Nutrition in the fight against migraine. Typical Migraine Symptoms

Date: 04.04.2019

The frequency and strength of headache attacks largely depends on the lifestyle of people with migraines. Scientific studies have confirmed the amazing connection between recurrence of migraine attacks and food intake. While some products can prevent and even treat migraines, others, on the contrary, play the role of triggers that complicate the patient's condition. A properly designed menu for migraine migrants is just as important as drug therapy. Understanding which foods should be avoided, and which plays the role of a natural medicine, one can significantly improve well-being.

What's banned

In 1983, British researchers monitored a group of 88 children suffering from severe migraines. The subject of study was the diet of young patients. Scientists removed from the usual diet of children some foods that were "suspected" of their ability to increase seizures.

As a result, in 78 out of 88, the condition improved, and in some the attacks stopped altogether. When scientists returned the seized products to the diet, 80 children recurred illness.

The result of the experiment allowed scientists to conclude that dietary factors may be key in the development of migraine in children and adolescents. In adults, when avoiding trigger products, the frequency and strength of seizures is reduced by 20-50%.

So which food is the most dangerous for migraine migrants? Generally speaking, these are primarily products containing nitrites, the tyramine amino acid, food supplement, histamine, and (in large quantities) simple sugars.

Nitrite is a common component in the composition, and. For meat products, this supplement gives a delicate pink color, and for migraine sufferers - another headache attack, since it causes a sharp narrowing of the vessels of the brain.

Tyramine, which gives a rich aroma and special taste to expensive aged cheeses, quickly narrows and dilates blood vessels, and also causes a deficiency of serotonin in the body (a lack of this hormone leads to migraine). Tyramine is found in large quantities in pickled chicken liver. The use of red wines containing ethanol, sulfites and tyramine also leads to vasospasm and dehydration. Both conditions are the shortest path to migraine.

While serotonin is sorely lacking in migraine organisms, its antipode, the hormone histamine, is in excess and enhances headache attacks. In order not to further increase the concentration of histamine, patients should abandon tomatoes, cheeses, sausages, beer, red wine and sauerkraut.

Products with sodium glutamate (E621) are no less dangerous for migraines. This food supplement causes increased activity in certain areas of the brain, which also provokes an attack.

Unsafe and beloved by many. In its composition there are immediately three substances-provocateurs of migraine. These are phenylethylamine, caffeine and theobromine.

Prohibited foods for migraines:

aged cheeses:,;
chocolate;
meat and fish (smoked, dried, fatty types),;
offal;
citrus fruits;
, onions, sauerkraut,;
caffeinated drinks (, cola);
alcohol (red wine, beer).

Product restriction

Although there are "official" contraindicated and recommended products for migraine migrants, but all individually. After the diagnosis of migraine is established, the patient should determine his own list of food that causes his headaches.

For this, it is important for two weeks to completely exclude products from the list of contraindications from the diet. Then enter one item in the menu and observe your condition. If after using any of them headaches resume, then it is categorically contraindicated.

If relapse does not occur, the product can be left in the diet. Usually dangerous foods cause headaches within 3-6 hours after eating.

It is also worth knowing that the list of individual dietary triggers throughout life can change several times. But women with a migraine should be especially attentive to the diet. For hormonal reasons, their personal triggers often vary even for 1 month.

For women, during any hormonal changes (menstrual period, pregnancy, lactation, menopause), it is important to carefully monitor the diet and limit the use of foods that provoke a headache attack.

People with migraines should not skip meals, have a bite to eat with a dry gun, and even less so. Hunger and malnutrition are common causes of severe headache. During attacks, doctors advise you to abandon salty, fatty, pickled foods, sweets, red wine.

It is also necessary to limit the use of starchy foods (,) that cause the release of insulin, which in turn also provokes an attack of migraine. Do not carry out food experiments during seizures and introduce new or exotic foods into the diet.

And one more rule. People suffering from migraine should not eat or drink highly chilled drinks in hot weather, because the brain is sensitive to temperature changes.

Every fifth case of ignoring this rule ends with a 2-day migraine (most often with a visual aura).

Researchers studying the relationship of foods and migraine attacks have found that some nutritional nutrients have a beneficial effect on patients. Coffee, for example, helps many cope with the first attacks of migraine, and food that is rich is considered to be medicinal.

