Please help, my Mum is a chronic migrane sufferer who has been told to try a 'low sugar' diet and is not sure how.

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 have been trying to eat a lower sugar diet since my last dentist visit when i had 7 cavities which is going to take three visits to take care of (two more to go).  My teeth are completely decaying and im only 21, now while i didn't think i was eating a high sugar diet they told me that a lot of sugar can cause decay like this.  So, I was curious and started checking all the labels on foods i eat everyday and it turns out i really was eating a pretty high sugar diet and not even realizing it.  I used to put ketchup on everything (and tons of it) probably 3 tablespoons on my eggs in the morning, another couple tablespoons on my veggie dogs at lunch, and more at dinner on my vegetables.  I also drank diet soda by the gallons because i waitress at a restaurant and its readily available and gives me energy and fills me up when its busy and there's no time to eat.  Another food i was eating that had tons of sugar was granola bars (fiber one to be specific) they have 9 grams per bar!! Also I usually ate a serving a fruit or two per day but I cut that out (I know it's not good to cut out a food group but fruit just has a ridiculous amout of sugar- so now I have it as a treat every once in a while when i am craving something sweet it's probably the best sugary thing you could eat) Instead of ketchup on my eggs I just put a little salt and pepper now, instead of kethcup on my veggie dogs i just eat them plain, instead of kethcup on my veggies i eat them with low sodium soy sauce.  Instead of diet soda I drink only water (or if i want something with carbonation i drink club soda).  I never drank fruit juice and rarely drink alcohol so I didn't have to make any changes there.  Instead of granola bars I switched to dry roasted almonds.  I think that the trick to eating a lower sugar diet is eating more natural foods rather than all those prepackaged processed foods.  Try having her replace some of the things she likes that have high sugar to things that have lower sugar, little changes will make a big difference.  Like for instance if she likes a cereal that has 10g of sugar per serving, try to find something similar that has 5g or sugar per serving.  I try to eat less than 20g of sugar a day but I really have to watch it.  Stick to all natural foods- veggies, nuts/seeds, whole grains and keep the processed foods to a minimum.  Also, the homeopathist is right about the cutting out sauces and all that because those are solely sugar.  I have had to give up some things I love, but in the end my health is more important and it has been sort of fun trying to find healthier altiernatives too.

Thanks for the advice, my Mum is a bit of a diet junkie so she eats very healthily, she really doesn't have many sauces and fizzy drinks. Her main problem is biscuits, but she also likes nuts and cheese so she can switch. The main concern was with fruit, which she eats a lot of. I just don't know which fruit and veg are the real high in sugar ones.

does she eat anything with nutrasweet (aspartame)?

That triggers migraines in me.

Also, allergies trigger migraines. My only symptom (no sniffling or wheezing, just a sneeze or two and migraine) I take zyrtec through spring & summer to prevent.

I just can't imagine that a small amount of sugar is what is triggering this. If she's health conscious, she already (theoretically) has a low sugar intake.

?

her low/zero sugar diet includes cutting out all artificial sweetners, which she occasionally has in products such as light/low sugar yoghurts.

hopefully this diet will help

how is her posture? does she lean her head forward usually? it could have something do with that.

Good idea, but she has had sacro-cranial therapy (like osteopathy) and they found nothing wrong with her bones and posture, though her headaches do get worse if she has to look down for long periods of time i.e. when reading or drawing so she uses a drawing board to put books and paper at a better angle.

I am really looking for advice on what she should avoid in a sugar-free diet... should she be eating fresh fruit? or bread? etc.

Original Post by xxana:

i have been trying to eat a lower sugar diet since my last dentist visit when i had 7 cavities which is going to take three visits to take care of (two more to go).  My teeth are completely decaying and im only 21, now while i didn't think i was eating a high sugar diet they told me that a lot of sugar can cause decay like this.  So, I was curious and started checking all the labels on foods i eat everyday and it turns out i really was eating a pretty high sugar diet and not even realizing it.  I used to put ketchup on everything (and tons of it) probably 3 tablespoons on my eggs in the morning, another couple tablespoons on my veggie dogs at lunch, and more at dinner on my vegetables.  I also drank diet soda by the gallons because i waitress at a restaurant and its readily available and gives me energy and fills me up when its busy and there's no time to eat.  Another food i was eating that had tons of sugar was granola bars (fiber one to be specific) they have 9 grams per bar!! Also I usually ate a serving a fruit or two per day but I cut that out (I know it's not good to cut out a food group but fruit just has a ridiculous amout of sugar- so now I have it as a treat every once in a while when i am craving something sweet it's probably the best sugary thing you could eat) Instead of ketchup on my eggs I just put a little salt and pepper now, instead of kethcup on my veggie dogs i just eat them plain, instead of kethcup on my veggies i eat them with low sodium soy sauce.  Instead of diet soda I drink only water (or if i want something with carbonation i drink club soda).  I never drank fruit juice and rarely drink alcohol so I didn't have to make any changes there.  Instead of granola bars I switched to dry roasted almonds.  I think that the trick to eating a lower sugar diet is eating more natural foods rather than all those prepackaged processed foods.  Try having her replace some of the things she likes that have high sugar to things that have lower sugar, little changes will make a big difference.  Like for instance if she likes a cereal that has 10g of sugar per serving, try to find something similar that has 5g or sugar per serving.  I try to eat less than 20g of sugar a day but I really have to watch it.  Stick to all natural foods- veggies, nuts/seeds, whole grains and keep the processed foods to a minimum.  Also, the homeopathist is right about the cutting out sauces and all that because those are solely sugar.  I have had to give up some things I love, but in the end my health is more important and it has been sort of fun trying to find healthier altiernatives too.

 By the way, it might not just be the sugar for you. Your past history of anorexia could have harmed your teeth - it can cause lack of something in saliva and tooth enamel can be broken down. Even without purging. There's more information about this online. Also acids can harm teeth also. The sweeteners in diet drinks can be very acidic

Sorry OP, this is just at xxana really.