A low sugar diet for a headache sufferer?

This is a question I am posting on behalf of my mum who is not very comfortable with technology.

My mum (age 40, weight 9-10 stone, 5'5") has suffered from chronic daily headaches and migraines for the last ten years. She has been through all the usual treatments to no avail:

medication (painkillers, anti depressants, beta blockers, hormone/contraceptive pills)

CAT scan

Osteopathy

Acupuncture

Thyroid treatment

etc.

A couple of years back she tried lactose/dairy free diet which didn't help very much. Now her homeopathist has recomended a 'sugar free' diet (also cutting out all artificial sweetners) However, the things she has been told to avoid seem quite conflicting and I am worried she won't be able to eat anything with how stringent she is being, for example, not eating crisps which were only 1% sugar.

She has been told she can eat fruit, but not juice, or dried fruit

She has been avoiding all sauces, relishes, coleslaw, pre-made food with any added sugar

I was just wondering if she should be going completely 'sugar free' or whether there was a bracket for a low-sugar diet (like low fat being anything under 3%)

I was also wondering if anyone can think of a good substitute food / enjoyable "treat" food to replace the biscuits, chocolate etc she is craving!

Thanks

Liz

i know a friend of mine did the Gi diet/ low sugar and her headaches went away.

any idea if any fresh fruit and veg were completely off limits for your friend? Or did she just have to cut out added/refined sugar, i.e. in sauces etc??

well my mate did one for migranes and it was atkins i did the same i got headaches for afew days but went away its just your body looking glucose for energy... you can get sugar free jelly its really nice and low carb choc in hollands and barrets xD is she able to eat diabetic food alternatives?

not if they contain any alternative sugars such as aspartame etc.

Completely off the subject of foods, but keeping with the migraine part.  Have your mom go to the dentist and see if her jaw is in line. 
I had suffered with bad migraine for years until my dentist told me that I had TMJ and realigned my jaw.  He made me an appliance to wear to bed at night.  After about four month I had noticed that my migraines had reduced to about one a month.
After I gave up white sugar, I now have about one or two migraines a year instead of one every week.

also, check if she has anemia. in my case, anemia  caused bad headaches from time to time.

As for the sugar free diet, there is a very good book " gut flush diet" and the author is repuatble dietitian. she is a supporter of sugar free diets. her book has a lot of recipes and ideas. check that out. google it.

GOOD LUCK

Hi. I have a lot of health problems and through my multpile neurologist and every other specialty,many procedures,meds I saw a holistic doc who started me on supplements and also talked more about the diet side which most specialty doctors don't touch on. Since every body responds different to food it is hard to say. Has your mother been tested for other conditions for auto immune or celiec? To me foods for healing are rich in omegas like salmon,healthy nuts,good carbs like sweet potatoes or whole grain breads if no isse with gluten. How is her blood sugar? Is there any reason to feel she has diabetes? If not a combo of protein/fat/carbs can keep blood sugar more stable to not have the highs and lows. Just a few thoughts and of couse follow what her doc sets for her

It's been a while since you posted your question. Has your mom tried the low sugar diet and had any success?  I felt compelled to write because I suffered migraine-like headaches pretty much once a week for many years. Sometimes debilitating, sometimes not. My mom went on a low sugar diet for some health problems, so I did, too, wondering if it might fix some of mine. 

At first, I was very strict - no carbs like bread, crackers, etc. No candies, cookies, cakes. No fruits, especially not the sugary ones like grapes, bananas, mangos, melons. Definitely no dried fruits or juices because they have high amounts of sugar.

Within a month, my headaches and the accompanying muscle aches in my neck went away.  They didn't come back until I stared eating "poorly" again - too many sugars and carbs. Actually, that's how I gauge how much sugar and carbs I should be eating. When I get the headaches, I know it's been too much.

It's a very difficult diet to maintain, but it's worth it if it's effective for your mom. The diet I was going off was the candida diet. While I don't think that's what's wrong with me - that diet does layout high and low sugar foods. Good luck!

yes, she did try it with pretty good success, her daily headaches have by no means gone, but she is getting migraines less and less frequently. I am very glad the diet made your problem more manageable

Liz

I used to have similiar type headaches. I found for me just cutting out processed sugar (and no artificial sweeteners) helped. I stuck to naturally occuring sugars in thier original form, that is fresh fruit, very little fruit juice since that has no fiber.

eventually I did add some treats back in, but never on an empty stomach only after I had eaten some "real food" first.

I believe it may be from a form of hypoglycemia, meaning my headaches were caused in part by wonky blood sugar, as the high sugar low fiber would cause my blood sugar to spiken and then suddenly drop, creating a viscous cycle, of blood sugar ups and downs.

I've slacked off a lately and I've found the old sugar craving returns. In part due to increased caffiene consumption which can cause blood sugar issues in some senstitive people. Certain medications can also interfer (never change or alter meds with out first consulting your heathcare provider).

Google Idiopathic (fancy term meaning we don't know why) reactive hypoglycemia (basically wonky blood sugar issues in someone who is NOT diabetic.

Almost all of symptoms fit me perfectly.

I find following a modified version (I'm ovo-veg) of the plan does wonders for me.

It looks like she's been given the kind of dietary advice that a Type II diabetic might receive.  i.e. one that would really bring her insulin production down to a very low level.  Crisps, you see, are a very refined (High GI) starch which turns to glucose quite quickly in the bloodstream. Fruit is OK because the fibre slows the digestion process down but fruit juices are just sugar-water and dried fruit has a very concentrated sugar content.   If she's been warned off things like white bread, white pasta & white rice as well (?) that would be consistent.  Maybe the homeopathist thinks that excess insulin production is at the root? 

My personal benchmark for a 'low sugar food' would be something with less than 5g sugar per 100g.  She could try things like fresh plain yoghurt with a little chopped fruit.   Baked apple with a few raisins and a little cinnamon, perhaps.   But she should probably avoid 'sugar-free' foods that contain artificial sweetners.... those can cause headaches in anyone.