Vestibular Migraine Diet

This past week was definitely a game changer when it comes to eating healthy in my household. Now it’s going to be a necessity after my mother was diagnosed with vestibular migraines after a series of exams she had to determine the cause of her dizziness and short-term memory loss. Only 1% of the population has this neurological condition in the world, and it comes with a very strict diet to prevent an attack.  Attacks hit in the form of dizziness to the point where the person loses all function; but with medication and eating healthy, attacks are limited. So today, we cleared out our fridge and meal prepped with foods that the doctor recommended. Though I do not have this condition and probably will not be as strict to sticking with this specific diet, I do believe that my mother will be more prone to eating healthy if we both meal prep and take on this new way of dieting together. This condition is also heredity so maybe I’ll be saving myself in the long run from developing MAV (Migraine-associated vertigo). Foods and beverages that are restricted include:

Caffeine

• Soda
• Tea
• Coffee
• Chocolate

Nitrate

• ·      Ham
• ·      Bacon
• ·      Sausage
• ·      Lunch meats
• ·      Hot dogs
• ·      Red wine

Cheese

• ·      Aged cheese
• ·      Cheddar cheese

These are just some foods to list a few. Staying away from foods that contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) and aspartame are also very important. Chinese cuisine and foods that are high in sodium are loaded with MSG.  This one was quite the bummer as my mother and I love Chinese and Thai food. Aspartame is found in artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet and Equal. From this list of restricted foods and beverages, Aspartame is what shocked me the most. I had no idea about how truly horrible artificial sweeteners are for your body.  Aspartame is accountable for 75% of people having adverse reactions reported to the FDA. Most common reactions are headaches and migraines. More serious reactions include seizures and in some cases, death. But due to persuasive marketing, artificial sweetener brands deceptively promote this product in a positive light to target those wanting to lose weight.  But in all reality, this stuff is absolute poison. Aspartame may not be threatening when consumed in moderation, but those who constantly drink diet sodas, or use artificial sweeteners in teas and foods are more susceptible to increasing negative health conditions. Aspartame is composed of three things: 40 percent Aspartic Acid, 50 percent Phenylalanine and 10 percent Methanol. Aspartic Acid and Phenylalanine are amino acids that are excessively ingested when you consume aspartame. This combination is an excitotoxin that overly stimulates your brain cells to their death. This combination of toxins is also linked to the depletion of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate mood.

After discovering this information, I have decided to never touch sugar substitutes again. I will either use a natural sweetener, or just good old-fashioned sugar within moderation. Today, my mother and I prepped several meals for this coming week that includes lentils, chicken and a variety of vegetables. We did not add any seasoning to any of the dishes as most seasonings contain salt; which is an ingredient that people with MAV must limit themselves to due to salt being a trigger for an attack.  After I do more research on what people with this condition can and cannot eat, I plan to create a collection of different recipes that will be more creative and flavorful. Until then, we’ll see how this week goes!

The Mean Green

If you like fruit juices, your taste buds will be bursting with flavor with this green-juice recipe I’ve created called the mean-green. If you do not own a juicer, this combination of fruits and greens will also make for a tasty smoothie. What you’ll need is:

• ·      2 pears
• ·      1 celery stick
• ·      1 green apple
• ·      1 cucumber
• ·      Half a cup of spinach
• ·      4 table spoons of lemon juice

If you are blending this concoction, I suggest mixing it with coconut water and 5 ice cubes.

After rinsing your produce, you’ll want to peel and dice your fruit before plopping them into the mouth of your juicer.

This juice is a kick in the teeth with it’s tartness and can be a great beverage to kick-start your morning before work or school to enhance mental clarity. It’s rich with antioxidants and has a plentiful amount of benefits such as bettering your skin’s complexion and improving your digestive system. Juicing is a quick and easy way for your body to gain nutrients from the extraction of fruits and vegetables. I don’t recommend replacing a juice with a meal, but juicing is a great and healthy way of refreshing your body with something nutritious.

Bittersweet

Chocolate strawberries, cupcakes, and heart shaped cookies- it’s hard to stay away from sugary treats on Valentines Day. Though these desserts are tempting, I decided to make an easy homemade sorbet instead. I used about half a cup of frozen raspberries, half a cup of frozen strawberries, half a cup of frozen blackberries and about 3 tablespoons of lime juice for tartness and blended all of the ingredients together. Did I want to pick this option over the sweet treats my boyfriend offered to me? No. But I told myself the guilt of breaking my diet would weigh on me more than the excess calories would. My heart broke as I watched my mother dive into the chocolates my step-dad had given her. With each bite she took, the dagger sank deeper. She laughed as I pulled the top off the blender and poured my lightly sugared concoction into a ceramic bowl. If I sound bitter…it’s because I am. As I took my first bite, I thought of the chocolates I could have been sharing with her, but I had to stay true to the diet I was on. I had done so well so far. Here’s to my first Valentines Day while on a diet.

Tips on how to prepare a quick & healthy meal!

            So last weekend I had talked about meal prepping for the first time. While I found that it did help me eat healthier, I unfortunately pre-packed really boring meals. And since I am surrounded by greasy buffalo wings and desserts on Super Bowl night, I am delaying my meal-prepping endeavor until next weekend. But I do have some tips to quickly prepare healthy meals for this coming week. One quick and easy method for cooking meats and produce is a Ziploc steam bag. These are so convenient and really work! All you need is a microwave. You can even cook frozen foods in these bags in no time at all.  Frozen salmon actually comes out delicious in a steam bag. Just place the frozen filet right out of the packaging in the steam bag and add a seasoning of your choice. My favorite is orange pepper for salmon. The citrus flavor mixed with a little bit of heat from the pepper really enhances the salmon’s natural flavors After adding seasoning, you want to shake the bag so the filet is covered with the spices. Then all you do is just pop it in the microwave and set it for 7 minutes, then, viola! You have a fully cooked salmon filet in just under 10 minutes. You can also add frozen veggies inside the bag with the salmon and steam them together. It’s a quick and healthy dish to make while you have a limited amount of time to grab a bite to eat in between classes or work. Another cool tip that I recently discovered is steaming a corn on the cob in its husk. All you do is place the corn in the microwave for five minutes. After it is done steaming, you want to cut the stem end of the corn off and squeeze it out of its husk. It’s as simple as that! Just add seasoning, or eat it with the natural flavor of the husk. It comes out really juicy and perfectly cooked. These are just some quick little food tips that will help you eat healthy when you don’t have that much time to spend in the kitchen.