[healthwork] identifiying migraine-safe foods

[kaberett]

This is something that's difficult because I have several Really Pronounced food aversions while mid-migraine that run otherwise entirely counter to my tastes, such that when I'm not having a migraine it's hard to identify what food might be Appealing or Acceptable and when I do have a migraine I'm working with sufficient cognitive impairment that... it's also difficult!

Herewith some lists, for future reference.

No:

• mushrooms :(
  
• wheat pasta, including couscous (?!)
  
• ... potatoes, apparently? (verify this one)
  
• Large Cheese

... yes?

• japchae (will link once have written up recipe)
  
• the tofu thing
  
• pad thai
  
• rice- or non-wheat noodle-based things more generally
  
• vegetable Cronch in general (salads plausible)
  
• small cheese snack
  
• sushi, probably
  
• ramen, probably

... maybe:

• ... sweet potato and chickpea salad, maybe?
  
  • esp. if with the carrot/red onion/red cabbage/mint salad
  
  
• ... strawberry milkshake? (verify)
  
• soup (provided it doesn't contain root vegetables, probably)
  

(Annoyingly, I'm not actually managing to identify what the commonalities and distinctions are, which makes further extrapolation... challenging. Possibly tomorrow's plan is now to spend as much time as I can bring myself to looking through recipe books and seeing what doesn't seem like a terrible idea.)

Comments

[harpers_child]

This may or may not be helpful to you, but I find that when I'm mid-migraine soft cheese is more likely to be eaten than hard cheese.

[kaberett]

YES, thank you, the "small cheese snack" was in fact (underripe) brie, rather than any of our hard cheeses! And soft goat also sounds much more appealing than hard.

[ewt]

Oof, a big pain if it's affecting starches.

How are you with:
- bread
- tortilla chips (corn cronch!)
- polenta

[kaberett]

Bread seems to be okay in small quantities, if toasted (but cheese-on-toast is no). Tortilla and pita chips sound Acceptable, as... do roasted corn snacks. Okay, that's more things to keep a stash of.

(Part of my Concern is that some of these foods are things I like all the time but that my brain won't let me buy unless it's A Special Occasion... but I'd really rather not condition myself to associate current Treat Food with feeling wretched!)

[vass]

Annoyingly, I'm not actually managing to identify what the commonalities and distinctions are, which makes further extrapolation... challenging.

Likely it's more than one thing.

Some of these might be a tyramine thing? Like, hard cheese being no but small soft cheese being yes? (But otoh if tofu with soy sauce is a yes then that points away from tyramine being the issue. So does the pad thai: that seaweed-based "fish" sauce just about has to be high in it, so if you're fine with that...)

Some other Usual Suspects are monosodium glutamate (you mentioned mushrooms. Tomatoes? Walnuts?) and nitrates (idk, beetroot? it's not like you're eating cured meats.)

Migraine Australia also suggests that the freshness level of the food (even just very ripe fruits, or slightly stale bread) can be a Thing, and also suggests that missed meals and not enough water are common triggers.