Headache Fighting Foods to Prevent Migraine Headache

Headache Fighting Foods to Prevent Migraine Headache
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The World Health Organization lists migraines as the 19th most common cause of disability, and the National Headache Foundation estimates 28 million Americans suffering from migraine headaches, with American industry losing around $50 billion from migraine-induced absenteeism and medical expenses.

Two major causes of migraine headaches are mental tension and sudden changes. This makes modern lifestyle a fertile breeding ground for migraines. Dietary control is a help for migraine headaches, for pain safe foods has the power to preempt headaches, and headache fighting foods can alleviate the condition.

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Elimination Diet

A variety of conditions trigger migraine, and research estimates that diet plays a role in triggering 20 to 40 percent of all migraine cases. The chief causative factor is food compounds such as tyramine, additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), nitrates, and caffeine. These compounds constrict the blood vessels in the brain and cause headaches.

The key to prevent migraine headaches is avoiding foods containing such additives. Some such foods include:

  • meat such as beef, pork, and turkey
  • wheat flour products such as bread
  • vegetables such as olives, beans, chili peppers, tomatoes, onion, and corn
  • fruits such as apples, bananas, avocados, and most citrus fruits
  • dairy products, especially cheese
  • eggs
  • chocolate
  • fried, processed foods, tinned or preserved foods, especially those containing MSG, nitrites, and nitrates
  • nuts such as peanuts
  • alcoholic beverages, especially red wine
  • caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, and colas
  • rich cakes, pastries
  • certain pickles, sauces, and condiments

The exact cause of a migraine outbreak, however, depends on the individual’s constitution, and foods that cause migraine in one person may not cause migraines in another person. Research has not yet established the exact mechanism by which a particular food causes migraines.

A way to determine whether a particular food causes migraine in an individual is to place foods that cause sensitivity to the individual in a suspicious category, and eliminate those foods to test if the migraine recurs. An alternative approach is keeping a food diary to track everything consumed, and keep track of migraine headaches, to find a link between the headache and a particular food consumed before the headache.

Pain Safe Foods

Pain-safe foods never contribute to headaches or other painful conditions. A diet plan heavy on such pain-safe foods is a good way to preempt migraine headaches.

Some pain-safe foods include:

  • starchy food such as brown rice, brown bread, potatoes, and crackers
  • cooked vegetables, especially green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and Swiss chard, orange vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes, and yellow vegetables, such as summer squash
  • cooked or dried non-citrus fruits such as cherries, cranberries, pears, prunes
  • herbs such as feverfew, but not herbal tea
  • carbonated water without beverages
  • condiments such as salt in moderation, maple syrup, and vanilla extract

Skipping meals, and fasting drop blood sugar levels, may trigger migraines, and at times just choosing to eat might preempt migraines.

Curative Diet

Headache Fighting Foods

While some foods trigger migraines, some prevent headaches, and other foods help cure migraines. Pain killing drugs give temporary relief without removing the cause, whereas headache fighting foods provide both a permanent cure and a more effective recovery.

A popular natural migraine headache cure is consumption of 500 to 600 milligrams of fresh powdered ginger mixed in a glass of water, repeated every two hours.

A major causative factor of migraine is low energy levels, and a diet to cure migraine aims at toning up and revitalizing the whole organism.

Some popular headache fighting foods include

  • foods with complex carbohydrates such as cereals, bread, potatoes, pulses, and rice
  • foods with omega 3 fatty acids such as salmon, mackerel, fish oil, walnuts, and flax seeds
  • calcium-rich vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, kale
  • foods rich in magnesium such as spinach
  • diary products such as milk, yogurt, and butter-milk
  • spices such as pepper, ginger, peppermint, and cayenne
  • black beans
  • oatmeal
  • garlic
  • honey

Regular consumption of a well-balanced diet, including such headache fighting foods and pain free foods, is a help for migraine headaches and contributes to a permanent solution.

Some foods, such as caffeine and wheat products that trigger migraine headaches, also act as a cure. For instance, a cup or two of strong coffee at the first sign of a migraine headache might serve as an effective cure. This depends primarily on the body constitution of the person and research on this area remains inconclusive.

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The recommended dietary intake pattern to counter migraine headache is eating six small meals a day, rather than a few large ones, drinking a minimum of two liters of water a day, avoiding overeating, and refraining from weight loss diets.

A combination of avoiding foods that trigger migraines, and making the diet heavy in pain-safe foods and headache fighting foods, serves as the most effective immediate and permanent cure for migraine headaches.

References

  1. Bakhru, H.K. Diet Cure for Common Ailments. Retrieved from https://www.healthlibrary.com/book16_chapter459.htm
  2. PurifyMind.com. A Natural Approach to Migraines. Retrieved from https://www.purifymind.com/ApproachMigraine.htm

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