Migraine Relief through Nutrition - Recipes to ease your mind! (2024)

FAQs

What nutrition helps migraines? ›

Diet interventions, such as high folate diet, low-fat diet, high omega-3, and low omega-6 fatty acid diets, ketogenic diet, Atkins diet, and low sodium diet, have been reported to reduce migraine attacks.

Magnesium-rich foods: Research on mostly white females shows that magnesium may offer migraine relief. Foods rich in magnesium include dark leafy greens, avocado, and tuna. Omega-3 fatty acids: Research indicates that increasing omega-3 fatty acids may help people with migraine.

The deficiency of many nutrients including magnesium, niacin, riboflavin, cobalamin, coenzymes Q10, carnitine, α-lipoic acid and vitamin D is associated with migraine.

Figs in particular are a great fruit to choose, due to their high potassium content, to help keep migraines at bay. Potassium is an electrolyte that helps boost hydration levels and can reduce muscle cramping and fatigue. Bananas are another potassium-rich fruit.

Research is continuing, but some studies suggest potassium may help alleviate migraine pain by contributing to healthier nerve functioning. Bananas are good for headaches because they deliver a dose of potassium, magnesium, B vitamins, and complex carbohydrates, all of which contribute to reducing headache pain.

Nuts — including peanuts and peanut butter — as well as dried fruits naturally contain high levels of a chemical called phenylalanine that can be a migraine trigger, according to the Association of Migraine Disorders. The same is true for dried fruits like raisins, dates, figs, and apricots.

What not to do during migraine? ›

Consuming lots of alcohol, caffeine, and even foods like sweets, artificial sweeteners, and heavily salted foods (such as cured meats) can also have a negative effect on someone's migraines. Oversleeping or not sleeping enough, dehydration, and low glucose levels can also exacerbate migraine symptoms — as can stress.

Caffeine has vasoconstrictive properties, meaning that blood vessels narrow to restrict blood flow, thereby alleviating the pain.

Some common foods to eliminate include highly processed foods, caffeine, chocolate, aged cheeses, processed meats high in nitrates, high-sugar foods, gluten and alcohol. Some people find that moving their diet away from processed foods to whole, made-from-scratch foods has made a big difference in their headaches.