Migraines are chronic and painful headaches that may or may not be accompanied by auras, flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms and legs, nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. The goal of treatment is to prevent future attacks and reduce their severity. Medications and lifestyle changes are part of the treatment approach and there are foods which may help some migraine patients manage their condition. The first step is to talk with a physician before making any changes to your diet.
Foods High in B-2
While there is no cure for migraines, consuming foods high in B-2 or riboflavin may help prevent them by correcting tiny deficiencies in the brain cells, states MayoClinic.com. B-2 plays a role in many bodily functions including neutralizing free radicals, which may in turn help to control migraine symptoms.
Foods high in riboflavin include brewer's yeast, almonds, organ meats, whole grains, wheat germ, wild rice, mushrooms, soybeans, milk, yogurt, eggs, broccoli, brussels sprouts and spinach. A doctor or registered dietitian can recommend the amount you need to consume, based on age, sex and overall health, as too much B-2 can cause side effects and interact with medications.
Dairy Foods
For some migraine sufferers, eating foods high in tyramine can trigger symptoms, but each patient is different and keeping a food and symptom diary can help to identify personal problem foods. To help reduce tyramine in the diet the Northwestern Memorial Hospital, suggests focusing on milk and dairy foods except for aged cheese products. It is also important to eat small meals throughout the day, because getting too hungry can trigger attacks.
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
To fully manage migraines, prevention is the key, as once the headache starts, it is hard to control. Part of prevention means eating a diet that is low in trigger substances which includes caffeine, monosodium glutamate, nitrates in processed meats, phenols and other additives and preservatives. These products may stimulate the area of the brain that controls migraine symptoms, claims the Harvard Medical School.
Instead of frozen, canned or processed foods that contain these ingedients, choose fresh fruits and vegetables whenever possible. Because some trigger foods may not cause symptoms for up to 12 to 24 hours after you eat them, it may take a period of eliminating foods and then adding them back in, to see which ones set symptoms off.
Noncaffeinated Foods and Beverages
Caffeine is a common trigger for migraines and the American Headache Society, suggests that all patients should try eliminating it from the diet for a couple of weeks. Chocolate and alcohol should be cut back as well. These products can then be added into the diet in small amounts to see what level is safe.
Since some medications contain caffeine, talk with a physician to see if alternatives are available. In some cases, certain foods only act as a trigger when another triggers are present such as stress, weather changes or when menstruating.
Developing a migraine prevention diet can be time-consuming, but eliminating trigger foods may also reduce the need to take medications and can reduce suffering.
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