A few years ago, I started having migraines. I don't have auras, and they're not the kind that make me want to lie down in the dark, but they completely kill my day. I currently have a prescription for sumatriptan, which helps, but leaves me rather dopey and slow.

I'm trying to figure out what's going on in terms of diet. I became a vegetarian in my early college years. I remained so until I got married, when I went omni. That marriage ended, and I went back to being vegetarian, and several years ago, I went vegan. I can't remember exactly when my migraines started, but it was after I went vegan.

I am into eating healthy and well. At least 90% of my food is prepared by me or my girlfriend. I like eating fresh fruits and veggies. I eat plenty of salad with all kinds of ingredients. I make my own hummus. I make soups, lentils, beans, use brown rice, and make my own whole wheat bread. We sometimes make pasta (not always whole wheat, but we don't live off it) and pizza (usually with whole wheat crust that I make). As far as I can tell, we eat pretty well. I don't consume a lot of added sugar, and until recently, I also didn't add much salt to anything (just enough for flavor).

It was recently brought to my attention that I might not be drinking enough water.

I recently found a woman running a Facebook group for migraine sufferers, and the bottom line of her analysis for me is: more salt, and lots of it. (There was also a suggestion to reevaluate my commitment to veganism, which is not happening.)

Are there vegans who have migraines due to a sodium deficiency? Could there be something else? This woman says that a vegan diet is potentially very high in potassium, and if that is not balanced with sodium, it will cause headaches. This makes sense to me, but I am asking around here because she also says that animal protein is essential for human survival, which means I should fact-check the sodium suggestion (in the interest of "well, your science is good over here, but I don't want the snake oil Kool-Aid you're also selling").