For individuals battling migraines, especially vestibular migraine, dietary adjustments can play a crucial role in managing symptoms and improving overall well-being. Alicia Wolf, the voice behind "The Dizzy Cook," has become a beacon of hope for many migraine sufferers. Diagnosed with chronic vestibular migraine in 2016, she embarked on a journey to discover how food impacts migraine disorders, developing recipes that avoid triggering ingredients. Her work emphasizes the importance of taking an active role in one's health and exploring alternative treatments.
Understanding Vestibular Migraine
Vestibular migraine is a subtype of migraine that primarily affects the vestibular system, responsible for balance and spatial orientation. Symptoms often include vertigo, dizziness, or the sensation of false movement. At least half of these episodes are also associated with a headache, light, and sound sensitivity, or visual aura, although vestibular symptoms can occur independently. Vestibular migraine can be triggered by motion, changes in head position, or visual stimuli.
Diagnosing vestibular migraine can be challenging due to the overlap of symptoms with other vestibular and neurological conditions. Diagnosis is typically based on clinical symptoms and the exclusion of other potential causes of vertigo. Everyone’s experience living with vestibular migraine is different.
Common Triggers for Vestibular Migraine
Vestibular migraine can be triggered by a variety of factors, categorized into dietary, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Many of these triggers are similar to those for regular migraine without vestibular symptoms. Importantly, not all triggers will apply to every individual with vestibular migraine. Keeping a migraine diary can help identify potential triggers and patterns.
Dietary Triggers
- Aged Cheese: Many recipes, including some mac and cheese variations, contain aged cheese like sharp cheddar and Parmesan, which can trigger migraines.
- Caffeine: Caffeine can cause blood vessel constriction and subsequent dilation, potentially triggering migraine.
- Additives: Many additives like MSG, nitrites, histamine, and tyramine, a certain protein that usually occurs as a food product ages or undergoes fermentation, can contribute to headaches.
- Alcohol: Although Alicia Wolf was eventually able to reintroduce organic and biodynamic wines, alcohol is often a migraine trigger.
Environmental and Lifestyle Triggers
- Emotional Stress: Stress, anxiety, and tension are common triggers.
- Irregular Sleep: Irregular sleep patterns, including lack of sleep or excessive sleep, can trigger migraine attacks.
- Skipping Meals: Skipping meals or fasting can lead to low blood sugar levels, which can trigger migraine.
- Dehydration: Inadequate hydration is a common trigger.
- Overexertion: Avoid overexertion, which can sometimes trigger migraine.
Dietary Recommendations for a Vestibular Migraine Diet
Diet plays a crucial role in managing vestibular migraine. While individual triggers can vary, there are general dietary guidelines and specific foods that are considered safe and beneficial.
Read also: Is Your 1200 Calorie Diet Making You Dizzy?
To find recipes and more guidance on living with vestibular migraine, resources like "The Dizzy Cook" blog and cookbooks are invaluable. Luckily, you don't have to give up good food just because you're trying to eat migraine-friendly recipes.
The Dizzy Cook's Migraine-Friendly Recipes
Alicia Wolf has developed numerous recipes that cater to migraine sufferers, focusing on fresh, whole ingredients and avoiding common triggers.
Mac and Fresh Cheese
This recipe offers a migraine-safe alternative to traditional macaroni and cheese, skipping the aged cheese but keeping the classic flavor. There aren't many recipes out there for mac and cheese that don't contain lots of aged cheese like sharp cheddar and Parmesan.
Ingredients:
- Pasta
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk
- Thyme
- Salt
- Dry mustard
- Black pepper
- American cheese
- Goat cheese
Instructions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and pour in the pasta. Cook the pasta for about 4 minutes, or half of what the package time recommends. The pasta should be softened but undercooked.
- Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and rub a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with butter.
- In a small saucepan, warm the milk over medium heat.
- In a large, deep skillet, melt the 3 tablespoons (tbsp) butter over medium heat, and then whisk in flour until smooth. Allow it to bubble while you continue whisking until the mixture becomes a nice, golden brown color and smells a little nutty.
- Add the warm milk to the flour-butter mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, whisking with each addition until smooth. Whisk continuously over medium heat until all the milk has been added and the sauce is thick and smooth, about 10 minutes total. It will be done when it's thick enough to leave a line when you move a spoon through it.
- Stir in the thyme, salt, dry mustard, and black pepper.
- Over low heat, add the American cheese one handful at a time, stirring with each addition until fully combined. Then add the goat cheese and stir until smooth.
- Finally, stir in the cooked pasta.
