Comments on: The Migraineur’s Quick Guide to Reading Food Labels

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:30:19 +0000

I have changed vitamin brands recently and never thought to see if they use soybean oil. Just checked all 3 of my vitamin bottles and no soybeans, but 1 has polysorbate 80 which I am allergic/sensitive to. I wonder if any of the wonderful sounding ingredients on the bottles are what is causing the increase in my migraines. Looking all of the ingredients up makes me want to throw them all out and not take any vitamins, thanks for the reminder that nothing is safe until I read the label.

Melissa

By: Christine

Christine — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:22:54 +0000

Yes, I switched brands for one of my vitamins once (another brand was on sale) and unbeknownst to me the new brand used soybean oil in their vits. So I suffered w/ migraines for 2 straight weeks until I figured it out.

By: James

James — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:08:24 +0000

Hi Lynne,

Thanks for the comment! I’m going to take stevia off the list for now, but it should be noted that products sold with “stevia” are not the whole-leaf stevia you’re talking about. Usually it’s a highly-refined extract – just some of the sweet stuff taken out of the leaf. So “natural” or “artificial” could be a matter of debate when it comes to some of the products using “stevia”.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:24:36 +0000

I forgot to mention that some name brand tuna fish also has soybeans in it. I found it listed on the label of solid water packed tuna fish, I don’t buy the brand any more so I don’t remember which one.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:41:03 +0000

This list is a great reminder of how hard it is to buy pre-made foods without triggers. Having at least 4 identified triggers, and many still unknown plus food allergies/sensitivities, it is really hard to buy anything pre-made. It would be so much better if food manufacturers had to list what is really in the foods they make. I used to be able to read the allergy warnings to find safe foods, until I found that they don’t have to give the soy warning if they use soy lecithin or soybean oil. When I contacted the maker of a cereal they told me they didn’t have to put the warning because “nobody has a problem with soybean oil or soy lecithin” (I do for both). I decided that pre-made foods are not allowed for me and now I buy the basics and make my own version of favorite foods.

By: Connie

Connie — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:49:14 +0000

What helped me the most with migranes watching what I eat. You even have to watch the supplements that you take. I have to take B and E supplements because of my diet. It took me a week to figure out that my new different brand vitamin B pills were causing me to have migranes. A couple of weeks ago I had 3 days of intense migrane headaches and I finally decided it was the weather. All 3 days were very stormy and we had tornado activity around us those 3 days.

By: Lynne

Lynne — Tue, 01 May 2012 01:58:42 +0000

I found this article to be pretty helpful, but I need to point out that stevia is not an artificial sweetener. I had a friend who used to grow stevia and dry it. We’d crumble the leaves into our tea instead of using sugar or honey. That’s about as non-processed as it can get.

By: Christine

Christine — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:32:11 +0000

GREAT article – thanks James! I wanted to share 2 things i have found:
1. Soy give me migraines (soy sauce), and my doctor pointed out once that there is soy in PEANUT BUTTER!! I had no idea, I thought it was the peanuts giving me the migraines! (As I loooove peanut butter But once I switched to the all natural peanut butters – no more migraines from peanut butter! (look on the labels – no soy! JUST peanuts!!)
2. Be very wary of anything marked “Low-Carb” or something similar. I get extreme digestive complications from artificial sweeteners, and once bought “Low Carb” whole grain MUFFINS, thinking oh how healthy, only to get VERY sick, and I glanced at the ingredients – SUCRALOSE! (Splenda) Seriously, fake sugar in MUFFINS??!!

I am sure I look like a mad woman sometimes in the grocery store, reading labels of everything I pick up, but you can never be too sure, so I always check! Better safe than sorry!

By: Megan

Megan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:35:30 +0000

Thank you very much James!

By: James

James — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:09:09 +0000

Thanks, Megan! You may find this article on the migraine diet approach helpful as well.