After almost a decade of tests and experiments, from the conventional to the very bizarre and esoteric, I had pretty much given up hope of ever being cured of my migraines. At best, I prayed they would magically disappear someday, just as they had suddenly appeared out of the blue.
My migraines were lasting several days at this point, and the triptans were losing their effectiveness.
Fast forward to 2015, I stumbled upon a book called Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter. Perlmutter makes the case that there’s a strong connection between gut bacteria and brain health. Since gut bacteria gets destroyed by consuming too much starch, sugar and processed food, brain health can be restored through a low-carb, whole foods diet.
Somewhere in the book, the doctor also theorizes that most migraines and headaches can also be cured by eliminating gluten and carbohydrates.
I was definitely no stranger to low-carb diets … I tried the Atkins diet for 6-weeks in 1999, after being unable to squeeze my butt into size 14 chinos from the Gap[1]. But this was the first time I learned about the correlation between sugar and brain function.
And so began yet another migraine trial, and my induction to low-carb living.
TYPICAL PRE-KETO MACROS (early 2015)
• About 2000 calories
• 175 to 200 grams carbs
• 75 to 100 grams fat
• 115 to 130 grams protein
I was aiming for a “balanced” diet at the time (1/3 fat + 1/3 carbs + 1/3 protein), but clearly my fat intake was too high (note that fat has 9 calories/gram while carbs/protein are 4 calories/gram).
NOTES:
¹ For any younger folks out there, please note that size 14 in 1999 was a lot smaller than today’s size 14. In those days, “regular” stores only carried up to size 16, after which you had to go to a specialty store for “plus-sized” clothes. Oh, the horror.