Food Intolerance Caused My Migraines #pinnertest

Today, I'm partnering with Pinnertest to start a conversation about food intolerance. All opinions are my own. 
Right around the time I turned nine, I started getting terrible migraines. They would just come on out of nowhere and sent me to a dark room until morning. My mother took me to my pediatrician, and since it was twenty-something years ago, he pretty much said, That’s sucks. Here, take theseTylenol3 when you feel a migraine coming on. 

The next few migraines, I took the Tylenol3, but it DESTROYED my stomach and didn't fix the migraine. Inevitably, I would throw up within thirty minutes of taking the medicine. But strangely, the headache went away after I'd get sick. I got so tired of having my stomach destroyed I refused to take the Tylenol three and willed myself to sleep. FYI: The stomach pain was so bad, to this day I tell doctors I'm allergic to codeine. 

I’ll never forget this time my family was visiting friends in Washington DC and we went to a Thai restaurant. The food was so good, I ate myself stupid. Within an hour of eating, I had the migraine of migraines. It was so bad, my mom and I had to split off from the group so I could go lay down. The second we walked into the hotel room, I threw up my guts--Sorry, total TMI, but I’m getting somewhere here-- When we got home, my mother took me for a slew of tests. 


The test results showed my migraines were a result of eating certain foods. And some of the things were so random. Something in the skin of red apples caused my headaches-- I could still eat red apples, just not the skin. The test also showed MSG was enemy number one. The doctor told me to avoid these foods and the headaches should go away. 


It worked. My headaches were 100% caused by the food I was eating.

To this day, I avoid MSG like the plague and cut the skin off red apples. I also know when I eat too much dairy my face breaks out and I have a hell of a time breaking down red meat and pork. It all boils down to my body, the enzymes inside it and how they react to certain foods. 


If this is resonating with you, I cannot recommend enough getting a food intolerance test. Since I've got these enzyme issues, I want to be proactive with my little guy just in case I've passed the intolerance on to him. I've partnered with Pinnertest, to Test Ollie for Food Intolerance. Pinnertest is an at-home food intolerance test kit that through analyzing a small blood sample, advanced microarray technology can determine the foods that may cause digestion problems, inflammation, and contribute to negative symptoms like fatigue, migraines, bloating, weight gain, acne and more. The sample is tested against 200 foods!




Our test kit just arrived in the mail with a self-addressed return envelope. All I have to do is bribe the little man with a super treat to prick his finger, then mail off the test. Within 7-10 days the test results are emailed. I can't wait to see what the test says! 

To learn more about Pinnertest go, hereUse promo code FIRSTTIMEMOMANDDAD for $60 off your kit and free worldwide shipping #pinnertestpartner(Available Internationally!)




April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com