One of the most frustrating things for me when I first started the Heal Your Headache Diet was that I could no longer find pre-made items that were safe. Every salad dressing and mayo contained some kind of citrus at the bare minimum, and the majority have MSG. A quick look at Olive Garden's Italian dressing shows it has romano cheese (aged cheese) and natural flavoring (MSG), while most others contain balsamic vinegars. Believe it or not, you can actually make a decent salad dressing and mayo with distilled white vinegar.
Migraine Diet Mayo
I was able to incorporate Sir Kensington's Mayonnaise which has a small amount of lemon juice but no artificial preservatives or MSG. The lemon juice is right next to the sugar as an ingredient, and the sugar has 0 grams on the label, so you know it's really low. So far, no one has mentioned this bothers their symptoms. Another good one to try without citrus is Primal Kitchen's Avocado Oil Mayo. While avocados aren't allowed on HYH, the oil is so processed and would not contain a high level of tyramine, like an actual avocado might.
You can find safe dijon mustard from HEB's Organics and Annie's Naturals. I do find many mustards contain wine so be on the lookout for that.
Here are a few of my staples.
Basic Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard Be careful with ingredients here. HEB Organic and Annie's Naturals are good brands
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 clove garlic minced
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Ingredients
- 1 cup loosely packed Italian parsley
- ⅓ cup basil leaves I sometimes add ½ cup cause I love basil
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend till combined.
Whole30 Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 1 cup light olive oil or safflower oil
- 1 egg at ROOM TEMPERATURE wash your egg under warm water or buy pasturized
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the egg, ¼ cup of oil, mustard powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, blender, or food processor. Mix thoroughly till thick. I find this is best done in a high speed blender (like Vitamix) or food processor.
- While the food processor or blender is running (or while you're whisking), SLOWLY drizzle in the remaining cup of oil in a steady stream. If you dump this in all at once it will be a gloopy disaster. The slower you can do this, the thicker the mayo will be.
- Once you've added the oil and the mixture has emulsified, slowly add in the distilled white vinegar to taste. Stir gently to incorporate.
Aris says
For some reason the "basic salad dressing" triggered me. Are there any ingredients within it that maybe I should try without that could be the culprit? Having a massive vertigo attack from it.
Aris says
For some reason the "basic salad dressing" triggered me. Are there any ingredients within it that maybe I should try without that could be the culprit?
Alicia says
I'd check your dijon mustard for sulfites/wine. If that's not the issue then it probably wasn't the dressing and may be a build up of other triggers unless this dressing consistently gives you a migraine after testing 3-5x while other outside triggers (hydration, weather, stress, etc.) were stable. In that case you may want to look closer into things like garlic/vinegar...but we often blame food unfairly.
Grace says
Hi! I’m new to the headache diet and was wondering if you can substitute/ use avocado oil when doing to making dressings? I know the list includes no avocados but doesn’t specify on oil.
Thank you!!!
Geoff says
Found a way to rescue liquid mayo… Daisy Low-Fat Cottage Cheese. Simply blend in a few big dollops of it at the end and within seconds it all emulsified into a rich, creamy mayo. I stirred in about 1 tbs of distilled white vinegar to taste and extend fridge life. The cottage cheese blend makes it a healthier spread, as well.
I’ll have to experiment more with this approach, as I gave up full fat mayo years ago.
Madi says
So...I have tried making the mayo several times now, and it had only worked once - the very first time, and I used EVOO, because that's all I had. It did not taste good, so I've been trying the other oils since then. However, I can't seem to get it right. It seems I am going too slow in pouring the oil, because my mayo is coming out almost solid. Then it sort of separates and falls apart when I add the vinegar. It is pretty unappealing. Is there any way to salvage it? Or any other tips or suggestions on getting it right? I've been using pasteurized egg at room temp. Thank you!
Alicia says
Are you using a food processor or an immersion blender? Some people find it easier with an immersion blender. Sunflower or canola seem to be the best oils to use.
