What is histamine? Histamine is a chemical that aids in digestion and is found in the immune system and central nervous system.  If you're thinking, "I don't have allergies.  What does histamine have to do with my migraines?", you're not alone.  When we think of histamine, we typically think of allergies.  In relation to your immune system, histamine acts like a red flag, notifying your immune system of potential attackers.  It causes an inflammatory response and swelling or dilation of blood vessels, which allows white blood cells to find them easily and attack the problem.  Histamine is also a component of digestion. It tells your stomach to release gastric acid, which helps break down food.

The buildup of histamine in the body can lead to feeling flushed, itchy and can cause headaches.  If your body cannot properly break down histamine, this is called histamine intolerance.  Some common symptoms of histamine intolerance include:
  • Headaches/Migraines
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety
  • Nausea/Vomiting
  • Abdominal cramps
  • Nasal congestion/sneezing/difficulty breathing
  • Hives 
Foods high in histamine are similar to what you would find on a migraine food trigger list also, such as:
  • Alcoholic beverages (wine, beer, champagne)
  • Aged cheeses
  • Fermented foods (sauerkraut, vinegar, soy sauce, etc.)
  • Cured meats
  • Citrus fruits
  • Nuts
  • Smoked fish
Want to find out if you have a histamine intolerance?  These two articles will shed more light on it and what to expect when doing choosing a low histamine diet.


Eating Healthy on a Budget

Fresh vegetables are important components of a...
Fresh vegetables are important components of a healthy diet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
What is there left to eat after eliminating so many foods? Tackling what we eat and changing our diet is a challenging feat. For the most part, cutting out a lot of these foods saves money.  However, eating gluten free and buying foods that are organic, natural and do not contain MSG, nitrates/nitrites, etc. can be costly.  If you are like me and live on a fixed income, then it is even more so challenging.  Since my husband is the only one who works and I receive a disability check each month, our food budget is limited.  In order for me to really achieve better health, I need to purchase foods that are typically more expensive.  I always try to find the more economic way to do things that will save us money. 

One of the ways that I achieve this is by doing most of my grocery shopping at ALDI, a grocery store that provides quality products at lower prices.  They are able to do this by eliminating costs that are typically passed onto the consumer.  At ALDI, they keep the carts in one location and you need a quarter to retrieve one.  When you put the cart back, you get your quarter back.  Without the need to hire someone to wrangle the carts, you save!  You bag your own groceries, so bring your own bags or you can buy bags at checkout.  They also provide empty boxes that you can put your groceries in.  And, they only accept cash, debit and EBT cards. Credit card processing fees are expensive and without them being passed onto you they are able to keep prices low.  The best part about ALDI is their double guarantee.  If you are not happy with a product, they will replace it and refund your money!

ALDI has a gluten free, organic and natural brand of products that are much more affordable than at regular or specialty food stores.  I can get gluten free bread, crackers, pasta and more at a fraction of the cost I would spend at other grocery stores.  You can always find their LiveGFree and Simply Nature products in my kitchen.  Recently, their Appleton Farms brand has added uncured and nitrate/nitrite free bacon and hams.  Simply Nature has nitrite and nitrate free, uncured lunch meats and grass fed organic beef as well.  Here's a list of ingredients that you won't find in their Simply Nature products. The produce section also offers organically grown fruits and vegetables at a more affordable price point.  I am also able to buy my almond milk for less than $2.50 per half gallon! Thanks to ALDI, I am able to buy quinoa, jasmine and brown rice, organic salsa and chips, gluten free granola, coconut oil, almond butter, steel cut oats, maple syrup and organic honey at lower prices.

Other ways to cut back on spending is to make your own seasoning blends and frozen fruit. I purchase about $30 worth of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, grapes and pineapple a month and freeze them.  I leave the berries whole, slice the bananas and cut up the pineapple.  I line cookie sheets with parchment paper, place the fruit on them, and freeze for a few hours or overnight and then place them in freezer bags. You'll have individually frozen fruit at a fraction of the cost of buying it already frozen in the supermarket and you get more for your buck!  This is great if you like to make smoothies or juice regularly and they go great in oatmeal.  I like to put frozen fruit in my water.  It gives it a natural sweetness and helps me get in my daily water intake of 80 ounces a day.  You can also do this with vegetables and fresh herbs.  Taking a trip to your local farmers market will get you the freshest produce that is locally grown and exceptionally affordable.

I also make my own seasoning blends.  Store bought seasonings often have MSG, gluten and wheat in them among other unnecessary chemicals.  In my pantry you'll find homemade taco seasoning, onion soup mix, chili seasoning and rubs.  I use gluten and MSG free broth base and seasoning by Orrington Farms in my onion soup mix and for other recipes.  Click on my Spices! board below to find the recipes.  They taste so much better, are healthier for you and are cheaper than buying already prepared seasonings and mixes.  There are a lot of ways to save money and eat healthier.  All it takes is patience and commitment.  Find what works for you and use all available resources in your area. Your body and wallet will be happier!


*This post is not sponsored or promoted by ALDI or Orrington Farms.  I just love both of them! 

2 comments :

  1. Nice post! Surely, having a little abstinence towards food is better than experiencing of those horrible migraine episodes. Thank you for providing a list of the food to avoid for migraine sufferers. Hopefully, this will encourage them to make a change in their diets. Good day!

    Jacqueline Hodges @ DrKoziol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! It makes a huge difference when you are proactive in your health.

      Delete

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