Eliminating Wheat to Eliminate Migraines: Personal Reflections

This has definitely been a bittersweet journey. I am so relieved to have figured out why my head was hurting almost all the time. Concurrently, it has been frustrating and sad. It is frustrating on several levels. There is almost no on-the-go, easy food that is gluten-free and vegetarian (I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian). I have never been one to think about meals, rather just buying what was easy and available. This hasn’t been good for my pocketbook or my physique, but it has been my way for a long time. So when I haven’t planned meals and need something on-the-go, there are very few options and it is difficult. It has also been frustrating because gluten-free foods are incredibly expensive! Gluten-free seems to be the newest fashionable craze, so markets are charging a lot for this “luxury”.  

This has also been sad because it eliminates a lot of foods that I love. For Thanksgiving my mom makes rolls from my great-grandmother’s recipe. It is an important tradition in our family and, for us, is the item that “makes” Thanksgiving. I had other things that were good and I enjoyed them, but it was still sort of sad. There was the staff appreciation day where I couldn’t really have anything. Now, logically, I know that sweet food does not equal appreciation, but not being able to partake still made me feel a little not appreciated.

I think this information is bringing to light a lot of my issues around food. I like food to be easy and not think about it, which is costing me financially and health-wise. I like to eat what others are eating and I associate food with appreciation or whether or not a day/holiday was good. This new information about my health and my body is informative and will help me to move forward on my personal and yogic journeys. Overall, the things I have implemented from Ayurveda have had a very positive effect on my life; significantly increasing my sense of peace and contentment in the world. I look forward to continuing to implement other Ayurvedic principals for continued growth and continue on the path to enlightenment.