Belgian researchers have concluded that it can relieve headaches. For this reason, migrant workers are good to eat, mushrooms, dishes from. promotes the production of serotonin, which means it can also reduce the risk of migraine. This substance is found in asparagus, baked, or from. Another important element for migraine migrants is magnesium. During stresses, its reserves in the body decrease sharply, and this again is fraught with severe headaches. It is good to eat brown and nuts to increase the magnesium content.

If we talk about fatty foods, then not all fat-containing foods are forbidden for migraines. Acidic foods (such as salmon and other saltwater fish), by contrast, help prevent attacks. It is believed that these improve the condition of the membranes of nerve cells, making them more resistant to factors that cause migraine.

As for herbal, the most useful for headaches are unrefined, and. By the way, flaxseed oil, in addition to useful fatty acids, contains hormone-like substances prostaglandins, which return to the normal state dilated and inflamed cerebral vessels (which, in fact, cause pain attacks).

Speaking of wholesome foods, mention should be made separately of. This spice is known as a natural cure for migraines. The fact is that the root composition contains a large amount of analgesic substances. Migraine workers are advised to consume chopped ginger daily: 0.5-1 tsp.

Another important component of the diet is this. It is scientifically proven that even slight dehydration of the body triggers processes in the brain that trigger migraine attacks. The optimal amount of fluid used is at least 2 liters per day.

But back to the coffee. In the diet of migrant workers, he has an ambiguous reputation. On the one hand, caffeine-containing drugs are among the anti-migraine medicines used by official medicine, and coffee helps to alleviate pain for many. But at the same time, for some patients (usually abusing strong coffee), the drink is a trigger for migraine. It should also be said separately about alcohol. Red wine and beer are strictly forbidden to all patients, but (in small quantities) sometimes helps to alleviate the condition (due to the vasoconstrictor effect).

Products useful for migraines:

rice (especially brown)

Many causes contribute to the onset of migraine, but one of the most common is malnutrition. When adjusting the daily diet, you can practically say goodbye to an unpleasant disease. But the diet for migraine does not imply a rejection of food, but the provision of the necessary nutrients to the body, with the exception of harmful elements.

The principles of proper nutrition must be observed, that is, the number of meals should be at least three to five per day. Long intervals between meals or skipping meals can very often trigger an attack.
It is necessary to prevent overeating and limit the use of salty, fatty, pickled and sweet foods. It is better to eat often, but in small portions.
You should not get involved in a variety of weight loss diets and exotic foods, an unusual diet and the use of unusual foods are a provoking factor in the disease.
In no case do not starve, even if it involves the prescribed treatment.
When compiling a daily diet, monitoring the reaction to each product is required, since the effects of different foods during a migraine change purely personally.

Important! Any migraine attack is a temporary spasm of the blood vessels of the brain and their subsequent expansion. Due to this process, the nerve receptors in the shell of the brain are affected, and pain syndromes and other unpleasant manifestations appear. A diet for migraine must be observed in combination with the use of medications prescribed by a doctor. It is extremely undesirable to try to get rid of pain yourself.

What foods are banned for migraines?

The prohibition of certain products during migraine is associated with the content of substances that can provoke an attack. In particular, it is tyramine, nitrites, monosodium glutamate, serotonin, histamine. The presence of these elements in food relaxes the vessels of the brain, causing them to first narrow and then expand, which triggers the development of a pain attack.

Completely exclude from the diet for migraines recommended foods such as:

alcohol;
fat meat;
canned fish;
smoked meat;
bean in any form;
long-term cheeses;
any nuts;
citrus;
offal;
sour cabbage;
brewer's yeast and kvass;
nutritional supplements (monosodium glutamate).

Interesting! A study was conducted at the Meir Medical Center in Tel Aviv that proved that chewing gum often becomes a cause of headaches in children. The reason is the presence of food coloring in the product, E120 is considered particularly aggressive, providing a rich yellow color.

What foods require migraine restriction?

Some products are allowed to be consumed with migraines only in small quantities, while observing their own reaction to them. So with great care you need to relate to:

cooked sausages, sausages, sausages and ham;
fatty dairy products;
yeast baked goods and fresh bread;
mustard, horseradish, garlic and onion;
exotic fruits;
fish dishes, meat broths.