Karey Spirit says
Why didn't you answer Robin Kimball's question? You answered other questions. I would also like to know. How long will the mayonnaise last in the refrigerator? It would be much more convenient if I could make the mayonnaise ahead, but I have never made homemade mayonnaise in my life so I have no idea.
Alicia says
Between managing a facebook group, instagram, and email I can receive over 100+ messages a day, so some do get lost or missed. This keeps about 4-5 days in the fridge. The aquafaba mayo has a longer shelf life. I keep that for about 7-10 days.
Sarah says
I made the Italian Salad Dressing (because I was out of milk and couldnt make my FAVORITE ranch one from this site) and it was pretty good! I definitely enjoyed it fresh, not as much the 2nd day though. The oil obviously solidifies in the fridge so I had to warm it up a bit but I also found the flavor a little lackluster by day two. But still good and a great replacement for store-bought! I whipped it up in my tiny 3.5 cup food processor in no time.
ROBIN KIMBALL says
How long does the mayo last in the refrigerator?
Alicia says
This keeps about 4-5 days in the fridge. The aquafaba mayo has a longer shelf life. I keep that for about 7-10 days.
Anonymous says
my mayo came out super runny! Any tips?
Alicia says
You have to pour the oil sooooo slow (sometimes taking breaks for it to whip up) and have your egg be room temperature. Some people have better luck with an immersion blender over a food processor.
Teresa says
Any way to make the mayo just a bit thicker? Like adding an extra egg white maybe? I have tried doing it super slow but still ends up a little runnier than my family prefers
Alicia says
Do you use the food processor or an immersion blender? An immersion blender may help with the thickness. You may want to take breaks in between how you pour. Also make sure your egg is at room temperature and not cold at all. You can warm it up in a little hot water to get it there.
Karen Mizrach says
Just made the Italian Dressing. It's so wonderful! I did reduce the amount of oil a bit and added a few tbspns. of water instead. I'll be making this a lot! Finally I can quit cheating with bottled dressings.
Alicia says
That's awesome! Thanks, Karen!
Noel says
Hi, I am working with my teen daughter to do an elimination diet for her migraines. The list says no vinegar. We are committed to trying this to see if her migraines lessen and do not want to chance any factors that may spoil the elimination. Is white vinegar ok as opposed to other vinegars? Is this ok or should we just avoid until we start introducing elements back in? Thanks in advance for any help/ input...
Alicia says
Hi Noel, White distilled vinegar is ok. Good luck with the elimination!
Noel says
Thank you for your reply and all the info posted here, grateful to have this resource !!
Alicia says
No problem at all! I'm so glad it's helping. 🙂
Mickayla says
The tips to have a room temperature egg and add the vinegar at the end make this mayo fool proof - and yummy! You can make SO many things when you have safe mayo. Thanks!
Teresa says
I LOVE this Italian Salad Dressing! It is my new favorite. I like it way better than the one I used to make with red wine vinegar. I made it in my blender with only 1/2 cup of oil and no honey and it was a hit with my family. Besides salad, we like it over pasta, or poured over salmon filet before baking.
I just started the HYH diet about a month ago. I went from 2-5 headache days per week to only one headache in three weeks! I've been able to tweak most of my favorite recipes, but I eat a lot of salad and dressing seemed impossible. (No balsamic or red wine vinegar or lemon or onion?). This and your Ranch are my go-to's now. Thank you so much!
Thank you for all these headache safe recipes. 🙂
Alicia says
Teresa that IS AWESOME NEWS!! I'm so glad it's working well already. I never thought to use this one over salmon and will most definitely have to do that now. I'll have to credit you for that recipe idea! 🙂 Keep us updated as you continue with this journey. So very happy for you!
Ps - I was finally able to add lemon back successfully so there is hope!
Rachel says
Do you make the dressing as needed or is it something you can keep in the refrigerator over the standard two days?
Alicia says
I tend to make the simple dressing as needed in small batches. It doesn't affect me to keep it for as long as a week, but if you're really sensitive to tyramine I would just recommend 2 days. I think you can get away with a little more here since it's mostly vinegar, olive oil, honey...things you don't necessarily have to worry about having a build up as opposed to meat or fruit.