The Dizzy Cook’s Approach to a Migraine Diet

Now that you’ve heard my story, as well as some of my tips for the diet, we are officially to the fun part. I’m not like other migraine diet cooks, I’m a cool migraine diet cook. What I mean by that is my method of recipe development is not about being the “healthiest” with zero gluten, dairy, sodium, sugar, or fun. I like to focus on how to fit a migraine diet into your life, and inevitably your family’s life, as easily as possible. The goal of my recipes is to provide you with comfort and a sense of accomplishment, and to make you feel like you’re not actually on a “diet.” They’re the kind of meals the entire family will enjoy, whether they suffer from migraine attacks or not. Trust me, if these recipes can pass the approval of my picky father who would happily eat steak and potatoes for the rest of his days, then I know they’ll please even the most stubborn spouse.

I have always enjoyed cooking, but I never had someone to show me techniques while I was growing up. My mom was an excellent baker, but she was not a big fan of cooking. It wasn’t until I graduated college and lived by myself that I really began to discover how much fun cooking is. Another Friday night with no date? That’s cool, I’ll just buy a personal-sized sirloin and learn to grill it! During this time, I fell in love with Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. All the recipes were simple yet elevated. And they never failed to please everyone at the table. Granted, my friends love anything covered in butter. I also always admired Deb Perelman from Smitten Kitchen, who was a food blogger before being a food blogger was cool. Not only were Deb’s recipes delicious, but she wrote about food with a lively sense of humor. That’s really my approach to cooking: have fun with it and don’t take it so seriously. Ironically, going on this migraine diet brought out the best in my cooking. Since I didn’t have recipes to go by, I was able to push what I knew about flavors and test out ideas I normally wouldn’t have.

You’ll see a lot of recipes in this book that accommodate other special diets. For example, some recipes are gluten free, but others are not. I tried to eliminate gluten for a few months at the recommendation of a functional medicine doctor to see if it helped with my migraine attacks. I didn’t notice a difference, but I should also note that I’ve been tested multiple times for gluten and dairy sensitivities that were all negative. Eliminating gluten, sugar, and dairy can decrease inflammation, so that does work for some people who are sensitive to such ingredients; however, it is not the only way you can reduce migraine attacks and I am proof of that. Still, I like to offer suggestions for those folks who are sensitive. I also have a few vegan and vegetarian friends who have tried this diet. Hopefully you’ll find a few things that suit your fancy. I know the Mexican-Style Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (page 145) are a meal I could eat every single day.

I find that it’s best to start slowly when it comes to elimination diets. If you’re not seeing a difference after a few months, it’s easier to cut things out later in the process once you get the hang of it. This way you can also make sure you’re getting the proper nutrients you need. If you just cut everything out and don’t know what to eat, you could be harming yourself instead of helping. For those who have additional dietary restrictions or who follow a plant-based lifestyle, please consult with a registered dietitian before starting this migraine diet. It’s already restrictive and adding more layers to it can be challenging.

Lastly, if you’re going to make the effort to buy groceries and get in the kitchen when you don’t feel well, I’ve got to make sure these recipes deliver. For me, there was nothing worse than trying new migraine diet recipes and having them be terrible or flavorless. If I’m getting in that kitchen, the food I make better be good! I hope you also find that these recipes are worth the extra time and energy you put into them when you barely have anything left in the tank. When you’re feeling defeated in every other way, there’s nothing better than being proud of a delicious meal that you made at the end of the day.