I was diagnosed with low blood sugar (20 years ago) when I was pregnant with my son. I didn't like the taste of diet soda so I would mix diet gingerale or sprite with orange or grapefruit juice. (I wasn't a big fan of juice either) You might try this. Thankfully over the years I developed a taste for diet pepsi.

We use whole and 2%, both organic. I use whole in my coffee and tea and 2% on my cereal. I use both in cooking and baking. When eating cookies or cakes, it's whole for me. I grew up drinking raw milk and loved it. It's probably one of the reasons I still drink whole milk.

I am also tyramine intolerant, and my gf suffered from "IBS" (the doctor didn't know what was wrong with her, so he just lied, IBS doesn't exist, like sciatica, it just means 'I don't know, now please go away' ) for years until we made links between artificial additives and her problems. I also get hypertensive crises from Chinese food, and really from anything that is off, or badly stored or prepared, but what really does me in is the crippling migraines I get from eating the wrong food. They are like a barometer reading, if food is the slightest bit suspect, I am on the deck within the hour. I am also the same with the delicate stomach, I am like that the whole time and have been for some years, although only tyramine will actually make me sick. I must admit, I hadn't made any connection between raw food and upset stomach though, that is very interesting. I know I have to avoid stews, it is just down to the cooking time and the low simmering heat, if the stew simmers too cool for too long then the tyramine levels will climb even in low tyramine foods, especially in beef and lamb stews. Annoying, isn't it? Anyway, don't need to tell you that I am sure. So, what do I eat? Breakfast is porridge, made with water not milk. Lunch is usually something egg related, omelet with shallots (and not onions), potato and sweetcorn, or egg and chips is a good one too. Dinner is normally chicken or white fish. I must stress I only eat whole chickens, the processed breasts and drums, stuff like that, they are "packaged in a protective atmosphere" and as far as I can make out are stored for up to 6 weeks before they hit the supermarket shelves. The whole chickens are much more fresh, but are a bit of a pain to process (not nearly as much of a pain as one of my headaches though), hence I often just roast them whole. Luckily, a lifetime of this has left me underweight, as a diet of roast chicken and chips isn't exactly what fat fighters ordered! Although most food lists say that meat is ok, lamb and beef are normally hung for several weeks to mature. Unfortunately, that is nowhere near fresh food by my standards. For vegetables, I avoid any legumes except garden peas, cauliflower and broccoli seem ok, and carrots. Watch out for ginger, garlic and onion too. Tesco (if they have invaded your local area) frozen mixed farmhouse vegetables have got no beans in them, they work for me. So, it's roast chicken with chips (chipped from potatoes, not frozen ones out the bag) or roast potatoes, chicken curry, stuff like that most of the time, last night was Pollack fillets with chips and a creamy white sauce with herbs and peas. For a cup of tea, which for me is a very important part of my day, I use oat milk (also sourced from Tesco - www.oatly.com ) which makes a nice cuppa... visitors don't even notice. The only migraine I had since starting this diet was from a cup of tea my nan made me... she still gets her milk off the milkman, and it had sat on the step a bit too long that day. I didn't even think about it at the time, one teaspoon of milk won't hurt, will it? Yes, it will, it will hurt a lot. For four days. The oat milk is a good substitute for making a creamy sauce too. For sauces, I use oil (not olive oil), plain flour and juices from whatever I just cooked and a little extra water. I admit, they are not as nice with just water, but my taste buds have adapted. For booze, I have found beer is just Russian Roulette. I love real ales, and malt whisky, but there is no way. Cider, I have found, especially genuine farmhouse cider, is fine. I drink it all the time (actually I make my own), with no ill effects. Well, except the normal ones, the ones you expect and deserve! Other than that, vodka or apple brandy, otherwise booze must be avoided at all costs. It sounds to me that like yourselves we have been feeling our way around this problem... I have been on the tyramine free diet for just 6 months, but I haven't had a migraine for the whole time. Previously, I had one almost every day for 20 years, so I must have got something right now. And you thought YOUR post was enormous! :) Please feel free to email me, I know how awful this tyramine thing is. It is like I have been trapped down a well the last 20 years, the doctors rubbished me and made like I was putting it on. One doctor actually snorted and told me migraines are a womans problem, then sat back and folded his arms. Another two doctors prescribed me MAOI antidepressants, which (now I understand the problem) I realise could have killed me. Just as well I didn't trust either of them, and threw away the prescription! But now at last I am free. If I can help anyone else, I would be glad to. This is the best food list I have found to date. http://www.headaches.org/consumer/topicsheets/LowTyramineDiet.pdf Best regards, and good luck Keith

Hi all! In case anyone is keeping track ;-> I had to move again and abandon my major overhauls to another landlord's backyard. This time I had to last-minute give away and leave behind my patio flagstones (that had moved through 2 gardens with me!) when I had to move to a tiny-backyarded new apartment this past March and a snowstorm struck the day I rented a pickup truck to move the last of the stones with me (and the last day i had access to the old apartment)!! When the snow and ice cleared what had appeared to be a nicely concreted little patio in the new space turned out to be cracked and chipped and very very uneven and damaged. Now I urgently need to repair the patio area and have no remaining stone or budget (i keep overhauling landlord's backyards!!!). I need about 130 square feet of bricks (roughly 585, by my calculation) or pavers or flagstone or whatever (even concrete) to replace a small patio. I could also use many bags of sand to set them in. If you have extra paving materials from a demolition or installation (enough to make renting a truck for pickup worth it) I would be glad to come get it from you. I would also be happy to return the favor with a trade of (14) new concrete blocks or (30) new bags of gravel .. I had just built a beautiful shed in my old backyard (now for sale :~( http://web.mac.com/ceanderson/iWeb/Shed/Shed%20for%20Sale.html ) and had purchased concrete blocks and bags of gravel for its foundation. I messed up in my construction timing, fortunately, and the gravel is still bagged (and located at my parents house on l.i. right now) and the concrete blocks were retrieved with the shed. Thanks, and happy spring!!