The Headache Prevention Cookbook

by David Ryan Marks, M.D., with recipes by Laura Marks, M.D.

Dr. David Marks had experienced manageable headaches for many years, but they began getting steadily worse. Fortunately, he is a doctor and was the medical director of a prominent headache treatment center at the time. He began studying his headaches and realized he had multiple food triggers. Now, Dr. Marks is a truly fortunate man. His wife, Dr. Laura Marks, is a magnificent cook who enjoys experimenting with new recipes.

Dr. Marks will be the first to tell you that not all headaches are caused by foods and you should certainly consult your doctor for a diagnosis before beginning his headache prevention program in the book. As a long-time headache sufferer (I'm not in the mood to tell my age today), I'll tell you this book makes great sense. Dr. Laura Marks has done a very kind and wonderful thing also by creating recipes that, as Dr. David Marks says, "aren't a headache to prepare."

While the title of this book includes the word, "Cookbook," this is far more than a cookbook. Dr. Marks has developed a program and presents it here. That program gives you a logical and methodical way to test for food triggers. Without a method such as this one, it is very difficult to identify food triggers because of the combinations of foods and ingredients that are consumed in an average day.

A variety of recipes

Whatever type of food you want to fix, you'll find a recipe here. While there is not an enormous number of recipes in each section, there is a pleasing variety in each one. The recipes are easy to follow and uncomplicated. The recipe sections are:

• Breakfast and Brunch
• Appetizers
• Soups
• Pasta
• Chicken, Turkey, and Duck
• Beef, Port, Lamb, and Veal
• Fish and Shellfish
• Side Dishes
• Desserts

The recipes in this book are marvelous. Should anyone care to prepare dinner for me, I'd like to start with the Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms (page 51). The Garlic Chicken (page 90) or Garlic Shrimp (page 140) are my top choices for main courses. The side dish is another difficult choice, but pages 172 and 173 have wonderful recipes for Mushroom-Stuffed Baked Potatoes and Mushroom Rice Pilaf.

Content from "The Headache Prevention Cookbook"

Here are links to sections of this book that are published on our site with the compliments of Dr. Marks:

• Sample recipes
• List of potential trigger foods
• Excerpt from "The Headache Prevention Cookbook"

Summary

What's more important than the recipes themselves, is that Dr. Marks is presenting us with a plan to identify our food triggers then develop a way of eating that avoids them without depriving ourselves of enticing meals. That is the most important recipe of all.