On a note! Products containing caffeine (black or green tea, coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, cola) often trigger migraine attacks, so they should be consumed fairly limited. But in rare cases, you can relieve an attack at the initial stage due to the use of a small amount of caffeinated products.

Nutrition for migraines should include the following products:

any vegetable oils;
weak black or green tea, compotes, fruit juices, fruit drinks;
lean meat, sea fish, poultry (skinless);
low-fat dairy products;
stewed and boiled vegetables;
local fruits.

Domestic and foreign studies have proven the likelihood of developing migraines with a lack of magnesium in the body. Positive results have shown methods of treating the disease with medications containing magnesium. Therefore, a diet for migraine must necessarily contain the required amount of this element. The main sources of magnesium are bread, milk, seaweed, oatmeal, fruits and vegetables (especially melon is rich in magnesium).

Unfortunately, not a single product is able to instantly stop a headache. But proper nutrition can dull seizures and have a calming effect on the nervous system. Due to the normalization of the content of necessary substances in the body and the exclusion of harmful products, the causes of migraine are eliminated.

Quite often, at various medical sites you can find tips recommending fasting with a diet. And if an adult can somehow tolerate a lack of food, then hungry days are absolutely contraindicated for children. In no case should you treat migraines through therapeutic fasting.

Refusal from food can aggravate an already painful condition, but eating through force can provoke an attack of vomiting. The most appropriate during strong attacks will be the use of light foods - yogurt, kefir, light salad, fruit and vegetable juices, weak coffee or tea with milk.

Need to know! Some products of protein origin are able to accumulate a large amount of tyramine, even during short-term storage. Therefore, with a tendency to migraine, it is advisable to eat only fresh dairy products, fish and meat.

Eating properly with migraines, you can prevent unpleasant attacks. Elimination of harmful products can even permanently relieve painful symptoms. But it is important to remember that for the complete cure of migraine, it is necessary to observe good rest and peace of mind.

Proper nutrition will help with, as many foods affect our blood pressure!

Migraine is a chronic violation of the regulation of blood circulation in a particular area of \u200b\u200bthe brain. More often the disease occurs in adolescence in girls. The disease is inherited from parents and is manifested as a result of exposure to provoking factors:

prolonged physical or mental fatigue;
heavy loads at school, especially if the child attends several circles, sections, tutors at the same time, and does not have a full-fledged daily rest;
constant malnutrition. It is unfavorable when the child can go hungry for a long time (more than five hours), and then eats a double portion of the second dish or dessert, neglecting the first dish, and.

This disease manifests itself with severe headaches, sometimes it can come to nausea. A child always knows when his head will hurt. This is manifested either by precursors, or poor health and heaviness in the head.

Unfortunately, even the most useful ones have been included in the list of products that can harm migraines. As a rule, the adverse effect of these products is enhanced when combined with other factors: a sharp change in weather, overwork, a long ride in a car or train, if the child sleeps less than usual or, conversely, gets up only for dinner. For a child with migraine, the enemy substances are: histamine, serotonin, tyramine,. It is not important for you to know what these substances are and how they act on the body, it is more important that you know what products they contain.

Chocolate, nuts and citrus fruits for a child suffering from migraine will have to be abandoned.

Nuts, even healthy walnuts, are not allowed for these children. Half a handful eaten in the next day can cause a migraine attack.

On a note! Once I conducted an experiment, eating two different nuts (cashews, almonds and peanuts) in turn two days later. Oddly enough, the next day after each type of nut, a migraine attack still appeared and with approximately the same intensity.

