Mar 5, 10:17 PM by Kimberly | Happy Carbs
Posted in Food & Health
I’ve had a pretty bad migraine for the last few days. It started on Saturday at Baker to Death Valley while Steve was finishing. It wasn’t very hot, but it was very dry. I think I didn’t drink enough water, bright sun, travel, fatigue, hormones, etc., and the stars were all aligned correctly to produce a migraine. I started to feel pretty bad on the drive back to Baker, but we stopped at a cafe in Shoshone and got Gardenburgers, and I felt a lot better after that.
I felt ok Sunday, but I started to feel bad again Monday morning. I got some new injections for my headaches, so I tried it out, and it worked quite well. It works by increasing serotonin levels, which is believed to either cause or otherwise be strongly related to migraines. I took it again last night after it came back with a vengance. I read my book in bed while the meds kicked in. Steve was sleeping, and woke up about an hour and a half after I took the meds. He asked how I was doing, and I enthusiastically said ‘Great!’
My migraine started to come back again this afternoon, so I picked up my perscription and hung out at Steve’s office while it kicked in. My stomach was still not feeling too good, and I told Steve I needed some carbs for my stomach. He said we had plenty of carbs at home, and I said we didn’t have ‘Happy Carbs.’ Steve laughs and asks what Happy Carbs are. I said I couldn’t tell him, but I know them when I see them.
Steve wanted to go to Trader Joe’s and promised some happy carbs. He said we could get yougurt parfaits. ‘Ooh, those are Happy Carbs’ I say. We pick up some parfaits and I had a sample of tomato soup, which I didn’t think it would be Happy Carb food at first, but after I tasted it I determined that it was.
Thinking of my medicine, I said that maybe carbs release serotonin or something. Lo and behold, I googled ‘carbs serotonin’ when I got home, and lots of websites popped up with articles saying that carb, especially simple sugars, trigger serotonin release, and protein can actually inhibit serotonin release. (And depressed people may be overweight because they’re trying to self-medicate with sugary foods.)
So, foods with high simple sugar content and low protein are ‘Happy Carb’ foods and will help my migraine in a pinch. Yum, but bad for my diet.
That completely explains why I crave all those low-protein high-carb foods when my stomach feels upset. Now, I’ll know to take the meds instead of having too much ‘Happy Carbs’ to feel better.
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