Triggers can cause a migraine attack to come about or get worse. Doctors and upper cervical chiropractors remind us time and time again to avoid migraine triggers, including foods. A study found that food is a trigger in about 10% of people with migraines.
Let this article be your guide on what foods to eat to make your migraines disappear, and what foods to eliminate in your diet as they can bring on migraine headaches.
This vegetable contains a fair amount of water (97% of it to be exact) that can keep you hydrated. As you know, dehydration is a common migraine trigger. Therefore, you must consume foods that are rich in water.
A small seed it may seem, but a sesame seed is full of vitamin E. This nutrient helps maintain the estrogen in the body at the proper level to keep menstrual migraines at bay. Sesame seeds also contain L-arginine, an amino acid that, when used with Ibuprofen, can relieve migraines.
A low-carb diet is fine, but inadequate carbs in your system may cause you to suffer from daily headaches. Without carbohydrates, your blood sugar will drop drastically, resulting in headaches. To avoid this, always eat healthy and carb-rich foods such as brown rice, oatmeal, apples, carrots, and pears.
As mentioned earlier, dehydration can lead to headaches. Another method to combat dehydration is by taking in some potassium. Russet potatoes are rich in potassium, three times more than the amount in a banana. Also, 75% of russet potatoes are water, so they are more than enough to rehydrate you.
Eating foods with high amounts of Vitamin B12 (riboflavin) can also help you prevent migraine headaches. Some great sources of this vitamin are All Bran, Wheaties, and Fiber One.
Deter a migraine headache by devouring some cherries around the time you usually get an attack. Cherries contain compounds that transform into nitric oxide in the body. Therefore, these fruits can protect you from migraines and headaches. Surprisingly, beetroot and beetroot juice have the same effect.
Magnesium calms down the blood vessels in the brain. Fortunately, some foods are abundant of this mineral, such as pumpkin seeds, almonds, and brazil nuts. Munch a half cup of pumpkin seeds to satisfy 100 percent of your daily magnesium requirements.
Hot peppers have an active chemical called capsaicin that can numb the trigeminal nerve of the brain. Irritation of this nerve causes the onset of some migraines and debilitating types of headaches, such as cluster and tension headaches.
Believe it or not, too little caffeine can also trigger migraine headaches. If you are used to drinking coffee every day and suddenly missed your daily cup of coffee, you may get headaches. In short, an adequate dose of coffee is good for the body. Just don’t have too much or too little of it.
Foods such as bacon, hot dogs, and lunch meats contain nitrates and nitrites. These chemicals are added to these foods to keep them fresh and extend their shelf life. However, they inflate the blood vessels, which can cause migraine headaches. Moreover, cured meats have lots of salts, which leads to dehydration.
Bananas and avocados are full of tyramine, a natural compound that can constrict or expand the blood vessels. When this happens, migraines can be the result. Thus, monitor if these two fruits harm you and stop eating them if they cause you headaches.
Sulfites are chemicals that naturally exist in all kinds of wines, and they are mixed with other alcoholic drinks to maintain their food color and counteract the growth of bacteria or fungi in them. However, sulfites can bring on migraine headaches. On top of that, alcohol is extremely dehydrating, causing migraines even more. Alcohol blocks the antidiuretic hormone. So, instead of the fluid returning into the body, it goes directly to the bladder. In addition, alcohol weakens your brain’s ability to figure out when you are thirsty. Some people go past the point of dehydration.
MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a flavor enhancer often blended in Asian foods and soy sauce. They are also in American processed foods and instant noodles. The same thing as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, acid breaks down a plant protein into amino acids. Free glutamate is released and combined with the free sodium in the body to produce MSG, and this can trigger episodes of migraines.
Tyramine is in aged cheeses such as Swiss, Cheddar, Camembert, and Stilton. Avoid them as much as you can.
Soy sauces have too much MSG in them, not to mention sodium. Either of these two components can trigger migraines and headaches.
Aspartame should be consumed in moderation, as advised by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Over the three decades, the FDA has received many customer complaints about the negative neurological effects that aspartame brings. These include memory loss, dizziness, and headaches. Better stay away from artificial sweeteners to keep migraines at bay and boost your mood and health.
More than avoiding triggers, it is important that you address the root cause of your migraines to keep them from returning. If you have avoided all the prohibited foods listed above but still get migraines, it may be time to consult an upper cervical chiropractor. A misaligned bone may be the underlying cause of your migraines.
When the C1 bone in your upper cervical spine (neck) shifts out of position, it can stress the brainstem and cause it to act up. By employing upper cervical chiropractic to adjust the bones gently and safely, migraineurs can find relief to their headaches and other migraine symptoms.
Give this unique alternative care a go. Request an appointment with our upper cervical chiropractor by calling 239-558-5866 or accomplishing this online form.
To schedule a complimentary consultation, call our Cape Coral office at 239-766-6821, or you can also click the button below.
If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
