The Relationship Between Your Diet and Migraines
I really enjoy going out to eat sometimes with my wife and/or my friends. Good times and good conversation is healthy for anyone. There is one particular friend I have, however, that is a bit challenged when trying to pick a place to eat.
This friend is a migraine headache sufferer. She has unfortunately spent most of her life dealing with this malady, but it has gotten even worse since menopause. She then started to notice that after eating certain foods, migraines came more frequently and with more severe effects.
I’m always curious about medical problems that people suffer daily with, so I asked her to write down a list of the foods that seemed to bring on the migraines; the list was very long. My friend’s reaction to the foods and the migraines they caused weren’t quite a textbook food allergy, but the results were very much the same.
It just so happens that within the last two decades, the number and severity of migraines in both children and adults have increase exponentially. One of the ideas behind this increase is that there has been a radical change in diets.
Although every migraine sufferer is different, there is a list of common trigger foods that have been known to cause migraines. These foods are: fried foods, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, pork, seafood, seafood, alcohol (especially red wine), food additives such as MSG, asparatame (found in many diet soft drinks), food dye, aged cheese, citrus fruits, chocolate, nuts (especially peanuts), cured meats, fatty foods, vanilla flavoring (due to the alcohol), and caffeine. Caffeine drinkers may also notice migraines by withdrawing from drinking caffeine every day.
Like I said before, everyone is different but there is a way to find out how your migraines are caused, if it’s food-related. Try eliminating a certain food from your diet and then re-introducing it several days later (longer if your headaches aren’t very frequent). If your migraines return, then that food item is quite possibly your “trigger food.”
So, we know which foods can cause migraines, but which foods can actually help them? Research has shown that eating a diet consisting primarily of unprocessed foods can help to keep those migraines away. While this is not a cure to migraines, it certainly can help them.
Calcium rich foods such as kale, broccoli, and spinach, wheat, oatmeal, ginger, garlic, and fish (and fish oils) all have been shown to have an impact in the fight against migraines.
Please remember that you should never drastically change your diet, whether you are trying to combat migraines or trying to lose weight (or anything else, for that matter). The old adage “all things in moderation” is a good key to remember.
Getting plenty of shut-eye is another great way to help avoid migraines. Daily exercise always helps, too, as it delivers important oxygen-rich blood to your brain. Oxygen deprivation is thought to be the cause of most headaches.
My Migraine and Headache Program has worked for many migraine and headache sufferers. This program is all-natural, so you won’t have to worry about side effects from medications (like headaches)!
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