Chocolate, chocolate ice cream and cocoa. They contain the substance serotonin, which provokes migraine.
Citrus. Note that children with migraines feel worse in December and New Year than on other holidays. Usually this is due in the tangerine New Year season. And children eating more citrus fruits than at other times of the year begin to suffer from headaches. Sometimes children can react with an attack to a small amount of citrus fruits, then even tea with a slice of lemon is forbidden to them.
Legumes to some extent can also cause a new attack, especially if they are canned.
Hard cheeses, blue cheeses contain tyramine in large quantities. Especially a lot of tyramine contains cheeses old, not fresh, stale.
Salted, smoked and pickled products,. These include smoked sausages, sausages, mayonnaises, ketchups, sauce - they are harmful due to the content of histamine. Perhaps a grain of these products in the salad does not hurt if the child feels great. But if there are precursors, or a hungry child has a bite of a sandwich with sausage, mayonnaise and ketchup, then most likely a new attack can be expected in the evening.
Any rolls, pies, semolina, long loafs and other wheat products. This is due to the gluten content, which can also develop a reaction. But here, too, everything is not so scary: half a bun for tea after a hearty lunch will not harm the child, but tea with two cakes for an afternoon snack or dinner will do its bad job.
. Packaged foods, spices, and other grocery stores containing sodium glutamate increase the frequency of migraine attacks. This is especially true for annotations.

Interesting to know! Specialists at the Meir Medical Center from Tel Aviv University have proven that chewing gum often causes headaches in children. After examining 30 girls and boys, they came to the conclusion that refusing chewing gum saves children from migraines.

Not all products from the forbidden list necessarily cause a migraine attack, for each person there is an individual list. Therefore, check the child’s nutrition: note in the diary that the child ate on the eve of the attack, or a headache appeared after eating one of these products. The results may be distorted if the child was affected by non-nutritional harmful factors or, conversely, he observed.

Products that help during a migraine attack

Freshly squeezed juices from, and spinach. Many recommend fresh.
With migraine, mint tea has a mild effect.
Children over 16 years old can try to drink a decoction of viburnum bark.
Aromatherapy with lemon, mint, rose oil and a valerian root bath helps to relax.

Unfortunately, not a single product in the world can completely relieve a headache, only a certain positive effect is possible, which will dull the attack and will have a calming effect on the nervous system.

Foods for migraines

3 superfoods that reduce the frequency of migraine attacks:

turkey, 50–100 g is enough. Tryptophan contained in it, as a result of transformation, helps to narrow vessels, improves mood.
. They are rich in essential nervous system magnesium, and this reduces the pain in the child.
Liver. It contains riboflavin, which protects brain cells from adverse effects, which is especially important for stress and overwork.

Also, products that reduce the frequency of seizures include:

Cabbage, but cabbage and cauliflower for migraines are also useful.
Bell pepper.
Any fresh greens.

Children are forbidden to arrange hungry diet days for migraines, which can often be found in recommendations on medical sites. With severe attacks, the child will refuse to eat, and you should not force him, because this will aggravate the painful condition and can provoke vomiting. The most appropriate will be to offer the child yogurt, vegetable or fruit juice, light salad, seasoned, dried fruits, weak with milk.

Magnesium B6 (Magvit) for migraine

Pumpkin seeds are rich in magnesium, which helps relieve pain during a migraine attack.

This is a drug consisting of magnesium and. Magnesium, reducing the excitability of nerve cells and slowing down the transmission of impulses, blocks a pulsating headache, and vitamin B6 helps it to be absorbed and penetrate into cells, normalizing metabolic processes of the nervous system. For a tangible effect, this drug should be drunk for a month 2 times a year. Contraindicated in children under 6 years of age (weighing up to 20 kg). Children taking magnesium and B6 2 times a year, sometimes even can refuse painkillers.

All of these products, harmful and, conversely, useful for complaints of migraine, have been tried and tested by me personally, a person with a 17-year experience of the disease. A survey was also conducted among children observed for this diagnosis. It is impossible to cure the disease, but, observing the correct diet, it is easy to reduce the number of seizures, and the right foods do not allow the pain syndrome to diverge. Often, proper nutrition can reduce migraines to minor severity and aches, which can be stopped by a simple walk in the fresh air, a hot shower or an hour of good and restful sleep.

About products that help cope with migraines, says the program "Live healthy!":

Migraine is a special condition of the body in which a person develops strong, throbbing, unilateral headaches, which are often exacerbated by other unpleasant symptoms. Among the causes of these attacks are "harmful" products. Consider the products that trigger migraines in this article in more detail.

It's usually stupid to blame coffee or smoked cheese for frequent headaches if you work 12 hours a day and are under stress every day. There are many reasons that provoke the occurrence of headaches, and nutrition among them is not the first line.

Reasons that can cause migraines:

change of weather;
hunger;
dehydration;
frequent stress;
excessive physical activity;
abuse of hormonal drugs (contraceptives, etc.), as well as certain drugs;
some products;
accompanying illnesses.