Anyone-Can-Cook Roast Chicken With Rosemary Gravy
This recipe is not as hard as it looks and includes carrots, which have anti-inflammatory properties. Believe it or not, a roasted chicken is one of the easiest things you can make. You may recognize the name from one of my favorite movies, Ratatouille. The overall theme is that an excellent cook can come from the most unlikely places …
Ingredients:
- Whole chicken
- Lemongrass stalks
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Root vegetables (optional)
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Butter
- Flour
- Stock
- Rosemary
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Find a roasting pan that's large enough for the chicken, but not too large that the shallots and vegetables will burn. You want to have just a little bit of space directly around the chicken.
- Remove the woody ends from the lemongrass by cutting right at the part where the white turns more green. Throw away the ends and cut the stalk into 3-inch pieces, then halve each piece lengthwise. Smash each stalk once or twice with the wide section of your knife to release some of the lemon scent.
- Starting at the leg cavity, carefully slide your fingers just under the chicken skin, loosening it from the flesh over the breasts and the legs. Rub the softened butter under the chicken skin and place the sliced garlic under the skin.
- Place the chicken in the roasting pan, breast side up, and tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Arrange the shallots and root vegetables, if using, around the chicken. Sprinkle everything with kosher salt and pepper.
- Roast until the chicken's internal temperature reaches 165°F when an instant-read thermometer is inserted into the largest part of the thigh, away from the bone, about 1 hour and 5 minutes.
- Over medium heat, whisk in the flour until it turns a nice caramel brown color. Add in the stock a little bit at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. Simmer for about 5 minutes until it becomes a thicker gravy-like consistency.
- To serve, parade that beautiful bird around in front of your family like the expert cook you are, then carve the meat on a cutting board (it helps to have one with slats around the edges to catch the juices). It's best to start by removing the legs first, then make a long cut down the base of the chicken to begin to remove the breasts. Hold your chicken near the breastbone (a large fork can help), then slide your knife down each side to remove the breasts.
Asparagus With Fresh Herb Vinaigrette
Serve this with grilled steaks or the Anyone-Can-Cook Roast Chicken. Since this cooks so fast, sometimes I'll place it in a small casserole dish to keep warm in the oven. It holds up well while you finish the rest of the meal.
Read also: Weight Loss with Cabbage Soup
Ingredients:
- Asparagus
- Butter
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Broth
- Spinach
Instructions:
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and broth, simmering until the broth is reduced by one-third and the tomatoes are softened, about 4 minutes.
- Add the spinach and stir until just barely wilted, about 1 minute.
Spicy Salmon Bowl
As mentioned in the video above, one of Alicia's favorite go-to recipes is her Spicy Salmon Bowl.
Additional Tips from The Dizzy Cook
- Consult with a medical professional: Before implementing any new treatment aspect, it is important to consult with a medical professional.
- Consider supplementation: Discuss supplementation with a doctor. Migraine disorders can be linked to magnesium deficiency making it an important addition to addressing migraine. Additionally, vitamin B-2 is one of the best vitamins for migraine prevention, scientifically proven to work even for children. Like magnesium, chronic migraineurs may be B-2 deficient, and studies show that B-2 can cut the number of headache days, as well as reduce the length and severity of migraine. Additionally, ginger, is an age-old approach to pain management that modern science verified as a safe and effective as a first-line acute treatment for migraine.
- Consider a scientifically proven migraine treatment device: Consider a scientifically proven migraine treatment device that stimulates the vagus nerve non-invasively (nVNS). gammaCore Sapphire uses a gentle stimulation to the vagus nerve, the body’s longest nerve which facilitates communication between the brain and the body, to control the pain caused by headaches.
- Utilize massage therapy:
- Find the right migraine glasses:
- Stay Hydrated: Prevents Dehydration: Dehydration is a known migraine trigger.
- Avoid Stress: Reduces Trigger Frequency: Chronic stress is a common trigger for migraine.
Other Lifestyle Changes
While dietary adjustments are crucial for managing vestibular migraine, incorporating other lifestyle changes can further enhance the effectiveness of these dietary measures.
- Maintain a consistent sleep schedule:
- Manage stress:
- Moderation: Avoid overexertion, which can sometimes trigger migraine.
Medical and Alternative Treatments
Effective treatment for vestibular migraine often involves a combination of lifestyle modifications, dietary changes, medications, and vestibular rehabilitation therapy. Managing vestibular migraine requires a multifaceted approach that combines medical treatments, lifestyle modifications, and alternative therapies.
- Triptans: Effective for acute migraine attacks.
- Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy: A type of physical therapy designed to improve balance and reduce dizziness.
- Acupuncture: An ancient Chinese practice that involves inserting thin needles into specific points on the body.
The Importance of Awareness and Advocacy
Vestibular migraine is a complex and often misunderstood condition. Increasing public awareness about vestibular migraine can reduce stigma and improve recognition of the condition. Greater awareness among healthcare providers can lead to earlier and more accurate diagnoses. Advocacy can lead to more funding and resources dedicated to researching vestibular migraine and the creation of more support groups and resources for individuals with vestibular migraine. Knowledge is power.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to Migraine Diet