Migraine Days

This week I had to make a conscious effort to make food choices to help me clear brain fog. I had a painful migraine for one day and then for the next 2-3 days after the pain mostly subsided, I felt like my thoughts were disorganized and slow.

While I’m not suggesting that food is the cure for migraines, poor food choices (or lack of food when you’re feeling unwell) can exacerbate the feeling of mental fog.

I first made sure I stayed hydrated. This is not easy when pain is accompanied by nausea. One thing that works for me is to sip on an ice cold beverage. The coldness seems to help keep down nausea for me.

I’m usually not hungry while I’m in pain so here are the two strategies I use to cope with that.

1. If I don’t need to be mentally or physically present, I just allow myself to rest and don’t worry too much about eating other than to have a small snack every few hours. (I’ve found that my nausea can get worse when my stomach is completely empty and I’ll start feeling very weak if I don’t eat anything at all.)

2. If I need to be focused on a task, I’ll have a small meal or snack. As I’ve mentioned in some of my recent blogs, I try to make sure my meal or snack has good sources of carbohydrate + fiber, protein and fat. While it won’t take away my migraine, it can help decrease brain fog and keep my energy levels from plummeting. If I start feeling nauseous, I’ll take a break from eating and try again later.

When I'm in pain, I usually want food that takes very little effort to prepare, to digest and even to chew. These are some of the foods that help keep me going when I'm feeling unwell.

• Yogurt and applesauce

• Scrambled egg and toast

• Cold cereal and milk

• White rice and well-cooked vegetables with a little shredded cheese

• Miso soup cooked with frozen peas

• Cheese stick and crackers

If you experience migraines, and none of these foods work for you for any reason, I encourage you to make your own list when you're not having a migraine so that you have an easy reference when you're feeling unwell.

Thankfully, I'm feeling MUCH better now. I'm looking forward to getting back to my routine and many healthy summer days!

During the month of June my blogs focused on food choices that boost energy and promote mental clarity, along with some practical meal planning tips and how to develop healthy habits.

This July I’m going to share evidence-based practices that can energize your mind. I’ll talk about what I mean by “energize your mind” and how that can help you make the best decisions for your busy life.

Meal and snack suggestions and recipes will keep coming as well.

See my home page for weekly Summer Nutrition Tips.

For meal planning ideas and energy-filled meal tips, follow me on Instagram @Nourish.Energize.Embrace.

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