What not to eat

So which foods are at risk? According to studies conducted by scientists, it turned out that allergenic foods can cause migraine attacks in humans, and accordingly, these foods are undesirable for consumption if you are prone to migraines. These products include:

In addition, “harmful” products include everything that contains food additives and dyes, in particular: aspartame, sodium nitrate and monosodium glutamate. Accordingly, taking into account that monosodium glutamate and some dyes are contained in every second product, can we conclude that almost any product or product is prohibited? Theoretically, this is so, but it is not easy to completely abandon everything in a row, and conduct tests with your body. For example, if you have never noticed that smoked cheese leads to headaches, this is not a reason to abandon this product and vice versa, if Brie cheese causes a headache, think about replacing it with another type. Explore, try.

You should know that monosodium glutamate is widely used in the preparation of Chinese dishes, so there is such a thing as a Chinese restaurant syndrome. Do not be surprised if you hurt your head after going to such an institution. It is the food that is to blame, but not the atmosphere or stuffiness (although it is possible that everything is complex).

To increase the shelf life of products, nitrites and nitrates are used. However, these substances, getting into the human body, can cause a decrease in the tone of blood vessels, which, in turn, can have a provocative effect on a headache. Accordingly, for sick people, the use of foods with a long shelf life is not recommended.

In addition, the following products are at risk:

nuts
potato chips;
pizza;
chicken offal;
smoked red fish;
dried fish;
fresh bakery;
smoked meats;
dried fruits;
yogurt;
oil;
sour cream;
caffeinated products;
desserts with cheese;
cheese flavored crackers;
bananas
papaya;
a pineapple;
kiwi.

In adults with migraines, seizures can be caused due to the accumulation of substances such as phenylethylamine and aspartame in the body.

Phenylethylamine is a narcotic substance and can accumulate gradually in the body as a result of regular use of the following products:

chocolate;
cheesecake
citrus;
berries;
red wine;
yellow cheese.

In turn, aspartame, accumulating, also provokes the body to headaches. It contains:

One of the most dangerous substances, which in large quantities can lead not only to headaches, but also cause illnesses such as edema, hypotension, and thickening of the blood, is histamine.

Histamine enters the body along with the following products:

meat-containing products (sausages, sausages, etc.);
seafood;
sea \u200b\u200bfish;
bananas
pineapples
citrus;
yeast products;
eggplant;
spinach;
chocolate.

Products that cause migraines are sold everywhere in any supermarket and some of them are among those that are consumed daily. As mentioned earlier, the best test is to evaluate the reaction of your body to a particular product. Make it a rule for yourself to write down all your feelings after using one or another “dangerous product”, and very soon the obvious picture will develop, and you will know what you can eat from the forbidden list and what you cannot.

Do not forget that diet is also a provoking factor, since excessive malnutrition is fraught with the fact that the body begins to starve. During starvation, your brain starts the processes associated with the preservation of life, as a result of which the body produces “forbidden” substances from the point of view of migraine. These substances cause a headache.

Another person’s opponent in the fight against migraine is chilled foods. So, as a result of the observation of scientists, it was found that products such as ice cream, frozen fruits, etc., can affect the nature and intensity of attacks. People who have had headache attacks have an excessive susceptibility to temperature extremes.

As for cheeses, the most harmful for patients are Brie cheese, mozzarella, Cheddar cheese, and blue cheese. They contain a large amount of tyramine.

In addition, this substance is found in foods such as garlic, olives, nuts and legumes.

To drink or not to drink

As for the fluid that enters our body, here, too, not everything is as clear as we would like. For example, simple dehydration can lead to an attack, just like drinking soda, in order to avoid this dehydration. Vicious circle? At first glance, it is, but only at first glance. Sparkling water is really harmful, in terms of migraine attacks, but not for everyone. And here only observation of the reaction of your body to a particular carbonated drink will help.

As for coffee. Then in small quantities it is used as a headache blocker, like green tea. However, among fans of this drink, on the contrary, its use can affect the development of pain.

The most burning topic is alcohol. Can I drink alcoholic beverages and what problems after alcohol can occur? It is alcoholic beverages that carry a large number of substances such as tyramine and histamine, which can cause severe headache. Moreover, it does not matter what quality the alcoholic beverage has (be it cognac for 500 rubles or for 5000, the result is one, the substances contained in this and that can cause migraine).

