Author on Keto

Following up on our discussion about migraines, I’ve decided to give the ketogenic diet (aka keto) a try. This isn’t the kind of thing where you just eat a ton of fat and don’t eat any vegetables. Many leafy and cruciferous veggies are low enough in carbs to be acceptable. And there are acceptable fats (butter, olive oil, coconut oil) and unacceptable fats (canola and veggie oils). I’ve done my research and learned why this diet works and especially why it can work for migraine warriors.

I started on February 1st, to make it easy to keep track of. I expect it to be hard and I’m keeping an open mind.

After only a couple of days of keto, I can say that it sure is hard, but not in the ways I expected. I thought it would be hard to ignore the potato chips in my cupboard that seem to call out to me regularly. I thought it would be hard to ignore my favorite cravings. But so far, that isn’t the case. What’s been hard is figuring out what to eat, especially for lunch. In theory, I know what to eat. But how does that work out on a daily basis when I’m actually trying to live my life? And trying not to disrupt my kids.

I usually eat plenty of protein, and I don’t believe fat is the enemy. But I love beans, lentils, and pasta. And I eat tortilla chips with just about everything. It’s always been about the crunch for me. I need lots of texture. And too many veggies – too much fiber – upsets my stomach.

The migraine version of the diet is a bit more restrictive, at least at first, which makes it even harder to figure out what to eat. So, sure I can eat eggs and avocados and sardines. I have no problem with any of that. But what do I eat them with, or on, if not crackers or chips?

I’m managing; it just takes a lot more thought than I’m used to. Yesterday, I ate eggs fried in butter for the first time in decades, with a dollop of plain yogurt to catch the runny yolk. Today, I made a salad of cabbage, celery, and mushrooms to go with the sardines (I’d thought ahead enough to buy sardines, but not to get real salad veggies). And I’ve collected plenty of keto recipes to try out this week – including a keto version of tortilla chips made from just cheese and cumin.

I’ll post an occasional update on my progress here. Have you tried keto? What’s been your experience?