Trying to do organic/ non gmo / glutan free no corn syrup- not easy

[MagicaDeSpell]

LuvOrlando, stopping in as a fellow migraine sufferer! Sadly, my main food triggers are 1) dark chocolate, and 2) red wine, so I've pretty much cut those out. I don't know why the dark chocolate is a bigger problem than a milk chocolate that's still using real cocoa and cocoa butter, but it looks like it's not just me with that trigger, so I let it slide unless I'm really sure it will be the only likely trigger of the day.

I wanted to give you a heads up that organic might actually backfire for you if it's the pesticides/fungicides/other-icides are triggering your migraines. There are lots of pesticides, fungicides, and so on that are approved for use on organics, like copper sulfates, so you can still wind up exposed. In any case, whether I eat organic or not doesn't seem to influence whether I have a migraine, ymmv.

 

[Kriii]

I am on the organic and non GMO train and it does take time but is so worth it. Try reading the ¨Food Babe¨ blog or book for information about the toxic junk going into our food. If you have a grocer that does not carry GMO foods, like Earthfare, that can be a good place to start shopping. Look at the labels on fruits and veggies. The first number should be 9. Limit processed foods and focus on whole real foods. Best of luck!

 

[Giraffeitis]

My DH is naturally very frugal, too, but even he will ask me why I'm stressing over something like where we are going to eat on vacation... And all I can say is, "Well, I just picked this arbitrary budget that has nothing to do with either the cost of things or the money we have available!" I just have it in my head that our family of 5 (all kids are boys) should eat for $400 a month. I think I need therapy sometimes.

Omg I'm dying from that last sentence

 

[CAFarmerGirl]

I'll say for the record that GMO is one of those buzzwords that I believe is really misleading. All our food today is GMO. I can't think of a single crop or animal that hasn't been enhanced through selective breeding (chickens grow to 4 times the size in about half the time as back in the 50s.

I am sorry, but this is incorrect. GMO is Genetically Modified Organisms....i.e., gene splicing. They are fundamentally changing the DNA of the organism. This is very different from selectively breeding for desirable characteristics.

 

[bethy]

I am gluten intolerant & also suffer from migraines.
A couple tips...
Focus on REAL foods: (easiest to avoid all those things)
--fruits & veggies (fresh or frozen are best, but canned are often OK--check the labels); stick with the "dirty dozen" for organic to save $
(dirty dozen: http://www.organic.org/articles/showarticle/article-214)
--dairy, meat
--rice
Avoid processed foods as much as possible. (ie. make your own granola bars)

More importantly, try removing/adding ONE of these from your diet at a time (organic, GMO, Gluten, OR corn syrup) for a couple weeks & see if you see any improvement. It may only be one that is causing your issues & there is no reason to eliminate them all--a VERY difficult thing to do. Additionally, any good experiment has ONE control (one thing changed or kept constant) at a time so you get reliable results. It will take longer to determine what is bothering you, but you will most likely be able to live easier if you only have to eliminate ONE thing from your diet.

I have lots of experience with this and this and the above advice is spot on. Instead of searching for substitutes it's best to change the way you eat entirely. Focus on whole foods. I bake my own bread in a bread machine and we eat a TON of cut up fruits and veggies all day long. Those are our main snacks. Whole foods.