Lon’s Story – Chronic Migraines & Brain Fog Eliminated

Lon always considered himself to be healthy and athletic, even running the Boston Marathon. That all ended when he suddenly found himself battling severe migraines and brain fog along with a long list of intestinal issues. As a commercial truck driver, the brain fog and trouble focusing were especially problematic. He did everything he could think of to fix the issue from seeing a chiropractor to a neurologist, but nothing seemed to help. Eventually, his migraines became chronic. He’d experience as many as 17 in one month. Unsure where to turn next, his wife suggested he schedule a nutrition consultation at Nutritional Weight & Wellness.

Immediate Improvement After Changing His Diet

When Lon came in to see Melanie Beasely, RD, LD, he told her about the protein shake he’d been eating for the past six years for breakfast and lunch. It immediately raised a red flag. Even though Lon thought he was eating something healthy, Melanie explained that all of the fruit and juice contained too much sugar. This high sugar content was likely causing his headaches. Melanie also suggested Lon give up processed foods and instead eat small meals comprised of whole foods frequently throughout the day to keep his blood sugar stable.

Melanie explained that all of Lon’s health issues were fixable, but he really didn’t believe her after seeing so many specialists who couldn’t help him. Over the months of not feeling well, Lon had become moody and irritable. Melanie explained, “This is all chemistry, not character.”

Lon’s brain fog lifted and went away almost immediately and he was soon convinced that his diet was to blame. Within two weeks of changing his eating, Lon saw improvement with his mood and energy as well. “It made me feel better knowing it was what I was eating that was causing my moods to change,” he said. “She’s [Melanie] amazing. She was right about everything.”

Learning a New Way to Eat

Lon eliminated gluten and dairy from his diet for six days and he discovered that he couldn’t tolerate dairy or orange juice. While he had to give up milk, orange juice and Gatorade (three of his favorite foods), it was all worth it, he said.

Melanie suggested eating breakfast bowls with vegetables and sausage, along with giving him new smoothie recipes with almond milk and vegetable protein instead of the old shakes he was drinking that were full of sugar from orange juice and dairy from whey protein powder, both of which he can’t tolerate. “She basically taught me a new way to eat,” he said. “It was hard because you always want to do the easy thing; and it took a lot of getting used to.”

To anyone else who has tried almost everything to fix their health issues with no success, Lon suggests, “Why not try one more thing? I’d be miserable without this.”