Migraines affect 20% of the population and mostly women, in a ratio of four women to one man.
Sometimes, some foods are responsible for triggering a headache if the person who suffers from it has also a familial predisposition. Which are the foods to avoid? All those rich in histamine like fermented cheese and cured meats as well as those that promote their release in the body, like chocolate and strawberries.

 

 

In America the foods that easily cause headaches are called triggers: these include cheese, dairy products, chocolate, eggs, citrus fruits, meat and fat sea fish, wheat, walnuts and hazelnuts, tomatoes, onions, corn, apples, bananas. The most dangerous triggers are monosodium glutamate (an additive found in stock cubes), aspartame, the nitrites contained in cured meats and tinned meat (named E249, E250, E251, E252 in the label), sulfur dioxide contained in wines: a good habit would be to aerate the wine before consuming it in order to eliminate 40% of this additive. Other foods you should avoid if you’re prone to headaches are strawberries, shellfish, exotic fruit, oily seeds, almonds.

 

 

Is there a sort of diet or a food to fight migraines? Ginger is an anti-inflammatory product that is very effective in tackling headaches. If you powder this root and infuse it in water or combine it with honey you’ll have a large amount of antihistamine molecules and narcotic substances that lower the pain. You just need half a teaspoonful of powdered ginger to have good results.

 

 

Another substance that can be useful to ease headaches if consumed carefully is caffeine that is found in coffee, tea or cola beverages. Caffeine has an analgesic and vasoconstrictor function in case of pain due to the dilation of the cerebral arteries and can be useful in case of headaches caused by bad digestion. If consumed excessively and continuously caffeine can have the opposite effect causing intoxication and, as a consequence, headaches.

 

 

Another effective food in fighting migraines is turmeric, an anti-inflammatory substance that acts in the same way as ginger that inhibits pro-inflammatory molecules and is an antioxidant. It can be used every day sprinkled on salads and vegetables. Finally, hot pepper is high in capsaicin, a substance that regulates blood flow and inhibits the production of other substances that cause pain.

 

 

Another effective method to tackle recurring migraines is that of avoiding food overload. Our immune system, indeed, reacts against the foods we eat too often by causing inflammation and headaches. There are tests against food intolerances that help you calculate the right amount of a certain food product you should consume and train your body not to consider healthy substances as harmful relieving headaches.

Tradotto da Francesca Clemente