Migraine is a headache disorder characterized by a recurrent string of headaches ranging from the moderate to severe. Dubbed as the 3rd most prevalent illness in the world, it affects up to 1 billion people worldwide, 38 million of which live in the United States.
Unless the migraine turns from episodic to chronic, most attacks can be caused by food triggers so you might want to watch how you eat.
Here are some tips on how you eat if you have a migraine:
Alcohol
Studies have related drinking alcohol (mostly red wine and dark liquors) to migraine attacks with one out of three people saying that alcohol is a migraine trigger.
Noah Rosen, MD, director of Cushing Neuroscience Institute’s Headache Center has this to say about the phenomenon: “People single out red wine or dark liquors, but unfortunately, any alcohol can be a trigger.”
JUDGMENT: DO NOT EAT/DRINK
Caffeinated Drinks
It is not really the caffeine that causes the attack but the lack of it. Skipping your morning coffee even just for a day can cause a caffeine withdrawal headache. Better be safe than sorry so do not drink coffee instead.
JUDGMENT: DO NOT EAT/DRINK
Fresh Meat
You can eat fresh beef, chicken, pork, fish or veal as long as it is store-bought and has not been seasoned by MSG. Make sure it has not been injected with broth or tenderizer. Also do not use bread crumbs and barbecue sauce on it.
JUDGMENT: EAT/DRINK
Citrus Fruits
There has been no sufficient evidence that citrus fruits are absolute triggers for migraine yet but enough people have complained that they had a migraine after eating oranges, lemons or grapefruit for it to warrant including them in this list.
JUDGMENT: DO NOT EAT/DRINK
Food with MSG
Studies show that MSG-rich food can cause migraines in up to 15 percent of people.
JUDGMENT: DO NOT EAT/DRINK
Cold Drinks and Frozen Desserts
Brain freeze caused by drinking and eating cold food and drinks can trigger a longer bout of migraine. So if you must eat, at least eat or drink slowly.
JUDGMENT: DO NOT EAT/DRINK
Some food triggers may also vary from person to person. For something to be considered a food trigger it must give you a headache within 12 to 24 hours of eating it and it must be consistent in causing the migraine in a streak of 20 to 30 migraine attacks.