Alcoholic drinks that trigger migraines:

champagne;
wine;
cognac;
beer;
liquor.

If a person prone to migraine attacks excludes the above listed drinks from the diet or reduces their consumption level, the intensity of the headache decreases and the interval between attacks increases.

What can

So, what is better for a person suffering from migraine? Naturally, these are products that help relieve headaches. These include magnesium-containing products. The most interesting thing is that among them there are those that are on the “forbidden” list.

broccoli;
green pepper;
greens;
some dried fruits;
dairy products;
fish;
fruits and vegetables that contain large amounts of water.

Therefore, instead of a fresh pastry bun, in the morning it is better to eat a little broccoli seasoned with herbs, and eat it all with a watermelon. It will be much better for your body.

So, in the list of products that trigger migraines, there are a lot of products for everyday use. You should not radically change your lifestyle and refuse all the products included in this list. In most cases, it will be quite simple to limit the consumption of this food, which will cause a positive effect. Take care of yourself and eat only quality food!

In addition to medicines and traditional medicine, a correctly selected nutrition is a very effective prophylactic method in the fight against migraine. The correct combination and eating of certain products that bring benefit or harm to the body during illness will help to avoid another headache attack.

What not to eat?

When choosing or restricting a particular product, you need to focus on your individual characteristics, observing the body's reaction.

How to eat?

Food does not guarantee cure for illness, but only improves the general condition of the body, preventing the occurrence of an attack. This method has an effective effect if the patient combines it with the traditional one, under the supervision of a specialist.

What is possible with migraine:

fruits (non-exotic) and vegetables (including stewed and boiled);
buckwheat porridge and oatmeal;
green tea;
dried fruits;
fresh low-fat meat, fish (preferably marine), poultry;
processed cheese, feta cheese, low-fat milk;
vegetable oils (sunflower, linseed, olive, etc.);
compotes, fruit juices (preferably freshly squeezed) and berry fruit drinks;
foods high in vitamin B2 (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, low-fat beef);
foods rich in magnesium (seaweed, melon).

IMPORTANT! Protein products during storage (meat, fish, milk and dairy products) accumulate a substance that provokes migraine - tyramine. Therefore, these types of products are recommended to be used exclusively in fresh form.

To achieve a therapeutic effect, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules of nutrition:

Diet for migraines

For adults

When a migraine attack begins, it is recommended that you eat only freshly squeezed juices for the first two days (carrot, orange, grapefruit, cucumber, etc.).
The diet for migraine patients must be observed constantly (with noticeable improvements).
It is necessary to abandon bad habits (smoking, drinking).

Sample menu for the day:

Breakfast: oatmeal and a glass of freshly squeezed juice (optional).
Dinner: fresh vegetable soup, mashed potatoes and rosehip tea.
Dinner: a glass of kefir or ryazhenka.

Snacks should consist of fruits!

If the disease is with a visual aura

Avoid foods with caffeine and monosodium glutamate.
Eat as little sugar as possible.

Sample menu for the day:

Breakfast: a salad of fresh vegetables, a few spoons of porridge and a broth of wild rose.
Dinner: vegetable soup, light salad and herbal decoction.
Dinner: low-fat cottage cheese with kefir, or a salad of vegetables and freshly squeezed juice.

For lunch and afternoon snack, you can eat one apple.

Diet for children

To facilitate the flow, you should adhere to the following nutrition rules:

Foods such as pumpkin seeds, broccoli, turkey meat, bell peppers, herbs and dried fruits must be included in the diet.
Drinking juice from fresh carrots or cucumbers is recommended.
Useful tea with chamomile and mint.
Perhaps the use of aromatherapy with essential oils of mint, lemon, rose.

For pregnant

Pregnant women must observe the following rules:

Exclude cakes and pastries from the diet.
Limit chocolate and caffeine.
If possible, eat environmentally friendly products, without nitrates.
Minimum preservatives, more natural low-fat foods.
Fresh anchovies, sweet corn, boiled eggs, cucumbers, beets, raisins, figs, fruits, sweet cottage cheese and tomato juice are especially useful.