I think we’ve found the trigger (or one of them) for Miss Frugal’s abdominal migraines!
You might remember in January I wrote about the increasing pains that poor Miss Frugal got and I said we were trying to figure out what the trigger was (if there even was one). Someone, and I can’t for the life of me remember who, said that one trigger may well be processed meat as something used in the process is a known trigger for some people.
We cut it out of her diet completely just under three weeks ago and things have improved dramatically for her. We’ve only had one attack (I’ll get to that later) and she’s felt much better within herself. She seems to have more energy as well although I could easily be imagining that!
A lot of the food we eat can be classed as processed and I need to do a bit more research on it to see what she can and can’t eat. I didn’t do much research before we started, simply because we’ve tried to cut lots of things out in the past and nothing has helped. So, when someone said try cutting out processed meat, we’ve started there and then and cut out everything that I *think* could be classed as processed meat. Now that it seems to be working, I need to look into it a bit more because it feels like we’ve cut out a lot.
No more of these sad eyes (fingers crossed)
As a rule we don’t generally eat much processed food – we usually have one night a week which is quick tea night like chicken nuggets, fries and beans but even though the chicken nuggets say they are 100% chicken, they”re still processed meat. I think. I also usually cook something like this whenever we have friends round for tea as it’s easy and most children will eat it. I did once try macaroni cheese but it went untouched 😉
Sausages for toad in the hole or sausage casserole are out. Hot dogs, burgers, pot noodles – all things that she would rarely eat to be honest but still things that I’ve had to say no to over the last few weeks. I even had to say no when one of her friend’s mums asked if she could go to McDonalds with them the other night as there’s not much on the menu that she could actually eat (she doesn’t even really like the fries).
When she goes to her friends houses, I have to mention what she can and can’t eat and she’s going on a residential with the school in a few weeks and the majority of the food looks like it’s going to be off the menu for her.
I have had one blip though since we started this. Last week she was going on a day out with the school and I put a sausage roll in her packed lunch for some unknown reason. I meant to put it in Master Frugal’s as he doesn’t like sandwiches very much but I put it in hers and gave him a sandwich. As they weren’t sat together, they didn’t click that I’d made a mistake and she ended up eating it. She thought it was OK as I’d packed it for her!
Uh oh. She was poorly within a few hours and all the way home on the bus, she felt ill. I gave her some paracetamol when we got home and it went off after a little while thankfully but I felt awful. She was pale and felt a bit off for the rest of the day but was back to her normal self the next day.
In a way, it was a good thing (not the pain obviously) because now I know that it’s not just a coincidence that she hasn’t been poorly since we started this. It’s just a shame that her trigger wasn’t something obscure like avocado or asparagus!
My son is going through the same thing (we got diagnosed last week)! I am so sorry for your daughter. His doctor told us to cut out anything with nitrites and any processed meats and breads. Everything seems to have NITRITES in them. sigh. 🙁 I need a support group. I guess I will be forced into the clean eating.♥
Glad you have found the trigger, fingers crossed the migraines stay at bay x
Oh I do hope you have it sorted now, good luck with the challenge!
If she was going to McDS with friends what about the fish finger H M or fillet of fish.Alos the wrap may be ok on some of the days,When my son was younger he didn't react well to certain foods it's hard work but worth it .He's now 16 and seems fine now.
Another trigger for me and my family is MSG(mono sodium glutomate) in lots of processed foods and some gravy powders and stock cubes. After years of suffering avoiding this as cleared situation. Attacks were getting worse as time went on but now completely clear of them unless I make a mistake. Can go under different names, lts of info on the web.
I also react to Brazil nuts(but not others) apparently quite common, brazil nut flour is used in some products
As Working Mum says, you can always buy your own chicken and make nuggets, fish and make fish fingers, best mince to make burgers. Miss Frugal can help and won't feel like she is missing out so much. I think there are also recipes on the internet for sausages, you could put this mix into sausage rolls if you don't want to pfaff about with casing.
It's all about where your produce comes from, and the more we are discovering about the latest scandal, the less we can trust the global companies to tell us the truth about EXACTLY what is in the food we eat.
My boy had cranial migraines from an early age, usually when he was going through a growth spurt, so you have my sympathy. However, he is now 30 years old, rarely ails anything and the very proud dad of 3 lovely little girls.
I cant eat cheese and I also didn't used to be able to eat tomatoes but that has improved over time. the dr said it is some calcium something or other they make cheese with. it used to make me instantly sick and then migraine and dry mouth. You may wish to check that out. The Dr can do test for allergies.
I've never heard of this before. I've always stayed clear of processed meat mainly because of the process of mechanically recovering which means that yu have no idea what you are actually eating; quite aposite with the current food scare.. I wondered if the following may be of help to you:
I do, however, eat sausages from my local butcher who uses only 100% free range pork, which he gets direct from the farmer and minces himself before adding lovely ingredients such as chestnuts, sage, apricots, etc.. His sausages are a world away from mechanically recovered meat, and, although a good bit pricier, may be something that you daughter would like to eat and you could add to your menu occasionally. Visit your local butcher and ask about the provenance and methoud of production of his products. Mine has said he's had a massive increase in sales of his 100% beefburgers (which he makes himself from steak he minces himself) since the horsemeat scandal. You could always ask your butcher to mince some steak for you and make your own. I know buying real meat from a butcher is expensive, which is why we save it for once or twich a week and what's in season where appropriate; my butcher also does a loyalty scheme which saves me money. See if you've got a helpful butcher nearby and your daughter needn't restrict her diet so much.