How strength training and an unintentional elimination diet helped me cure my chronic migraines

In my early twenties, I suffered from debilitating migraines. I experienced all the typical symptoms: sensitivity to light, smells, even extreme nausea.

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The only way I knew how to treat them was to go to sleep for several hours or pop several Excedrin. At any given time, I had to have a bottle of pills on me because I never knew when a migraine would strike. For the longest time, I assumed my migraines were hereditary: my dad used to get horrible ones that rendered him completely in functional for hours at a time. I remember many an afternoon spent tiptoeing around in an effort not to wake him from one of his "migraine naps."

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At the time, it never occurred to me that my lifestyle might be what was causing the migraines. I had no clue that my diet could increase my propensity towards migraines...until I did an unintentional elimination diet.

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In retrospect, it's remarkable that I actually discovered the foods that triggered my migraines because I was such a nay-sayer! I completely prescribed to the school of thought that doesn't attribute diet to any physical condition like migraines, acne, or bloating. I even distinctly remember a video my dermatologist gave me as a pre-teen when I first started developing acne. In one scene, a bunch of teenagers are chowing down on pizza and French fries as the voiceover states that despite popular belief, greasy foods and your diet in general do not make your acne worse! So they were essentially saying "Enjoy your diet, and here's a prescription medication to treat the symptom, not the root cause, of your unfortunate skin condition!!!!"

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It's funny to think about now, but I was totally on board with the western method of treating any physical ailment: with medication. Truthfully, I didn't want to do the hard, investigative work involved in determining what, if any, foods I might be sensitive or rather what foods may exacerbate my migraines and other more subtle physical issues. I was a disbeliever to the nth degree until I started to reintroduce foods that I'd casually eliminated: the biggest culprit was processed sugar.

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It all started when I began reading more blogs and articles about the Paleo/Primal diet. The idea of eliminating processed foods appealed to me, especially since around the same time I was testing the strength training waters and eating "cleaner" was starting to feel less and less like a foreign concept. In fact, I think that the more the seesaw tilted in favor of strength training, the more my body signaled to me that it wanted "cleaner" fuel. The body truly is a remarkable machine, and the quality of the fuel it gets is directly proportional to how optimally it performs.

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I cut back on dairy and introduced more dairy-free products, like coconut milk creamer, into my diet.

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It never felt unduly cumbersome or exacting because my body subtly nudged me in the right direction with regards to my cravings, my energy levels to work out, and the results I was starting to see with my physique. I also (surprise, surprise!) gradually noticed some other positive effects, such as clearer skin, brother eyes, and shinier hair. As I continued to read and learn more and more, processed food became an afterthought to the point where when I did have a little more refined sugar than what had become my new normal, I'd feel it roughly 48-72 hours later. It wasn't until my new habits had unexpectedly become rote that I realized that I hadn't had a migraine in months. It was almost like an afterthought, which made it all the more clear to me that I could manage a lot of symptoms--bloating, acne, lethargy, migraines, joint pain, etc.--with dietary interventions.

Bye, bye Excedrin Migraine!!!

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This was revelatory. And because it didn't seem like a huge chore or like deprivation, the habits stuck. More importantly, I gained a fundamental awareness of how my body reacts to certain foods; what amounts it can tolerate; and what comprises the optimal diet for me. For example, I learned through trial and error that when I eat too much sugar and/or processed foods, I break out specifically along my jawline. Migraine headaches are also triggered when I consume too much sugar, which tends to also make me crave more caffeine as my energy levels spike and plummet unpredictably. Additionally, when I eat a lot of dairy, my skin is less clear, my eyes less bright, and my hair feels more brittle. On the flip side, when my diet is more balanced and the majority of my meals are built around hefty servings of protein, fiber and green vegetables, I am more regular, my stomach is flatter, and I have more stable energy. I also crave less sugar and refined carbs, thus the cycle self-perpetuates.

If you suffer from migraines or some other chronic condition, I highly recommend that you take a closer look at your diet. The approach I took may not work for everyone precisely because it can't be quantified: it was my journey and my process, and I don't think any other way would have gotten me to where I am. I had to suffer, have the experience of treating my symptoms first, and eventually come at problem from an unexpected angle--strength training--to finally get things to click. If my experience lends itself to anything, however, I hope it speaks to the profound capacity of strength training to transform us from the people we are to the people we would most like to be.