Making changes

Headache healing:
Pharmacy or produce? 

A headache crept up on me this morning, which isn't unusual for me. The surprise is that it’s been a few weeks since I had that tell-tale, slowly creeping ache over the left eye brow. After a winter of endless, chronic migraines I am now treating the beasts more aggressively than ever before. My 2014 began with a new preventative prescription for the migraines, but it was only moderately successful. As I’m not interested in stepping up to a higher dose of pharmaceuticals unless absolutely necessary, I decided to get more assertive about pursuing my dietary migraine triggers. That has led me to where I am now: in the midst of a full-on healthy eating kick. My (now-previous) doctor surprised me by being fairly dismissive of my eagerness to aggressively find those foods that cause my headaches. Understandably, the list of potential triggers is long, different for everyone, and may change for a single person from time to time. Still, it’s disconcerting to have a fistful of paperwork from your local pharmacy, which is of limited effectiveness, and no nutrition guidance. Eating well seems like an easier approach to me, at least a potentially cheaper one. 

So, this year has also found me doing much renewed research on the causes of migraines. My dear spouse also acquired, on New Year’s Eve, a new-to-us treadmill. To entertain myself as I log the miles, I've been pulling up health documentaries on Netflix. It’s amazing how easy it is to go just a bit farther and a bit faster (and eat a lot healthier afterwards) when watching a series of movies like Hungry for Change, Forks Over Knives, Fat,Sick and Nearly Dead and BeautifulTruth. Hungry for Change, in particular, started me off in a new direction away from simply trying to prevent headaches and toward complete health. It managed that through tone: encouraging the adding healthy, unprocessed whole foods – fruits and vegetables – into the diet, instead of emphasizing a list of outlawed foods. It has been unexpectedly easy to skip the sweets as I see how much better I feel having cut out much of the processed food that has been causing me problems.

So the point of this writing here is to outline some of my observations. I don’t want to be a food nazi. I do love to eat. I will always love my carbs. Bread is the staff of life and all that. Like any family we enjoy good company while enjoying good food, often very rich, heavy food.  I’m excited about what I’m learning about healthy eating and cooking, though. My problem now is that I’m not sure how to share the things I’m discovering in a way that doesn't come across as obnoxious. How we shop, cook and eat are deeply personal decisions. I am discovering new ways to eat that make me feel amazing. My challenge is to do that and share that knowing that I'm surrounded by those who feel very strongly about the importance of red meat and pastries in their regular menus. As in all things, this is a question of balance. I need to eat well, so I feel well enough to be well enough to take care of my family. So far, I've seen positive changes. I'm willing to continue the journey.