Foods that are Good

this a a much longer list of everything that is fine to eat. I wrote this to give myself ideas for foods when I first started the diet, because it is very hard to get ideas when all you have in front of you is foods you can't use. Obviously this list isn't exhaustive as i can't list all foods, but it is a good starting point. Please let me know if anyone who reads this has a trigger in this list and I will add a note.


Vegetables
leaf: Lettuce, Cabbage, Watercress, Spinach, Chinese Leaf
Bulb: Leeks, Shallots, Spring Onions, Garlic
Bush Fruit: Tomato (can be a problem for some), Pepper, Courgette, Aubergine, Chilli, Cucumber, Squash, Sweetcorn, pumpkin
flowers: Cauliflower, Broccolli, Artichokes
podded veg: fresh peas (not pods)
stem: asparagus, celery, fennel
roots: Potato, Sweet potato, Carrot, parsnip, beetroot

Fruit
Rosaceae Family: Apple, Pear, Apricot, Cherries, Peach, Green Plum
Berries: Blackberry, Cranberry, Acai, Elderberry, Gooseberry, Blackcurrant, Redcurrant, Strawberry
Tropical: Melon, Watermelon, Grapes, Mango, Guava, Pomegranite

Seeds, Pulses, Cereals
seeds: pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, pine nuts (which I am ironically allergic to) and so also: tahini
cereals barley, corn, wheat, oats, rye, rice, and so also: porridge, any breakfast cereal without dried fruits or chocolate etc. added, rice cakes
pulses: chickpeas, and so also hummus. I otherwise avoid beans as there are quite a few on the list and bean names seem vary a lot between countries so I'm not sure what is safe (also I don't like beans)

Fresh Meats and Fish
beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, farmed rabbit
poultry: chicken, turkey, duck, goose and guinea fowl(farmed)
fish: catfish, cod, haddock, mackerel, swordfish, trout, tuna (and tinned tuna), salmon
shellfish: Crab, Crayfish, Lobster, Prawn, Shrimp, mussel, oyster, scallop

Dairy and Cheese
milk, cream, ice cream (vanilla, caramel, strawberry, fudge, white chocolate among others)
cheese: marscapone, cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta

Baked Goods
yeast breads over one day old.
Yeast free breads: pitta, naan, chappattis
biscuits (without nuts or chocolate), scones (without fruit), crackers, ryvita, rice cakes, cake (if without other triggers)

Condiments and Flavourings
sugar, caramel, salt, pepper, ginger, ginger syrup, ketchup (in moderation), mayonnaise (in moderation)


to be added to...

Foods that are bad

The list below is from David Buchholz book. These recipes avoid most of the foods below. Where there is an exception I will put it below the recipe. These are usually only foods on which he is uncertain. I do use soy sauce (avoiding it eliminates a lot of my favorite foods) and distilled vinegar in moderation. Tomatoes and mushrooms I eat a lot.

Caffeine
Coffee, tea, cola, decaf coffee

Chocolate
White chocolate is okay

Monosodium Glutamate
Chinese restaurant food, soups and bouillons,
Accent and seasoned salt, flavored salty snacks, croutons
and bread crumbs, gravies, ready-to-eat meals, cheap buffets,
processed meats, veggie burgers, protein concentrates,
low-fat, low-calorie foods.

Processed Meats and Fish
Aged, canned, cured, fermented, marinated, smoked,
tenderized—or preserved with nitrites or nitrates. Hot
dogs, sausage, salami, pepperoni, bologna (and other
lunchmeats with nitrites), liverwurst, beef jerky, certain
hams, bacon, pâtés, smoked or pickled fish, caviar and
anchovies. Also, fresh beef liver and chicken livers, and
wild game (which contain tyramine).

Cheese and other Dairy Products
The more aged, the worse. (Permissible cheeses include
cottage cheese, ricotta, cream cheese and good-quality
American cheese.) Beware of cheese-containing foods,
including pizza. Yogurt (including frozen yogurt), sour
cream and buttermilk are also triggers.

Nuts
Avoid all kinds, as well as nut butters. Seeds are okay.

Alcohol and Vinegar
Especially red wine, champagne and dark or heavy drinks.
Vodka is best tolerated. Clear (ideally, distilled) vinegar is
allowable. Don’t overdo condiments (ketchup, mustard and
mayonnaise) made with vinegar.

Certain Fruits and Juices
Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, tanger-
ines, clementines and pineapples) and their juices—as well
as bananas. Also avoid raisins (and other dried fruits if
preserved with sulfites), raspberries, red plums, papayas,
passion fruit, figs, dates and avocados.

Certain Vegetables, Especially Onions
Plus sauerkraut, pea pods and certain beans (broad Italian,
lima, fava, and navy, and lentils). Allowed: leeks, scallions,
shallots, spring onions; also garlic.

Fresh Yeats, Risen Baked Goods
Less than one day old: homemade (or restaurant-baked)
breads, especially sourdough, as well as bagels, doughnuts,
pizza dough, soft pretzels and coffee cake.

