How Can You Manage Migraines With Your Diet?

It’s no secret that what we eat plays a large role in determining how our body behaves; eating fatty foods can cause obesity and heart disease while too many sweets could cause tooth decay. Research also indicates that certain foods may help prevent and manage headaches, while other foods may cause the onset of them.

A recent study conducted by professors at the University of Cincinnati in the US suggested two approaches to preventing headaches through your diet. The first includes eliminating foods that have been found to trigger headaches, while the other focuses on foods that can help prevent them.

An Elimination Diet

“Large amounts of caffeine can bring on anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as headaches,” said Vincent Martin, a professor at the university. However, Martin also cautions against suddenly stopping the intake of caffeine saying “let’s say you regularly pound down three or four cups of coffee every morning and you decide to skip your morning routine one day, you will likely have full-fledged caffeine withdrawal headache that day.”

Therefore, the best approach would be to gradually cut down on coffees and other caffeinated drinks.

Additionally, the researchers found, by reviewing previous studies, that another trigger for migraines is MSG which is present in large amounts in frozen and canned goods like soups, packaged snacks, seasoning salts, sauces and salad dressing.

Finally, the researchers suggest that alcohol is one of the most frequent headache triggers. Vodka and red wines have a greater chance of resulting in headaches due to their high histamine content.

Foods Which Can Help Prevent Headaches

Instead of the above foods which can trigger headaches, the researchers suggest low fat, low carbohydrate diets along with diets rich with omega-3 fatty acids.

“The beauty of these diets is that they not only reduce headaches, but may produce weight loss and prevent heart disease,” said Associate Professor Brinder Vij.

Omega rich foods include flax seeds, walnuts, sardines, salmon, beef, soybeans and cauliflowers. Why not try these few tips to see if they help ease your migraines?