Migraines and Diet

April 19, 2011

You plan for a nice sunny day outing and it gets ruined as a bad headache strikes you or you get the usual horrific migraine attack. Blame it on a fast paced lifestyle with little or absolutely no relaxation. Migraines and other type of headaches can often be associated with a faulty diet and lifestyle.

Migraines are a type of headaches that are experienced only on one side of your head. They are often accompanied by nausea, changes in your vision, and vomiting.

The first thing that you need to follow if you fall prey to this painful headache is to avoid food that will trigger migraines.

So it is a wise idea to stay away from hydrogenated oils, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup. These tend to trigger the problem as they make your body overwork to process these items.
Stay away from processed foods as they just add to your calories and do not provide any nutrients whatsoever.

They simply heat up your body as it is difficult to process these types of foods. Radishes, onions, celery, and cilantro are your best friends as far as controlling migraines are concerned. They cool your body and as a result, the headache also vanishes.

Drink more water and make sure that your body is well hydrated.

Dehydration also contributes to migraines and chronic headaches. So coffee, black tea, and other carbonated drinks dehydrate your body and do more harm to your body than any good. So think twice before you grab a cup of steaming coffee with the excuse that you are having a migraine attack.

It’s a myth that skipping meals can help provide some relief from migraines.

The fact is that you need to eat, but in moderation. Eat small portions and frequent meals. Make sure you follow a well-balanced diet.

Cheese and alcohol are the main culprits that can contribute to a migraine attack. Even wheat and wheat based products have been known to contribute to this painful attack.

However, instead of avoiding these foods, try to eat in moderation. Studies have shown that if you start out by avoiding foods that may trigger a headache for the length of time that you get the headaches and then re-introduce the food again, you can get immune to the food and the food item no longer triggers a headache.

So moderation is the key. Go slow with your food but do not stay away from it just because you are suffering from a migraine.