Aspartame (Nutrasweet)
Saccharin (Sweet’n Low) may also be a trigger for some.
As far as I know, sucralose (Splenda) isn’t a problem.

Other Possible Triggers
Perhaps soy products, especially if cultured (miso), fermented
(tempeh) or otherwise highly processed (e.g., soy
protein isolate/concentrate).Watch out for soy sauce containing
MSG. Less risky are unflavored tofu and soy milk and
flour. Soy oil is safe. Possibly tomatoes (and tomato-based
sauces), mushrooms . . . whatever gives you a headache.

there is another similar list here from Berkeley University which makes an interesting comparison, and includes non food triggers.
migraine triggers

Roast Chicken with Gravy (MSG Free)

Ingredients
1 small free range chicken
olive oil to coat the chicken
2 garlic cloves
Salt and Pepper
1 tbsp cornflour
1/2 kg potatoes
vegetables of your choice
knob of butter

serves 2

method
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Coat the chicken in olive oil and rub in the salt and pepper. Cut the Garlic into small chunks and rub these into the chicken skin as well. If the chicken is tied up untie it and spread it out so the heat gets inside. Place in a deep oven proof dish that isn't too much bigger than the chicken and completely cover with foil to keep the juice from evaporating. After an hour put on the potatoes and vegetables to boil and remove the foil from the chicken to brown the skin. Cook for a further 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and cover again to rest for 15 minutes.
You should have collected a good amount of meat juices under the chicken for the gravy. Pour these into a pan and simmer with a very small amount of vegetable boiling water if needed- the gravy should consist of at least 2/3 chicken juice. Mix a level tablespoon of cornflour with a few tablespoons of water and gradually stir this into the gravy until it thickens. This gravy is nicer than any commercial gravy I have tried.
Mash the potatoes with a little butter and serve with chicken pieces and drained vegetables. Cover with gravy.

migraine triggers
the great thing about this recipe is that it creates its own stock. Pre migraines I used Bisto granules to make gravy, then because they include MSG I switched to traditional Bisto gravy powder. However this contains onion powder so I developed the method above, which is actually nicer than either. The only drawback is that it doesn't go as far if you are feeding a lot of people.

Duck Breast with Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients
2 duck breasts
oyster mushrooms
100 ml single cream
Chinese 5 spice powder
salt and pepper

serves 2

Method
Heat oil in a frying pan. Sprinkle the 5 spice powder and salt and pepper on both sides of the duck breasts. Fry the breasts on a fairly low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until pink, rather than dark red, inside. Remove the duck and cover while you continue to cook.
Cut the mushrooms into strips and fry in the juices and fat that have been left by the duck. When the mushrooms are cooked add the cream and stir to melt any duck flavour left in the pan. Cut the duck into strips and pour the sauce over the top. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and a green vegetable or two.

This is James's favorite food.
Thanks to Marianna for introducing me to duck breasts

Salmon Quiche

Ingredients
2 salmon fillets
2 leeks
4 Eggs
200 ml single cream
100 ml milk
a pinch of nutmeg
250g frozen puff pastry
knob of butter

serves 4 with accompaniments

Method
Grease a large oven proof dish with butter, then line it with the puff pastry. Lay greaseproof paper on top, and fill it with baking beans. Bake in a hot oven (200 degrees c) for about 15 minutes, until the pastry puffs up and cooks.
Meanwhile season the salmon with lots of salt and pepper and fry in butter on both sides until browned and cooked through. On a lower heat fry the leeks cut into rings until soft.
Whisk together the eggs, cream and milk. Add a generous pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Add the leeks and salmon to the cooked pastry, and top up with the egg mixture. Turn the oven down to 160 degrees and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the quiche is brown on top and the inside is set. Best served warm.

Fresh Tomato and Tuna Pasta

Ingredients
a small tin of tuna
about 10 small tomatoes
1 small red pepper
2 large shallots
2 cloves garlic
5 basil leaves
2 tsp tomato puree
olive oil
1 tsp sugar
pasta

serves 2 for lunch

method
Put the pasta on to boil.
Chop the shallot and pepper into small cubes, and fry in a generous amount of olive oil until the shallot is clear and both are soft. Crush and add the garlic along with the tomatoes, cut in half. Turn down the heat and keep frying until the tomatoes collapse to mush. Add the tuna, sugar, tomato puree and basil leaves, stir for another minute, and serve on the pasta.
It is nice with a dollop of cream cheese or marscapone.

Potato Salad

Ingredients
10 small salad potatoes
1 leek
2 spring onions
1/2 red pepper
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

method
Cut the spring onions and leeks into thin rings. Cut the pepper into small squares.
Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes. After 15 minutes add the leek. Drain and cut the potatoes into halves.
Mix everything into a bowl with the mustard and mayonnaise and season. I like it best served warm.

migraine triggers
Mayonnaise and dijon mustard both contain a small amount of vinegar, so you may want to avoid this if you are eliminating vinegar. Everything else is safe.