Diet and migraines: foods that promote migraines and foods to avoid

If you suffer from migraines, you can recognize a pattern of how the foods and drinks you eat affect your body, how you feel, and the likelihood of having a migraine. However, different foods affect different people in different ways. For example, consuming salty foods can trigger a migraine in one patient, but not in another. There is a pattern and here I am going to share with you the possible threats and give you an idea of ​​a diet that may be more suitable.

Food and drinks to avoid

I always like to save the best for last, so I’ll start here with foods to avoid to lower your risk of an attack.

1. Citrus fruits, Bananas, apples, peaches, tomatoes – Believe it or not, even certain types of fruit are more likely to have an adverse effect. These include citrus fruits, but they also include bananas, apples, peaches, and tomatoes. It is the content of the masks that causes the problems. Bananas, for example, include an amino acid called tyramine that lowers serotonin levels in the brain.

2. Drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol – You may have heard it mentioned many times before, but drinks that include caffeine or alcohol in the ingredients should be avoided and not just because they give you a headache. They are both depressants and both increase your anxiety levels. Alcohol also includes tyramine and coffee should only be consumed at least 8 hours before bedtime; otherwise, it can cause insomnia.

3. soy sauce – The problem with soy sauce is that it contains too much salt. It is also advisable to avoid Chinese food because much of it also contains soy sauce. Salt is not only a trigger for migraines and headaches in many people. It also builds up too much cholesterol in the arteries and can lead to diseases like heart disease and stroke.

4. Ice cream -Have you ever eaten a large piece of ice cream in one sitting? From personal experience, this is almost always the culprit in triggering headaches and migraines. It is not the cream or other ingredients, but the fact that it is ice, that it is too cold for the body to bear. Therefore, it triggers a migraine or a headache.

5. Processed meats: sausage, bacon, salami, cold cuts, pepperoni – These processed meats also include tyramine and some may include sodium nitrate, which some migraine sufferers experience as a trigger.

6. Pickled food – You may like the taste of pickled onions, pickled beets, pickled eggs, or pickled olives, but these are particularly potent in their ability to trigger headaches and migraines. They contain MSG (monosodium glutamate). Monosodium glutamate improves the taste of food, but it is also known to trigger migraines.

7. Diet soda – Diet Soda contains aspartame (also known as Equal or NutraSweet). Many of you may be familiar with aspartame, as it can also induce cancer. It can also cause headaches and migraines, especially if consumed in large quantities and over a long period of time.

8. Chocolate – Sorry to disappoint you, but chocolate is also known to cause headaches and migraines. For starters, chocolate contains caffeine (now you know why you love it so much!). Like coffee, chocolate can cause insomnia, anxiety, irritability, headaches, and migraines.

Safe foods for migraine sufferers

There is a lot of food you can enjoy if you have a migraine. Now you know the things to avoid. Namely, foods and beverages that contain caffeine, monosodium glutamate (MSG), aspartame, and tyramine. Now is the time to talk about good nutrition that does not cause migraines or headaches.

1. Rice: especially brown rice – You can have this with curry, chilli con carne, risottos – even as a dessert (lovely) – so you can see that it is not all bad news.

2. Green, yellow and orange cooked vegetables While raw vegetables are certainly not a bad choice, research has shown that for people with migraines, cooked vegetables are even better. These vegetables include spinach (one of the best foods for migraine sufferers), broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash are among the best foods that will not cause migraine headaches.

3. Fresh or dried non-citrus fruits – Most non-citrus fruits are excellent for migraine sufferers. As I mentioned earlier, you should avoid apples, bananas, peaches, and tomatoes, but you should always be careful with cherries, blueberries, pears, and prunes, as they are great in a number of ways.

4. Still or carbonated water – Water has many benefits and it is important to drink it several times, every day. It is the purest beverage you can drink and you should always filter it from the tap or buy it bottled. Water has many benefits. If you have to have a drink that contains caffeine or alcohol, you should always follow it up with a glass of cold water so that you can neutralize the effects of the caffeine or alcohol.

5. Fresh and cold water fish – Fresh, cold-water fish contains a large amount of omega 3 that not only protects against headaches and migraines, but is also excellent for developing intelligence and should be consumed daily. The fish to be eaten are halibut, sardines, salmon, mackerel and tuna. Eggs also contain a large amount of omega three.